In this article, NESsT Chief Impact and Operations Officer Renata Truzzi shares her lessons in walking the talk in impact investing – from measurable impact through rigorously-measured investments and running accelerator programs that prioritize locally-led businesses to prioritizing DEI-driven decision making – an approach that has allowed NESsT to create thousands of dignified jobs and improve millions of lives worldwide.
NESsT Welcomes Catalina Rodriguez Hohman as Chief Financial Officer, Expanding Leadership Team
NESsT recently expanded its executive team with the addition of Catalina Rodriguez Hohman as Chief Financial Officer. Catalina, who is based in Cali, Colombia, has over 15 years of financial experience in national and multinational companies including EY, Deloitte, Russell Bedford International, and most recently One Earth Future Foundation (OEF).
Grzegorz Wach Named NESsT Country Director of Poland
NESsT announces today that Grzegorz Wach has been named NESsT Country Director of Poland, reflecting the impact investor’s expanding acceleration of social enterprises that create dignified jobs for individuals from excluded communities, including refugees, migrants, women, at-risk youth, the LGBTQIA+ community, and others facing systemic barriers to economic opportunity.
Ioana Samoil Named NESsT Country Director of Romania
NESsT announces today that Ioana Samoil has been named NESsT Country Director of Romania, highlighting the impact investor's deepening focus on accelerating Romanian social enterprises that create dignified jobs for individuals from excluded communities, including refugees, migrants, women, at-risk youth, the LGBTQIA+ community, and others facing systemic barriers to economic opportunity.
Reflecting on the NESsT-IKEA Social Entrepreneurship 2025 Retreat
Blended Finance: Unlocking Funding for Sustainable Businesses in the Amazon
When structured effectively, blended finance can connect entrepreneurs who need support with investors who care about impact. To make this model easier to understand, NESsT has created an infographic that clearly shows how blended finance works in practice and highlights its role in the Amazon impact ecosystem. This visual tool breaks down complex financial ideas into simple language, making it valuable for entrepreneurs, policymakers, partners, and anyone interested in advancing the Amazon bioeconomy through innovative financing.
The NESsT Violet Fund: Strengthening Support for LGBTQIA+ Equality through Entrepreneurship
NESsT Appoints Renata Truzzi Chief Impact & Operations Officer
NESsT announces Renata Truzzi has been named Chief Impact & Operations Officer. Truzzi – who joined the organization in 2012 – has served in multiple capacities within NESsT, most recently as Global Acceleration & Impact Director. Her background in impact investing, business development, marketing, and fundraising will further support NESsT’s organizational effectiveness and operational excellence.
Alejandra Ramírez and Mauricio Verkooijen named NESsT Country Directors of Colombia and Peru
Proxima Servicios' solution to reducing inequality of opportunity in the Chilean labor market
In the face of structural labor market challenges, the founders of Próxima Servicios sought to create solutions that can reduce the inequality of opportunity rather than just the inequality of income. Eduardo Castillo, CEO of Próxima Servicios, explained that “part of the problem is that workers can’t access quality careers that have growth opportunities; if you have worked 15 years in a multinational company in cleaning, that experience will only lead to the next job in cleaning.”