Aline Buysschaert completed an MA in Economics at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium and a MA in Finance and International Development at the Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies in Washington D.C., USA. Following experiences at Ashoka and the European Commission, she started working in an impact business incubator in Johannesburg, South Africa, focused on supporting entrepreneurs from townships. She then started her career in impact finance at KOIS, an impact finance firm providing advisory services to international organizations, foundations, NGOs and businesses on the structuring of innovative finance instruments capable of bringing additional private capital toward SDGs. In parallel, Aline completed her thesis or a Certificate in Economic & Social Ethics on Social Impact Bonds, analyzing their potential and challenges. Aline is currently Blended Finance lead at Univercells, a mission-oriented biotech company that democratizes the price of biologics through innovative technologies and services. Finally, Aline is part of the Friday Group, a Belgian think tank composed of young professionals inspiring policy through diversity and is also a Belgium 40u40 fellow.
“Two major experiences led me to impact finance.
The first one was working in a business incubator in Johannesburg, South Africa focused on supporting entrepreneurs from townships. I witnessed the multiplier effect of capital directed towards impactful projects. This experience made me decide to work in impact finance and help bring additional capital towards projects supporting the SDGs.
The second one was when I first heard about Social Impact Bonds 10 years ago. I was fascinated by how this instrument leveraged different actors to catalyze social innovation. I decided to write my thesis in Economic & Social Ethics on Social Impact Bonds, analyzing their potential and challenges, which led me to start working in the innovative finance space.”
“I want to bring more young people into the conversation about impact finance. The younger generation wants action at scale and IFB is a unique platform to bring change to finance. My aim is for IFB to be connected & aligned with the voice of the younger generation & give them their own floor as well.”
“It’s an exciting time as impact finance needs to be bold in the years to come, taking the necessary risks in an increasingly uncertain environment to meet the Paris Agreement goals. This will require unprecedented collaboration, bringing additional actors on board and focusing on achieving outcomes. My advice for someone starting is to think about the scale of action needed and to work step by step towards that objective.”
