• Ivana Gazibara

    Director of Prototyping

    A futures and systems change expert with more than 15 years of experience in sustainability strategy and innovation, Ivana oversees prototyping at the TransCap Initiative. She has previously led Forum for the Future’s futures practice, overseeing thought leadership projects, strategic foresight work with partners, and internal and external horizon scanning networks. Ivana has also incubated and led The Futures Centre, the only open, participatory futures platform focused on tracking and making sense of change with the purpose of advancing a sustainable future. Prior to that, she was part of SustainAbility’s emerging economies team, working to build the organisation’s practice in India and Brazil. Ivana has an MSc in Development Management from the London School of Economics and a BA in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Toronto.

  • Dr Jess Daggers

    Head of Research

    Jess has developed a career at the intersection of practice and academia. She holds a PhD in political sociology from the University of London, and was previously the Impact Director in Nesta’s Impact Investments team. Jess has a decade of experience as an independent impact measurement consultant and researcher, completing projects for clients including Fair for All Finance, the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship, the Nesta Future News Fund, and the Equality Impact Investing Project. She is the author of numerous papers and articles, including a paper in the British Journal of Sociology, and a foundational landscaping study of research into impact investing, published with Oxford University’s Saïd Business School. She recently co-authored an article for SSIR on Systemic Investing for Social Change.

  • Andre Ticoulat

    Research & Investment Associate

    Andre Ticoulat is a Research & Investment Associate at the TransCap Initiative and works across a number of diverse projects - from research to client-facing asset advisory and methodological development. He is driven to work for a more equitable, sustainable and humane world. Andre works from the assumption that humanity is facing unprecedented, complex challenges and believes a fundamental mindset and behavioural shift is required to nudge systems toward positive transformations. Academically, he has dedicated his research to behavioural economics, through studies that investigate the impact of economic policy on social dynamics. Andre has a BA in Economics and International Relations from the University of British Columbia and holds certificates in Circular Economy and Bio-Economy from Delft and Wageningen Universities. He has previous work experience as an investment advisor, public equities trader and in venture capital.

  • Hannah Paterson

    Head of Community Activation

    Hannah brings 8 years of experience in philanthropy, community activation, field building, and social impact work to the TransCap Initiative in order to support the growth of a community of practice around systemic investing. Across a variety of roles in philanthropy, most recently at the UK National Lottery Community Fund, she has designed and developed a wide range of funding programmes and managed an extensive portfolio of complex and systemic grants. Hannah is also the founder of the Participatory Grantmaking Community, which has grown to include over 1,500 funders seeking to understand and embed approaches to grantmaking that devolve decision-making power to the communities they aim to serve. She started her career in the social sector, with a particular focus on disabled people's rights and psychological support for students. Hannah holds a BSc in Psychology and an MSc in Clinical and Health Psychology from the University of Manchester.

  • Magdalena J. Schneider

    Head of Finance & Operations

    Magdalena leads TransCap Initiative’s finances and operations and is dedicated to changing systems by forging alliances for impact at the intersection of society, business, academia, and public institutions. Her role as Director for Strategy & Multi-Stakeholder Alliances at European Commons saw her exploring key success factors for, and significant risks emerging from, the implementation of the European Green Deal. Until 2019, she co-led the strategy, fundraising, and communications efforts of euforia, a Swiss NGO for youth mobilization with a community of volunteers in over 20 countries across three continents. Magdalena’s nearly decade-long experience in the European banking sector, as an Investment Consultant at Credit Suisse in Zurich and an Analyst at BNP Paribas in Paris, has honed her financial expertise. She has also co-founded several companies (KiddieLand AG, Ars Vinum GmbH) and associations (surf your life Institute, Refugee Led Organisations Network Switzerland) and is on the Board of Capacity, a start-up incubator for refugee and migrant entrepreneurs. Magdalena holds a BSc from Italy’s Bocconi University and an MBA from Switzerland’s St. Gallen University (HSG).

  • Johannes Tschiderer

    Research & Investment Associate

    Johannes is a Research & Investment Associate at the TCI and works across a number of diverse projects, from managing and delivering some of our prototyping activities to contributing to TCI's original innovation work and methodological development. Prior to joining the TCI out of university, Johannes had led the student-run sustainability consultancy Student Impact, which works with impact-oriented start-ups and SMEs. He's also actively engaged in the design and facilitation of innovative education programs at the nexus of business and sustainability at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland, where he also holds a position as lecturer. Johannes obtained a BA in Business Administration and an MA in Banking and Finance, both from the University of St. Gallen, and he completed programs related to systems change at Climate-KIC and Collaboratio Helvetica.

  • Dominic Hofstetter

    Executive Director

    Dominic Hofstetter is the Executive Director of the TransCap Initiative. He initiated and incubated the TransCap Initiative when he was the Director of Capital and Investments at EIT Climate-KIC, Europe’s largest climate innovation initiative, where he was responsible for building the organization’s nascent investment function. Before joining EIT Climate-KIC in 2015, Dominic had worked as an entrepreneur at the renewable energy start-up Electrochaea, as a private equity investor at Hudson Clean Energy Partners, and as a finance professional in the institutional asset management division of Credit Suisse. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and an MSc from the Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford.

TransCap Fellows

  • Dr Anna Stünzi

    Research Fellow, University of St. Gallen

    Anna Stünzi, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Researcher and Lecturer at the University of St. Gallen. Her research centers around the green transformation of the economy. She explores the role of finance and policy to transform and develop new businesses and behaviors aligned with climate and wider sustainability goals. One important part of her research analyzes international climate finance flows to support developing countries in building resilient and sustainable economic systems. Anna has a background in psychology and economics, and she received her doctorate at the Center of Economic Research at ETH Zurich. Over the past 10 years, she has been engaged in translating scientific findings and recommendations to policymakers, in particular in her role as the president of the Swiss think tank foraus (2019-2023). At the TransCap Initiative, Anna is exploring how to leverage the principles of systemic investing for more strategically coordinating capital flows across different societal actors at the national level in Switzerland.

  • Alex Hannant

    Pocketknife

    Alex has extensive and varied experience in the fields of sustainable development, enterprise, and innovation. He is now focused on bringing a systems lens to the design of governance, financing, and other enabling and organisational infrastructures. Alex is a Director of Pocketknife—a small advisory and contracting firm—and serves on the Boards of B Lab Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand (Co-Chair) and Social Enterprise Australia. Previous roles include: Co-Director and Professor of Practice at The Griffith Centre of Systems Innovation (formerly The Yunus Centre) (AUS), CEO of the Ākina Foundation (NZ), Director of Programmes at LEAD International (UK), and Head of Partnerships at the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (UK). Alex lives near Wakatu (Nelson) at the top of Aotearoa New Zealand’s South Island. He is motivated by doing things better and fairer.

Supervisory Board

  • Sam Bonsey (Chair)

    Executive Director, The ImPact

    Sam Bonsey is the chairman of the TransCap Initiative's supervisory board. His principal professional engagement is as Co-Founder and Executive Director of The ImPact, a global network of families committed to making more impact investments more effectively. Sam is also a member of the board of directors and chair of the investment committee of Keller Enterprises, a family office committed to values-aligned investing. In 2015, Sam was recognized by Forbes as a “30 Under 30” Social Entrepreneur. In 2010, Sam co-founded the 2Seeds Network, an incubator of community-driven development projects in Tanzania. In 2019, 2Seeds merged with Spark Microgrants, on whose board Sam now serves as vice-chair. Sam graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College with a degree in History and Literature, focused on African postcolonial studies and Swahili. Sam happily resides in Paris with his wife and son.

  • Tania Rodriguez Riestra

    Co-Founder & CEO, CO_

    Tania has worked for more than 15 years on large-scale social and environmental impact projects. She is the CEO and co-founder of CO_, driving the organization’s strategy and growth to mobilize non-financial and financial capital toward reducing inequality and climate change in Latin America. The verticals of CO_ include CO_Platform, a launching platform for social and environmental impact initiatives; CO_Capital, an impact investment fund manager with the aim of moving more capital towards innovative impact enterprises in Latin America; and CO_360, a consulting and advisory arm helping large companies move towards best-in-class practices in sustainability, impact measurement, and regenerative practices. Tania currently sits on the boards or advisory councils of Latimpacto, The ImPact, CIMED, and Flux Financiera.

  • Adam Wolfensohn

    Managing Partner, Encourage Capital

    Adam Wolfensohn is the Managing Partner of Encourage Capital. Previously, Adam was managing director at Wolfensohn Fund Management and also managed the Wolfensohn family office cleantech and environmental markets strategies. He produced the climate change documentary Everything’s Cool, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in 2007. From 2002 to 2003, he worked with Conservation International to create a market for carbon credits from avoided deforestation projects. Adam is a trustee of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Yad Hanadiv, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and Bang on a Can. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Adam earned a B.A. from Princeton University and a Master of Environmental Management from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

Advisory Council

  • Jason Jay, PhD

    Director, MIT Sloan Sustainability Initiative

    Jason Jay, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer and Director of the MIT Sloan Sustainability Initiative. He teaches executive and Master's-level courses on strategy, innovation, and leadership for sustainable business. He has helped secure MIT Sloan's position as a leader in the field of sustainability through teaching, research, and industry engagement. Jason's publications have appeared in the Academy of Management Journal, California Management Review, MIT Sloan Management Review, Stanford Social Innovation Review, Greenbiz, and World Economic Forum. With Gabriel Grant, he is the author of the international bestseller Breaking Through Gridlock: The Power of Conversation in a Polarized World. Jason also works as a facilitator for companies, organizations, and business families, supporting high-quality conversation and shared commitment to ambitious sustainability goals. His clients have included EFG Asset Management, Novartis, Bose, Environmental Defense Fund, BP and the World Bank.

  • Kirsten Dunlop, PhD

    CEO, EIT Climate-KIC

    Kirsten is the CEO of EIT Climate-KIC, Europe’s foremost climate innovation initiative. Her career spans academia, consulting, banking, insurance, strategy, design, innovation, and leadership. Prior to roles in Second Road, KPMG and Suncorp in Australia, Kirsten had worked in the UK and Italy for 15 years in financial services, consulting and academia, including as the leader of Generali Group’s Innovation Academy, where she pioneered work in strategic risk management and strategic innovation. She is a member of the AIT Strategic Research Advisory Board, EJP Soil Advisory Board, EAT Foundation Advisory Board, High-Level Missions Advisory Board for the Innovation Fund Denmark, and UK Government EEIST Senior Oversight Group. She is also one of 16 experts at the European Commission Economic and Societal Impact of Research and Innovation (ESIR) expert group, providing independent advice on how future EU research and innovation policy can best support sustainable development and the European Commission’s priorities.

  • The ImPact

    The ImPact
    United States
    The ImPact is a global membership community of families committed to aligning their assets with their values. The ImPact is partnering with the TCI on building the field of systemic investing in the private-wealth impact investment world.
  • MIT Sloan Sustainability Initiative

    MIT Sloan Sustainability Initiative
    United States
    MIT is the birthplace of systems thinking and system dynamics. MIT Sloan Sustainability Initiative and TCI are companions on the journey of building the field of systemic investing through research, thought leadership, and convening.
  • Centre for Public Impact

    Centre for Public Impact
    United States
    CPI acts as a learning partner for governments, public servants, and the diverse network of changemakers leading the charge to reimagine government so that it works for everyone. The TCI is partnering with CPI to leverage systemic investing for transforming cities.
  • UNDP

    UNDP
    Istanbul
    UNDP works in 170 countries and territories to eradicate poverty while protecting the planet. UNDP is partnering with the TCI to explore how systemic investing can be applied in the context of sustainable development in low- and middle-income countries.
  • EIT Climate-KIC

    EIT Climate-KIC
    The Netherlands
    Europe’s largest climate innovation initiative, EIT Climate-KIC uses a portfolio-based systems innovation approach to transform socio-technical systems, and the partnership with TCI focuses on how to lever the principles of systemic investing for that.
  • Meridian Institute

    Meridian Institute
    United States
    The Meridian Institute helps people solve complex and controversial problems, make informed decisions and implement solutions that improve lives, the economy, and the environment. The TCI is partnering with Meridian Institute to bring systemic investing to biodiversity conservation, with a particular focus on a new multilateral instrument to be created under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.
  • Deep Transitions Lab at Utrecht University

    Deep Transitions Lab at Utrecht University
    The Netherlands
    The Deep Transitions Lab is an innovation initiative aiming to develop and mainstream transformative investment. We are partnering with the DTL to explore the intersection of Deep Transitions theory and systemic investing.
  • Center for Sustainable Finance and Private Wealth at University of Zurich

    Center for Sustainable Finance and Private Wealth at University of Zurich
    Switzerland
    CSP Zurich brings together academic research and practical training programs for wealth holders and advisors to find answers to the complex question of how to make sustainable finance (SF) the default in private wealth management. The partnership between CSP and TCI focuses on building the field of systemic investing amongst advanced private-wealth impact investors.
  • Centre for Systems Innovation at Griffith University

    Centre for Systems Innovation at Griffith University
    Australia
    The Centre for Systems Innovation at Griffith University partners with organisations across sectors to create safe and courageous spaces and action learning opportunities to transform systems that are "stuck". The partnership with the TCI focuses on pushing the conceptual boundaries of systemic investing and building the field in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.
  • New Capitalism Project

    New Capitalism Project
    United States
    NCP is an innovation lab supporting leaders in the development of nascent, transformative, and collaborative ideas that put a shared vision for a better economic system into action. We partner with NCP to bring systemic investing to a range of societal issues in the U.S., particularly the transformation of the food system.
  • Regen Melbourne

    Regen Melbourne
    Australia
    Regen Melbourne is a platform for ambitious collaboration, powered by an alliance of more than 160 organizations committed to building a thriving future for people and the planet. The partnership between Regen Melbourne and TCI aims at finding ways to lever systemic investing for funding mission-oriented, Doughnut Economics-based systems change programs in cities.
  • Climate-KIC Australia

    Climate-KIC Australia
    Australia
    An independent, not-for-profit organisation that aims to inspire and enable climate action by being a catalyst for systemic change, through innovation. The TCI is partnering with Climate-KIC Australia to build the field of systemic investing in Australia.
  • EBG Investment Solutions

    EBG Investment Solutions
    Switzerland
    EBG Investment Solutions is an independent, globally active advisor and manager based in Zurich investing in sustainable private markets, specifically in the private equity, real estate, and infrastructure asset classes. EBG is the finance partner in TCI's systemic investing prototype focused on the Swiss mobility system.
  • Swiss eMobility

    Swiss eMobility
    Switzerland
    Swiss eMobility is Switzerland’s electromobility association, acting as a knowledge hub for industry, legislators and consumers alike. Swiss eMobility is the industry partner in TCI's systemic investing prototype focused on the Swiss mobility system.

Do you want to collaborate with us?

There is an urgent need to rethink the way we deploy financial capital for transformative impact in human and natural systems. The field of systemic investing has garnered significant momentum, and now is the time to scale deep and scale out. So we invite challenge owners, systems thinkers, innovation practitioners, investment professionals, ecosystem shapers, and creative voices to join us in figuring out how to redeploy financial capital in service of a prosperous and sustainable future for all.

How is systemic investing relevant to

Foundation

...because the pots of capital operating under a philanthropic logic are orders of magnitude smaller than those operating under an investment logic, so systemic investing is a way for foundations to leverage their capital in the systems they care about.

Corporations

...because their supply chains are becoming increasingly fragile and societal expectations of business are growing. This requires companies to deploy all the tools in their finance toolbox (incl. direct investments, advanced purchase agreements, and supply-chain financing) and partner more strategically with governments, foundations, and NGOs.

Impact Investors

...because single technologies, start-ups, or social enterprises—no matter how ingenious their solutions and how brilliant their teams—are unlikely to change systems by themselves. So what matters is that these single-point solutions are synergistically nested within a broader systems change effort.

Institutional Investors

...because mainstream ESG investing doesn’t benefit places and communities at the pace, scale, and quality required, so institutional investors must channel more capital into real-economy assets in a strategic and collaborative manner.

MDBs and DFIs

...because sustainable development in a VUCA world requires portfolio approaches to systems innovation, and those need to be funded with a different investment paradigm than those dominant in development finance institutions today. And because the public sector cannot finance sustainability transitions alone, so systemic investing is a way to crowd-in private-sector capital in a smart way.

Engage with us

Which option best describes your interest in systemic investing?

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About

Who We Are

The TransCap Initiative is a think-and-do-tank operating at the nexus of real-economy systems change, sustainability, and finance. We operate as a multi-stakeholder alliance coordinated by a backbone team and comprised of wealth owners, innovation leaders, system thinkers, research institutes, and financial intermediaries. Our community is open to anyone committed to our cause and values.

Why We Exist

We exist to improve the way sustainable finance is purposed, designed, and managed so that money can become a transformative force in building a low-carbon, climate-resilient, just, and inclusive society. We believe that the key to accomplishing this vision is to inspire and enable investors to leverage the insights and tools of systems thinking and complex systems science for addressing the most pressing societal challenges of the 21st century.

What We Do

Our mission is to build the field of systemic investing. This means developing, testing, and scaling an investment logic at the intersection of systems thinking and finance. We do that by convening a multi-stakeholder alliance to develop a knowledge and innovation base, test novel concepts and approaches, and build a community of practice.

Our core ideas borrow from the disciplines of systems thinking and complex systems science, challenge-led innovation, human-centred design, new economic frameworks, and financial innovation. Our experiments are contextualised in those place-based systems that matter most for human prosperity—such as cities, landscapes, and coastal zones—as well as in value chains and other real-economy systems. We hope that our work produces knowledge and insights, methods and tools, and a self-organising community of inspired and enabled change makers.

The places and value chains we intend to transform act as centres of gravity for our work. In each of these systems, we will work with challenge owners, communities, innovators, investors, and other stakeholders to design, structure, and finance strategic investment portfolios nested within a broader systems intervention approach.