Angel Investing in Start-Up MFIs - Featuring Greg Casagrande

The Microfinance Club of New York presents:
Angel Investing in Start-Up MFIs
Featuring Greg Casagrande

The discussion will focus on starting and growing new
microfinance institutions, greenfield investing and using
equity capital to scale up operations.

WHEN: Wednesday, April 8th, 2009; 6:30-8:30PM
WHERE: NYC Seminar and Conference Center, 71 West 23rd Street

This event is free for MFCNY members. There is a fee of $15 for non-members. RSVP to mfclubny@gmail.com. Please be sure to include the event title in the subject of the email to confirm your attendance.

Speaker Bio:
Greg Casagrande is the Founder and President of South Pacific Business Development Foundation (SPBD) of Samoa, the leading and first successful microfinance institution in the Pacific Islands region. He is also founder of MicroDreams, a microfinance acceleration fund working with emerging microfinance institutions in Africa, Latin America and the Pacific.

Greg also serves as a director on several microfinance industry boards. He serves as a director on the boards of the International Association of Microfinance Investors (of New York), Microfinance Pasifika (of Vanuatu) and Planet Finance (of Paris), and as a fund advisor to Plebys – a for-profit "Base of the Pyramyd" investment fund based in Irvine, California. He also served on the United Nation’s Board of Patrons for its International Year of Microcredit – 2005.

In addition to his microfinance activities, Greg promotes hi-tech entrepreneurship. He is a founding director of the Ice Angels, Australasia’s largest angel investor group. He also serves as Chairman of three New Zealand headquartered software firms: Biomatters, Calcium and English-To-Go. Prior to his involvement in microfinance and angel mentor capital, Greg recorded significant achievement with Ford Motor Company, Mazda Motor Company and Coopers and Lybrand in product development, manufacturing, marketing and financial management positions. He led teams in the U.S., Japan and Europe and was honored to be the youngest-ever Buchou (Division General Manager) of any major Japanese corporation. Greg has an MBA in Finance and Marketing from Kellogg School of Management, a MS in Accounting from NYU Stern School of Business, a BA in Economics with high distinction from Colgate University and is a CPA.