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Chama Capital
Friends from the Toigo Foundation MBA Fellows Program, Christine and Linda conducted a research project during their final quarter as MBA students on the pain points facing women entrepreneurs, especially women of color. The number one pain point: access to capital!
Having both been small business owners and advised numerous women business owners, they combined their first-hand experience and research to develop a solution, and Chama Capital was born.
Our name is a tribute to women's community savings and investment groups in Kenya. Chama means "group" or "body" in Swahili.
Christine Saffold
Founder and CEO, Chama Capital
christinesaffold.com
Christine Saffold is the Founder and CEO of Chama Capital, a financial technology company on a mission to increase access to capital for women-owned businesses. She founded Chama Capital after graduating from Chicago Booth, where she focused on finance, entrepreneurship, and strategic management, interned in venture capital as an Investment Fellow at VestedWorld, and was a Toigo Fellow and Forté Fellow.
Christine has advised businesses and investors on three continents. Prior to Booth, she launched the African operations of an impact investment consulting firm in Accra, Ghana. She previously was a Business Development Analyst at MicroVest Capital Management, a fund manager that invests in financial institutions serving underbanked communities in emerging markets. She started her career as an Investment Banking Analyst at Barclays in New York. A Chicago native, Christine also holds a BA in Psychology from Yale University.
ABOUT CHAMA CAPITAL
Our mission is to increase access to capital for women business owners and drive gender equity in business financing. We envision a world where every woman business owner has access to the capital and support network she needs to launch new products, reach new customers, and generate wealth for her family and her community.
CORE VALUES
Transparency
Openness and accountability around our processes are in our DNA.
Self-Determination
We believe in the power of the group and are reshaping the funder-company dynamic to give more power to business owners.
Equity
66% of women entrepreneurs report not being able to attain the funding they need to succeed. We refuse to settle for the status quo.
Collectivism
Our community is grounded in collective thriving and reciprocity. We believe “collaboration is the new competition.”
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