From Capital to Catalysts: The Next Frontier in Global Health Impact Investing | SOCAP Side Event

On the sidelines of SOCAP25, join the Bay Area Global Health Alliance, the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN), and Accenture on October 28, 2025 from 8:00-11:00am PT for From Capital to Catalysts: The Next Frontier in Global Health Impact Investing. The session will run from 8:30-10:30am, with breakfast / networking beginning at 8:00am, and concluding at 11:00am.

This hybrid session will take place in-person in San Francisco and virtually on Zoom. Register here. In-person registration closes on Friday, October 24. 

At the intersection of urgent global health needs and the growing momentum of impact investing, the discussion will build on fresh insights from the GIIN’s latest research and SOCAP conversations on data-driven impact capital, alongside the Alliance’s work on financing and investments in global health.

Together, we will explore the scale of impact investment opportunities, how the field is evolving, what investors need to drive meaningful impact, and how the global health community can engage, influence, and advocate for transformative change.

The session aims to:

• Explain impact investing at a high level.
• Examine the opportunity for impact investing to advance global health imperatives.
• Highlight opportunities for global health-minded investors to get involved in impact investing.
• Outline concrete actions that global health actors can take to position their organizations to attract impact investing.
• Create opportunities for networking and connections with multi-sector Alliance members, SOCAP attendees, and investors.

This Chatham House Rules session, bringing together investors, philanthropists, institutional asset owners, global health leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs, will create an opportunity for candid conversations about catalyzing cross-sector partnerships to unlock new capital and drive transformative impact in global health.

Register here to join us for this hybrid session, in-person in San Francisco and virtually on Zoom. In-person registration closes on Friday, October 24. 

Learn more about the Alliance’s work on financing and investments in global health here.

Bios

James Fraser, President & CEO, Madiro

James Fraser is the President & CEO of Madiro, where he drives innovation, entrepreneurship, and conscious capital to improve health and prosperity across low- and middle-income countries. With more than two decades of experience across global health, humanitarian, and private sector settings, James has worked to protect life, ease human suffering, and uphold the dignity that belongs to every person. Before joining Madiro, James served as President & CEO—and later Director—of ChipCare Corporation, a Toronto-based startup developing cutting-edge point-of-care diagnostics for infectious diseases. He was also the Co-Founder and CEO of Dignitas International (2002–2012), where he helped pioneer large-scale HIV and TB treatment programs in remote and resource-limited settings. He began his career with Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders, where he worked on the front lines delivering health and humanitarian services in conflict-affected regions including Chechnya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, and Colombia. His career has been defined by a simple goal: to help people live with health, dignity, and the chance to build a better life. He currently serves as an advisor or board member to more than ten early-stage health startups.

Rena Greifinger, Managing Partner, The Maverick Collective

Rena Greifinger is an award-winning social entrepreneur, philanthropy leader, and advocate for gender equality. As Managing Partner of Maverick Collective, she works to unlock the power and potential of women and their capital to advance health and equity across the world. For over 20 years, Rena has led people and programs dedicated to challenging systemic inequities and disrupting the status quo. From founding and scaling a national leadership and mentoring program for young people living with HIV, to working in over 20 countries to bring better quality sexual and reproductive health services and access to adolescent girls, to launching a community of bold women investors as they catalyze impact for gender equality, she leads with purpose, authenticity, and joy.

Ken Gustavsen, Managing Director, Merck Impact Venture Fund

Ken Gustavsen is the Managing Director, Merck Impact Venture Fund, investing in a range of innovative global healthcare solutions. He has been at Merck since 2000 in a variety of roles with a focus on innovative approaches to expanding access to healthcare in the developing world and emerging markets. Before joining Merck, Ken led a post-war relief and development program in Kosovo for the non-profit organization World Relief, involving housing reconstruction, food aid and microfinance banking. Prior to World Relief, Ken served for 6 years in the United States Navy in a variety of assignments. Ken received a BS in oceanography from the United States Naval Academy, holds an MBA in finance and global business from Rutgers University, and completed the Advanced Finance Program at the Wharton School. He currently serves as a strategic advisor to the Rutgers Institute for Corporate Social Innovation.

Dean Hand, Chief Research Officer, Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN)

Dean Hand is the Chief Research Officer and a member of the executive leadership team at the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN), the global champion of impact investing, dedicated to increasing its scale and effectiveness around the world. She is responsible for developing and guiding the GIIN’s research agenda, a thought-provoking cornerstone of the GIIN’s work to showcase impact investment as a viable strategy so more investors allocate capital to fund solutions for the world’s most pressing challenges. She also leads the GIIN’s Impact Lab – a groundbreaking research and development environment where new tools and infrastructure on the frontiers of impact performance, such as impact performance benchmarks, are designed and brought to market, and the GIIN’s training initiative – a program that fosters impact investing competencies that serve evolving financial markets. Dean joined the GIIN with well over a decade of specific impact investing experience within emerging market asset management focusing on originating investment opportunities, development of catalytic finance tools, impact fund development, impact performance strategies, and advising endowed philanthropic foundations aligning their investing strategies to mission. Dean holds a Masters in Philosophy (Inclusive Innovation) from the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business which was awarded with distinction. She is a Bertha Scholar – a merit-based award for her work in impact investing and innovative finance.

Chris Marr, CEO, ThinkMD

Christopher Marr, DSM is a decorated special forces commander and entrepreneur. In 2017, Chris co-founded Sonder.io, a venture-backed healthcare technology company which scaled to more than 90 countries having secured Series C funding from some of the world’s best VCs. Following Sonder, Chris and his co-founders acquired the clinical logic of ThinkMD to commercialise the technology and generate scaling impact across the Global South. ThinkMD is an AI-native, health and data company, combating global healthcare inequity by distributing highly-accessible healthcare and generating insights to drive national-level decision making, resource allocation, pharmaceutical development and supply chain management. After 10 months in operation, ThinkMD has conducted more than 2.6M clinical encounters and is operating in Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Rwanda, Kenya, Zambia, Somalia, Cambodia and PNG. Chris is an Adjunct Lecturer in Entrepreneurship & Innovation at AGSM (Australia’s No. 1 business school) where he teaches the full-time MBA how to grow and scale companies. 

Folake Owodunni, CEO & Co-Founder, Emergency Response Africa

Folake Owodunni is the co-founder and CEO of Emergency Response Africa (ERA), a health tech company revolutionizing access to emergency care in Africa, beginning with Nigeria. With over 15 years of experience across healthcare, marketing, and consulting in Nigeria, the U.S., and Canada, she brings a dynamic and cross-sectoral approach to solving complex health challenges. Folake holds a Master’s in Global Health & Development from University College London and a Master’s in Business, Entrepreneurship & Technology from the University of Waterloo. She is also a certified First Responder with the Canadian Red Cross. Under her leadership, ERA has managed over 4,500 medical emergencies, reducing response times by up to 80%, and forging partnerships with forward-thinking state governments including Edo, Ogun, and Rivers. Recognized for her innovation and impact, Folake is a recipient of the Aurora Tech Award, the Google Black Founders Fund, and WISCAR’s Grace Alele-Williams Alumni Impact Award. She is a passionate advocate for accessible, life-saving healthcare solutions powered by technology.

Natasha Sunderji, Global Health and Nutrition Lead, Accenture Development Partnerships; Alliance Board Member

Natasha Sunderji is the Global Health and Nutrition Lead for Accenture’s social impact practice – Accenture Development Partnerships. She also co-leads Accenture’s Health Equity Center of Excellence. By engaging Accenture’s global workforce of over 700,000 employees, she works to address the world’s social, economic and environmental issues. Natasha is a visionary healthcare leader with over 18 years of experience advising multinational companies, nonprofits, foundations, and multilateral agencies on growth strategy, innovative business models, digital health, and cross sector partnerships. She is a vocal advocate for vulnerable and underserved communities. Natasha strives to drive care delivery transformation for health care organizations through financially sustainable, consumer centric, and data driven business models. She has worked with leading digital health platforms to design patient centric solutions, supported over 30 inclusive business models across low and middle-income countries, and advised policy makers on the regulations and investments needed to create robust digital health ecosystems. She was named a Top 50 Women Leader in San Francisco in 2023, and a Top 50 Innovator in 2020 by the World Summit AI community. Natasha holds a Bachelors in Biomedical Engineering from University of Toronto, and a Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School.

Sara Anderson, Executive Director, Bay Area Global Health Alliance

Sara Anderson is the first Executive Director of the Bay Area Global Health Alliance, serving in the role since 2020. With more than 30 years of experience in global health, international development advocacy, nonprofit management, partnership development, thought leadership, and strategic communications, she has a proven track record of driving impact. Before leading the Bay Area Global Health Alliance, Anderson was at the forefront of advocacy efforts in pioneering movements, including global surgery, raising awareness about debilitating burn injuries in low-income countries, and addressing the famine in North Korea. Her work on Capitol Hill and with various campaigns and nonprofits focused on shaping U.S. government policy and building strategic partnerships to influence policy and change lives.