Episode 25 - Becoming a Conscious Leader and Designing a Life of Purpose with Eva Yazhari of Beyond Capital Ventures

A true money powerhouse joins us today on this episode. Her name is Eva Helene Yazhari, a visionary investor, author, and entrepreneur surrounding meaning, purpose, and conscious investing. Today, we will dig into her book “The Good Your Money Can Do: Becoming a Conscious Investor,” a powerful playbook for anyone looking to draw more meaning from their money. 

After being pitched a disreputable deal on an investment team, Eva had an aha moment to create more purpose in her life by becoming a Conscious Investor and entrepreneur. Learn how Eva started her journey in becoming a Conscious Investor and how she raised her children while building her business.

In This Episode:

[03:08] Eva begins the episode reflecting on who she was as a child growing up.

[05:18] Going from Barnard to Wall Street - Eva started her college career in a very Liberal Arts focused school. 

[09:47] Was there any point when Eva worked as an Investment Banker with Merrill Lynch, where she thought her gender held her back from being successful?

[11:58] Eva’s success working with Hedge Funds and what drove her to start a new career path.

[16:59] How Eva started her journey in becoming a Conscious Investor.

[22:54] The impactful investments Eva’s business, Beyond Capital, was having on 16 million people.

[28:32] Having children and building a business, it’s possible to do both.

[31:11] How Eva was able to cover the expenses of starting her business.

[36:27] The aspect of Beyond Capital that Eva is most proud of and also diving into her book.

[42:09] Eva has interviewed 50 purpose-driven leaders on her podcast. What has she learned from those interviews?

[44:20] Tips for success Eva would give to her younger self.

Key Takeaways:

Eva was immersed in a world where she was treated as an adult from a young age. This treatment allowed her innovative mind to flourish as a child.

After being pitched a disreputable deal on an investment team, Eva had an aha moment to create more purpose in her life by becoming a Conscious Investor and entrepreneur.

It’s possible to have children, build a business, and do it all, you don’t need to choose one just one of them.

Every dollar Beyond Capital invests from its first fund positively impacts 32 lives.

Conscious investment is the way forward; rethinking capitalism and investing in leaders that believe in more than just the shareholders, but also the employees and customers.

Quotes:

“I think that my secret to having kids, building a family, and building a complex company at the same time is being able to empower others to support the mission.” - Eva Helene Yazhari

“The most powerful statistic from Beyond Capital's first fund is that every dollar we invest impacts 32 lives.” - Eva Helene Yazhari

“COVID wasn't great for anybody, but if we were to find the silver lining, it was that we really got to redefine “essential.” We got to see how specific companies were with treating their employees well.”  - Eva Helene Yazhari

Bio:

Eva Yazhari is a visionary investor, author, and entrepreneur who leads with meaning, purpose, and consciousness in each of her endeavors. Her background in venture capital and asset management includes working on a founding team that raised and invested more than $5 billion into Wall Street’s top hedge funds. She combined this financial acumen with her passion for contributing beyond herself to launch Beyond Capital, an emerging markets impact venture capital firm, in 2009. Led by conscious leaders, Beyond Capital offers a diversified portfolio of Seed & Series A companies in “need-to-have” sectors, such as clean energy, healthcare, financial inclusion, food security, and sanitation.

Born in New York City to working artist parents, Eva now splits her time between Dallas, Los Angeles, and London. Entrepreneurship is in her DNA, allowing Eva to successfully partner with early-stage social entrepreneurs to help guide their vision and reach their goals. Eva has built Beyond Capital to be a recognized global brand. Its portfolio improves the lives of a growing 16 million low-income individuals, including investments in Kasha, a technology-driven e-commerce women's health company in East Africa; and Frontier Markets, a fast-growing distribution business providing goods and services for consumers living throughout rural India. Both companies are targeting addressable markets numbering billions of consumers and are uniquely poised for commercial financial returns as well as social returns. When it comes to impact measurement, Beyond Capital partners with pioneering firm Proof of Impact to independently verify and track the growth of outcome-linked metrics.

CONNECT WITH US:

Find Eva on The Beyond Capital Podcast and check out her book “The Good Your Money Can Do: Becoming a Conscious Investor.” Beyond Capital Fund on Instagram and at Beyondcapitalfund.org

Check out our website, Potential to Powerhouse, for more details and to learn about past, present, and future guests. Be sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter, and join our Facebook Community for a deeper connection with the P2P tribe.

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Until next time… High Five!