Intelligent investing: rigorous, experienced, dedicated
Liesel Pritzker
Simmons
Co-Founder & Principal
Liesel Pritzker Simmons is Co-Founder and Principal of Blue Haven Initiative, where she oversees, as an investment strategist, a portfolio focused on holdings that generate competitive financial returns and address social and environmental challenges. The portfolio spans asset classes, from traditional equities and direct investments to philanthropic programs.
Ian
Simmons
Co-Founder & Principal
Ian Simmons is Co-Founder and Principal of Blue Haven Initiative, where he oversees a portfolio focused on investments that generate competitive financial returns and address social and environmental challenges.
Kelly
Escobedo
Managing Director
Kelly Escobedo is Managing Director at Blue Haven Initiative, where she is responsible for overseeing the deployment of capital across the family office’s asset classes, from traditional equities and direct investments to real assets, such as real estate.
Dave
Horwich
Managing Director
Dave Horwich is Managing Director of Blue Haven Civics. He has deep experience in issue advocacy, political engagement, and building issues-based social impact movements.
Jonathan
Kirschner
Interim Managing Director
Jonathan Kirschner is the interim managing director for Blue Haven Initiative’s direct investments.
Kayuri
Bhimani
Senior Associate
Kayuri helps lead diligence on investment opportunities for Blue Haven Ventures in addition to providing operational support to the mission-driven companies within its direct investment portfolio
Lauren
Farello
Senior Operations Associate
Lauren manages special projects for Blue Haven’s portfolios and builds partnerships within and beyond the organization. She supports the Managing Director of Operations.
Beverly
Hellner
Operations Coordinator
Beverly manages day-to-day operations at Blue Haven, including project and expense management. She also assists donor-advised fund accounting and execution.
Sanzida
Mohsin
Project Coordinator
Sanzida supports the Blue Haven Civics team on project development, management, and execution, focusing on advancing tax reform advocacy, civic engagement, and public policy initiatives.
Nick
Panagiotou
Executive Assistant/HR Manager
Nick provides administrative and executive support to Liesel Pritzker Simmons, including scheduling, travel arrangements and event coordination. He also works on the Operations team, managing HR systems, employee benefits and culture-building events.
Simon
Thompson
Associate Director of Civics
Simon works on Blue Haven Civics projects aimed at strengthening democracy, driving positive policy change and creating a fairer economy.
Daniel
Wanjira
Senior Associate
Daniel helps drive Blue Haven’s process for grantmaking and philanthropic investments, from pipeline-building to due diligence and portfolio management. He serves as a point of contact for business partners, grantees, consultants and co-funders and works on strategy development.
Beza
Zenebe
Special Projects Officer
Beza supports the Blue Haven Civics team on projects that promote youth civic engagement, reduce corruption in politics and strengthen democracy. She also oversees the firm’s internship program.
Our Advisors
Blue Haven’s impact investing journey began with an equity portfolio assembled and managed by traditional investment advisors. Transitioning to a portfolio aligned with the values and family-legacy prerogatives of Blue Haven’s founders without sacrificing financial returns required extensive input from best-in-class advisors steeped in innovative approaches to investing. Today, Blue Haven’s dedicated in-house team and its advisors work on sourcing and evaluating investment opportunities that create positive change and deliver financial returns.
Michael Barry
Senior Advisor
Michael joined Georgetown University as Chief Investment Officer in June 2011 and oversees the university’s investment portfolios, including its endowment and retirement plan. In addition, Michael coordinates the university’s Committee on Investments and Social Responsibility.
Renée Beaumont
Senior Advisor
Ms. Renée Beaumont is a former Partner at Generation Investment Management, a firm that focuses on sustainable capitalism. Prior to joining Generation in 2015, Ms. Beaumont served as Managing Director and Global Head of Business Development at Providence Equity Partners LLC where she oversaw all business development, marketing and investor relations activities globally across its private equity and credit platforms.
Chris Jurgens
Senior Advisor
As a Director for Omidyar Network’s Reimagining Capitalism team, Chris leads the firm’s strategy and portfolio of work focused on how corporations and capital markets can contribute to a more inclusive capitalism.
Chad Larson, CFA
Senior Advisor
Chad Larson has served as a Senior Advisor to Blue Haven Initiative since 2018. Since 2019, Chad has served as CEO of Kopo Kopo Inc, a leading fintech based in Nairobi, providing payment and credit services for over 20,000 Kenyan businesses.
Paul Tregidgo
Senior Advisor
Paul Tregidgo is former Vice Chairman - Debt CapitalMarkets of Credit Suisse based in New York. He obtained his law degree from Downing College Cambridge. He currently serves on the Board of ACCION International, the Advisory Board of the Center for Financial Inclusion and the Council of Global Advisors, Yale School of Management.
Investing for impact
Blue Haven Co-Founders Liesel Pritzker Simmons and Ian Simmons and their team invest with high standards and expectations across asset classes.