Monica Brand Engel is an entrepreneur and investor, having launched various funds and products aimed at broadening financial inclusion. She is the co-founding partner of Quona Capital – venture firm focused on fintech for inclusion in emerging markets. Quona is the investment manager for the $142M Accion Frontier Inclusion Fund, the first global, third-party fintech fund for inclusion, and its successor, the Accion Quona Inclusion Fund. Monica spent her formative years in Silicon Valley, where she helped launch a $50 million multi-bank lending intermediary to finance small businesses. Monica also worked at Calvert Ventures and Anthuri Ventures – early stage equity vehicles based in Bethesda and Cape Town, respectively. While living in S Africa, Monica founded Anthuri Catalysts to prepare early stage companies for investment. Monica then joined Accion to set up a product innovation group and worked in Mexico with Compartamos Bank, the largest microfinance institution in Latin America. She was the founding managing director of Accion’s Frontier Investments Group, the predecessor to Quona Capital.
Monica holds an MBA and MA Ed from Stanford University and a BA in economics from Williams College. She serves on the boards of Yoco, AllLife, Azimo, and Zoona; is a founding member of the EMPEA Impact Council; and chairs the Investor Representative Committee of LeapFrog Investments, the world’s first microinsurance fund. Previously, she served on the boards of GloboKasNet, Shubham Housing, Paralife, Compartamos Bank, and Pay Rent Builds Credit. She’s half Peruvian and married with twins.
About Quona Capital and the Accion Frontier Inclusion Fund
The Accion Frontier Inclusion Fund, managed by Quona Capital, is the first global fintech fund for the underserved. Quona Capital is a growth-stage venture firm focused on financial technology for inclusive finance in emerging markets. The Quona partners have deep experience as investors and entrepreneurs in both emerging and developed markets. The fund is sponsored by Accion, a global leader in inclusive finance with a rich history of double-bottom line investing, where its impact investments create positive economic and social returns. Quona manages the Accion Frontier Inclusion Fund and the Frontier portfolio of fintech investments on Accion’s balance sheet. For further information, visit http://www.quona.com.
