Episode 2 of Season 15 dives into the fast-evolving world of social impact careers in emerging markets with Ann-Elise Francis—venture builder, impact investor, and innovator at Rippleworks. Hosted by Craig Zelizer, this conversation tracks Ann-Elise's unique career journey from global studies and teaching in Bangkok to hands-on work scaling ventures across Africa and Latin America. Listen for practical insights on growing inclusive businesses, advancing financial inclusion, supporting women entrepreneurs, and navigating the realities of impact-driven work across complex environments.

Why Take a Listen:

• Scaling Impact Ventures in Challenging Markets: Follow Ann-Elise's trajectory from education to driving growth at Turaco, AZA Finance, and other ventures. See how she expanded micro-insurance and financial services for low-income communities and SMEs across Africa and Latin America.

• Funding & Inclusion—The Field Perspective: Candid discussion on the realities of startup funding, impact investing, and the hurdles women founders encounter in African markets. Ann-Elise shares her observations from angel investing and advice for those evaluating impact opportunities.

• Ecosystem Building for Sustainable Change: Concrete approaches for tackling operational challenges, building partnerships, and determining when external investment makes sense. Ann-Elise covers what locally led innovation demands for scale—and how capacity building fits in.

• Insider View on Rippleworks: Get a look into how Rippleworks works with ventures at critical growth moments, offering operational support and funding across sectors and geographies.

Resource Section & Links

Some key resource mentioned in the episode

• Rippleworks Foundation – Support for scaling social impact ventures, operational expertise, funding opportunities, and curated jobs.

• Women Who Build Africa – Network, events, and connections for women founders and tech entrepreneurs across Africa.

• Nairobi Business Angel Network (NaiBAN) – Angel investing group focused on African startups.

• Astia Angels – Investor community supporting women-led companies.

• Devex – Global development news and resources.

• TechCabal – Insights and reporting on Africa's tech sector.

Bio

Ann-Elise is an impact-driven leader, venture builder, and investor passionate about advancing financial inclusion and economic empowerment. With over a decade of experience scaling ventures and high-impact initiatives across Africa and Latin America, she specializes in operational strategy, market expansion, and investment readiness, helping ventures thrive in complex, emerging markets.

She has led growth, partnerships, and operations across financial services, health, and climate resilience, with a proven track record of securing multi-million-dollar investments and structuring high-value collaborations that drive sustainable impact.

Currently, Ann-Elise serves as Portfolio Sourcing Manager at Rippleworks Foundation, where she identifies and supports social ventures globally poised for scale. Previously, she was Head of Growth at Turaco, expanding inclusive insurance to over 1 million low-income customers. She also co-founded LendHer Capital, an impact fund supporting African women entrepreneurs.

A 2023 Acumen Fund Fellow, she has also held key roles at AZA Finance, KadAfrica, SHONA, and Bpeace, driving SME growth and building high-impact ecosystems through strategic capital and partnerships.

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