Director Of Business Operations

• Nov 2021 - Present

Moon is a platform that enables consumers to pay with cryptocurrency anywhere privately, securely and without fees. Moon is a platform that enables consumers to pay with cryptocurrency anywhere privately, securely and without fees.

Principal

• Jan 2015 - Oct 2021

Cirsia Impact is an independent Registered Investment Advisor led by Niko Klein dedicated to generating meaningful impact by serving philanthropists and impact investors with un-biased, client-driven & research-based counsel. The firm specializes in sourcing and vetting investment opportunities in pioneering & frontier markets, and developing thoughtful, tailor-fit investment theses that further each client's specific impact objectives. Highlight engagements include: - International Development Corporation: Provided sector-focused research and pipeline development for a frontier- and emerging-markets focused Food and Agriculture investment strategy. - Colorado-based Family: Led parallel Colorado- and Chile-focused research and opportunity mapping across Mental Health, Workforce Development and Community & Economic Development, used as basis for Theory of Change and investment theses. - Silicon Valley Family: Led analysis of optimal structure, systems & processes, and back-office solutions for de-novo impact investment and philanthropic fund in partnership with philanthropic consultancy. - East Coast Endowment: Collaborated with impact investment consultancy to deliver analysis of global market-oriented investment strategies for $160M endowment high-impact carve-out, focusing in particular on education, community development, job creation and social institutions. - West Coast Philanthropic Advisor: Provided strategic support to philanthropic advisor seeking to authentically expand activity in impact investing. Ran training for staff, provided sub-advisory services, and delivered tactical feedback on prospect and client deliverables. - Global Asset Manager: Led strategy, resourcing analysis and partnership development for independent asset manager ($14B+ AUM) seeking to expand and deepen their impact investment offerings and relaunch as market-leading impact investment platform for institutional investors. Show less

Co-Founder

• Sep 2014 - Oct 2015

Co­founded technology start­up for social "friend-approved" travel. Led user interviews and UX prototyping. Researched competitive landscape of 300+ travel products and dozens of business models for travel technology. Self-­taught and built significant portions of the application in Ruby on Rails, Angular JS (responsive design), and Photoshop. Co­founded technology start­up for social "friend-approved" travel. Led user interviews and UX prototyping. Researched competitive landscape of 300+ travel products and dozens of business models for travel technology. Self-­taught and built significant portions of the application in Ruby on Rails, Angular JS (responsive design), and Photoshop.

Director of Education, Food & Communities & Head of Research

• Nov 2013 - Jun 2014

Led Research division and US investing across Food, Community & Education for many of the leading US philanthropies and philanthropic families, building and managing high-impact portfolio at the market-leading impact investment firm acquired by Goldman Sachs in 2015. Led sourcing, diligence & financial modeling, and structuring of many of firm’s most successful direct investments, including lead positions and co­-investments with major international finance institutions, venture and private equity funds, boutique lenders, non­profit foundations, and family offices. Promoted to the firm’s management team in 2011 as its youngest member; managed team of half-dozen research analysts and associates.Highlight direct investments include:- Utah Social Impact Bond ($2.4M subordinated pay-for-success investment in $7M early childhood education financing, catalyzed senior co-investment with Goldman Sachs)- Sambazon (secondary purchase of Seed & Series A investment in sustainable and fair-trade vertical farm-to-table tropical fruit company)- Revolution Foods ($5M mezzanine growth loan with warrants in healthy school food for vulnerable kids)- Wireless Generation ($5M bridge loan in adaptive learning platform: now Amplify, acquired by NewsCorp)- Acelero Learning (direct equity investment in early childhood education and family services for vulnerable populations)Highlight client engagements include:- Kellogg Foundation- Packard Foundation- Nike Corporation- Omidyar Network- Pritzker Family- Kresge Foundation- Buffett Family- Michael and Susan Dell Foundation- Prudential Social Investment Foundation- Moore Foundation Show less

Head of Research

• Apr 2011 - Oct 2013

Built market research and strategy practice across impact sectors, geographies and asset classes, representing one of four core divisions at Imprint with a team of 5 research associates and analysts. The Research division was an internal service provider to Investments and Clients teams, as well as a direct consulting service provided to high-impact clients seeking market intelligence, co-investor and expert networks, and targeted investment pipeline. We delivered this action-oriented data and these relationships in the context of a market scan, often in visual document form, and shared widely as a guide for mission alignment across grantmaking, policy work, and investing.Highlight market landscapes and scans include:- Food & Agriculture (full lifecycle from farm-to-fork, enabling local food systems investors and food justice investors to both identify their relevant thematic focus areas, potential intersections, and high-impact dealflow)- Education & Careers (mapping K-12 through post-secondary interventions in-school and out-of-school, including whole-child wellness and health)- Early Childhood Development (holistic interventions and innovations spanning perinatal counseling, early childhood education of varying sophistication and formality, educational tools and toys, high quality curricula and professional development, technology for educators and families, innovative financing, and assessment data-capture and sharing)- Environment & Climate (climate change mitigation & adaptation, biodiversity & conservation, sustainable timber and agriculture, sustainable fisheries and grazing, renewable energy, energy efficiency, efficient transportation, detoxification, divestment, carbon capture)- Financial Inclusion (banking the underbanked, savings & insurance, mobile & web connectivity, small business finance, entrepreneurship, access to markets) Show less

Associate

• Apr 2010 - Mar 2011

Analyst

• Aug 2008 - Mar 2010

Co-Founder, Principal

• 2006 - 2008

Developed business plan and financial model for split hotel and residential development on world-renowned Catena Zapata vineyard property in the Andean foothills. Identified, vetted and managed sub­-contracted team of architects, winemaker, lawyers, and accountants to develop comprehensive turn­-key real estate investment. Directly coordinated federally­regulated frontier land acquisition, perfection of property title, and multi­-country brand registration. Developed business plan and financial model for split hotel and residential development on world-renowned Catena Zapata vineyard property in the Andean foothills. Identified, vetted and managed sub­-contracted team of architects, winemaker, lawyers, and accountants to develop comprehensive turn­-key real estate investment. Directly coordinated federally­regulated frontier land acquisition, perfection of property title, and multi­-country brand registration.

Publicity & Organizational Management

• 2005 - 2006

Education for Nature

• Jun 2004 - Aug 2004