Head of Legal at Angel Ventures, WeInvest Ambassador, and lecturer at Universidad Anahuac. As a corporate legal advisor with over seven years of experience practicing law in Spain and Mexico, I specialize in Startups, Venture Capital, and Legaltech. I hold a Law degree, a Master’s in Corporate Law, an MBA with a focus on Innovation and Internationalization, and a Bachelor’s in International Trade. My expertise is further enriched by specialized training in entrepreneurship (Lean Startup), innovation (Design Thinking), and Blockchain technology. Passionate about driving impact in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, I am committed to empowering startups and fostering innovation through strategic legal counsel and mentorship.

Ana Estrada is Legal Counsel at IDB Invest, where she advises on equity, mezzanine, and fund transactions in Latin America and the Caribbean. She has over 15 years of experience working on cross-border deals. Before joining IDB Invest in 2020, Ana was an associate at international law firms. She holds an LL.M. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law.

Andreas is an Environmental and Social Officer specialized in Climate Change at IDB Invest. He works with aligning IDB Invest projects with the mitigation and adaptation goals of the Paris Agreement and supporting clients in identifying and managing E&S and climate-related risks and impacts. Prior to IDB Invest, he worked at the intersection of E&S, climate and development in various roles in Danish civil society, at the Danish parliament, and across the Middle East. Andreas holds a BA in communication and an MSc in sociology and climate policy from Copenhagen Business School and La Sapienza University of Rome.

Ariel Amiras is a Lead Credit Risk Management Officer at IDB Invest. He supports the origination, execution and monitoring of financial institutions and investment funds transactions in the Caribbean region and beyond, by providing independent credit risk assessments and advice on financial structures and legal documentation. Prior to joining the IDB Invest, Ariel worked at Standard & Poor’s, as well as at ING, ABN Amro in The Netherlands. Ariel completed an MBA degree at the Rotterdam School of Manager at Erasmus University, as well as a degree in economics of the Di Tella University in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Audrey Richards is a consultant whose work with the Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ), under the Jamaica Venture Capital Programme (JVCapital), catalysed the development of the private capital ecosystem in Jamaica and spearheaded the bank’s strategic investments, as an anchor investor, in private equity, private credit, energy infrastructure, and venture capital funds.

At the DBJ, Mrs. Richards conceptualized and led the design and implementation of JVCapital, as well as several landmark programmes such as a partial credit guarantee programme - the Credit Enhancement Fund (CEF), and other key projects aimed at promoting innovation and the development of the local early stage and entrepreneurship ecosystem. Her activities at the DBJ not only led to the mobilisation of J$ billions in funding for Jamaican and regional businesses and projects, but have been underpinned by a strong focus on promoting the adoption of globally accepted best practices by stakeholders, advancement of initiatives aimed at legislative and regulatory reforms, and mobilizing private finance for climate resilience projects.

Mrs. Richards has held senior executive leadership positions in the Jamaican capital markets and has consulted for both private and public sector institutions, including the Inter-American Development Bank, Bank of Jamaica, Jamaica Stock Exchange, and the Financial Services Commission. She currently serves as a Director on the Boards of Scotia Group Jamaica Limited and several of its subsidiaries, and the Boards of British Caribbean Insurance Company Limited and, her alma mater, St. Andrew High School for Girls, and the St. Andrew High School Foundation. She previously served on the Boards of the Jamaica Stock Exchange (as Deputy Chairman) as well as the National Housing Trust.

Mrs. Richards is a Founding Director of the Caribbean Alternative Investment Association, which has as its mandate the mobilising of private sector leadership of the private capital industry, in Jamaica and the Caribbean, to develop a dynamic and globally recognized market in the region.

She is passionate about creating and executing capital market solutions, supporting organizational building, financial market policy advancement, and has led several market developmental initiatives for the Jamaican private and public sectors. She now seeks to share the Jamaican experience with regional counterparts, recognizing the need for a dynamic and interlinked Caribbean alternative investments market.

Mrs. Richards holds an MBA (Finance) from the De Groote Graduate School of Business, McMaster University, Canada, and a B.Sc. (Special Chemistry) from the University of the West Indies, Mona, and is a Certified Project Management Professional.

Berisford Grey (known as Beris) is widely considered one of the region’s top investment bankers. As one of the founders of Sygnus Capital, he is living out his passion to create a leading Alternative Investments firm that uses creative approaches to unlock capital for clients.

Beris’s career was launched in the European Debt Capital Markets where he worked as an Associate Director in investment banking with particular focus on Securitisation and Structured Finance. After returning to the Caribbean, he held key positions at leading regional banks where he used his out-of-the-box thinking to generate game-changing results. This includes setting up and driving the Scotia Investments Capital Markets Unit to become a leader in the local market within 3-years and contributing significantly to the turnaround of CIBC FirstCaribbean Corporate & Investment Banking business between 2013-2016. Over the last decade he has raised over US$ 10 billion in financing for corporates and sovereigns across the region.

At CIBC FirstCaribbean, the largest regional bank in the English Speaking Caribbean, he held the posts of Managing Director and Executive Director of Corporate and Investment Banking where he oversaw a loan portfolio of US$3.0 billion USD in assets, and developed and executed regional strategy for the business to ensure competitiveness and long-term sustainability.

Prior to joining CIBC FirstCaribbean, Beris served as Senior Vice President of Origination & Capital Markets at Scotia Investments Jamaica Limited between 2010 and 2013. During this time, he executed some of the most innovative transactions in the local market including synthetic REIT financing structures and other first-of-its-kind project financing ideas.

Beris has the knowledge, talent and leadership skills to move Sygnus Capital forward. He holds an MBA in Entrepreneurial Finance from Vlerick Leuven Management School, Belgium and an MSc in Economics from the University of the West Indies. He has also completed the 1-year Executive Leadership Program at the Wharton School of Business in Pennsylvania, USA. Beris is currently the Chairman of the Caribbean Alternative Investments Association (CARAIA) Board.

Camilo holds a bachelor's degree in Management and Marketing from UCS in Argentina and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management. Before his work at Angel Ventures, Camilo Kejner served as Chief Operating Officer, Consultant, and Board Member in seven startups across the Technology and Retail sectors, collectively raising over $163 million in angel investment capital. From 2006 to 2011, he was Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of EMI, responsible for the company’s International Division, where he successfully generated over $900 million in revenue. Prior to his work at EMI, he led the Latin American regional division for New Line Cinema.

Christopher Burt - is a Corporate Governance Officer within the Environmental, Social and Governance Division of IDB Invest, based in Buenos Aires, helping fostering the adoption of stronger corporate governance practices within the private sector across the Latin America and Caribbean region. He works closely with investment fund transactions, supporting the incorporation of good governance mechanisms within fund structures, as well as assisting fund managers' approach and capacity to analyzing and strengthening the corporate governance of their investees.

Christopher Andrew-Marc Brown is the Programme Manager for the Boosting Innovation, Growth and Entrepreneurship Ecosystem (BIGEE) at the Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ). In his role at the DBJ, he is responsible for designing programmes to drive the adoption of innovation to drive private sector led growth for Micro, Small and Medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). Christopher has over 10 years experience in private sector development working on Government programmes funded by international development partners such as the Inter-American Development Bank, the European Union and the World Bank in the areas of MSME development and energy sustainability projects.

Cristian Huertas is a private equity and venture capital professional with 10+ years of experience in fintech and financial services across Latin America. He recently led the exit of Morgana, Mexico’s top digital mortgage broker, and structured a leveraged buyout for one of the country’s largest mortgage firms. Before that, he was Head of LATAM at Bnext, launching operations in four countries. Earlier, he built and sold regulated fintech ventures at Variv and Polygon, and began his career at Angel Ventures.

In his eleven years with Angel Ventures, Eduardo has devoted his energy and expertise to fortifying Mexico’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and helping spread AV’s knowledge with partners across the globe. During his tenure as the Director of Archetype, AV’s incubator, Eduardo oversaw the incubation of over 150 startups. Since graduating from the AV incubation process, these projects have raised over $15 million USD and fundamentally changed the entrepreneurial landscape of Mexico City. Eduardo has been actively involved as a panelist and judge at events such as Startup Bootcamp, Mass Challenge, Entrepreneur Week, Social Lab, Make Sense, Posible, and Re-diseña. Additionally, Eduardo is a founding partner of Fownder, a marketing, consulting, and design agency specializing in supporting startups in Latin America, with the goal of creating strategies that facilitate the investment process.

Gerardo Aguilar is Head of Climate and Energy at Sygnus Capital USA, where he leads the firm’s climate and sustainable energy investment strategy across Latin America and the Caribbean. With over 15 years of experience, Gerardo brings deep expertise in structuring
and managing investments in renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable housing, waste-to-energy, and climate-resilient infrastructure.

Gerardo was part of the founding team behind several landmark private equity and blended finance vehicles, successfully raising over USD 500 million in impact capital for SMEs across the region. His experience spans the full investment lifecycle—from capital raising
and fund structuring to equity origination, technical analysis, implementation, and successful exits.

He has worked extensively with international Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) from the USA, Europe, and Japan, playing a key role in mobilizing climate finance toward carbon emissions reduction, net zero strategies, and cleantech innovation. Gerardo has also served on investment committees, led follow-on investments, and contributed to the design of subsequent climate-focused funds.

With a multidisciplinary background, Gerardo brings hands-on expertise in legal contracting, financial structuring, construction oversight, and investor reporting for sustainable infrastructure platforms. He is fluent in Spanish, English, and Portuguese.

Gerardo holds an MBA in Finance from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, a Postgraduate degree in Climate Change and Impact from the University of Buenos Aires, and a Bachelor’s degree in Government Economics from the University of Costa Rica.

Ian Mills – works as the ONE Caribbean Unit Chief at IDB, coordinating and leading the IDB Group’s regional strategic framework and program for the Caribbean.  He joined IDB in 2024, after 8 years at the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, serving as the Deputy Development Director for the Caribbean, UK Alternate Director on the Caribbean Development Bank Board and as Head of Economic Development in Kenya. He previously worked as the Head of Economic Growth at the Law & Development Partnership, an Economist at the World Bank, and began his career as a Corporate Finance and Private Equity Lawyer in the City of London working as lead counsel on structuring billion-dollar offshore PE funds. Ian is a UK citizen and holds qualifications from Harvard University (MPA), Oxford University and Oxford Brookes University (Law) and Durham University (Economics).

As Head of CrossBoundary Advisory in the Caribbean, Jamie McInerney leads all investment and strategy mandates in the region, as well as business development activities. Jamie has a track record of successfully mobilizing investment into frontier and pioneering transactions, and creating new impact investment vehicles targeting the Caribbean. He is also part of the CrossBoundary Advisory leadership team based out of Washington, DC. Prior to joining CrossBoundary, he worked for FTI Consulting where he led client engagements specializing in foreign market entry strategies, principally in frontier and emerging markets. Earlier in his career Jamie was an economic and political risk advisor at ExxonMobil and prior to that a legislative aide on Capitol Hill. He holds an MA in international relations and economics from Johns Hopkins SAIS and a BA from Middlebury College.

Associate of the Society of Actuaries (ASA) and Certified Financial Risk Manager (FRM) with a demonstrated history of working in the financial services industry. Currently working in Alternative Investments with primary focus on Real Estate, Private Equity & Private Credit.

Skilled in Off Balance Sheet Portfolio Risk Measurement, Management & Reporting as well as On Balance Sheet Market Risk Management across multiple jurisdictions (Jamaica, Trinidad, Bahamas, Cayman, Barbados, Turks & Caicos, Guyana).

Strong technical skills to include use of tools such as Monte Carlo Simulation, FRTB Modeling, VaR & CTE/ES Calculations, Stress/Sensitivity Testing, Attribution Analysis, Portfolio Benchmark Construction/Development & Management, Data Manipulation, Financial & Stochastic Modeling, Bond Valuation, Derivative Pricing, Time Series Analysis & Forecasting, Financial Math, Actuarial Math, Actuarial and IAS 19 Valuations and Basic to Intermediate Programming (Python/Java/R/Excel VBA).

Significant experience in development of risk governance policies and frameworks to manage Liquidity, Interest Rate, Balance Sheet, Price and Foreign Exchange risks.

Excellent and assertive team player with strong interpersonal skills and significant training experience. Accustomed to a fast-paced environment with demanding deadlines and the need to support multiple desks.

Kaylan Bartholomew - is a Credit Risk Management Officer at IDB Invest, based in Trinidad and Tobago. She supports the origination, execution and monitoring of financial institutions and investment funds transactions in the Caribbean region, by providing independent credit risk assessments and advice on financial structures and legal documentation. Prior to joining the IDB Invest, Kaylan worked at Citi in New York and Trinidad, where she structured and executed a number of transactions for their own book, and also for syndication to banks and investment funds. Kaylan completed a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) degree at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia.

Keith Collister is a leading local financial journalist and commentator, and has written for Latinfinance, Latintrade and the UK’s Banker magazine, as well as for the Gleaner newspaper between 2005 to 2007, in whose pages he predicted the global financial crisis of 2007. Since 2008 he has been writing for the Jamaica Observer primarily as an economic journalist, and is frequently contacted by the global rating agencies, global investment banks and major multilaterals about the Jamaican economy.

He is the Executive Chairman of the ATL Pension Fund, one of the leading independently managed pension funds in Jamaica, and a board member of Eppley, the locally quoted financial services associate of the Musson group, one of the largest conglomerates in the Caribbean.

He has been a director of the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC) for nearly two decades, and has been a member of both the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica economic policy committee, and the JCC Economic Affairs and Taxation committee for the past 25 years continuously. He now chairs the JCC Economic Affairs and Taxation Committee, as well as being a member of both their Legislation and Regulations Committee and their Downtown Redevelopment committee.

He is a former director of both the Planning Institute of Jamaica and the Statistical Institute of Jamaica, as well as having been on a number of other Government related committees on economic policy including the Planning Institute of Jamaica’s Vision 2030, the National Planning Summit and the Incentive Working Group on Tax reform, a key structural benchmark of the 2013 IMF programme.

He is a founding director of the Caribbean Alternative Investment Association, Jamaica’s private equity association started in 2019, having been the private sector representative on the Jamaica Venture Capital programme (JVCP) in the decades since his 2006 paper A New Approach to Development Banking in Jamaica (still online). In that paper, he suggested the strategy the Development Bank of Jamaica ultimately followed of helping to catalyse the local private equity market. He is a member of the DBJ’s private capital committee, which advises on their investments in the private sector ecosystem.

He started his career in merchant banking in the City of London, but for past three decades he has worked in the Caribbean, with a few years in the Bahamas, but mainly in his homeland Jamaica with roles that included analyst and fund manager for Life of Jamaica (now Sagicor), and the start up from scratch of both a stockbroker (where he correctly predicted the doubling of the stock market in 2004) and a mutual fund for Grace Kennedy as business development manager in their financial services division.

He chairs Sandals Foundation, is a director of ATL groups automotive division, and has a strong interest in sustainability and energy reform.

He holds degrees in economics and finance from Cambridge University and the London School of Economics respectively, as well as an MBA in International Banking and Finance.

Mr. Williams is a seasoned investment professional with 25 years of experience in Investment and Business Consulting. Prior to joining SEAF, he founded Williams & Associates, an investment advisory firm focused on Jamaica and the wider Caribbean region. He is a former Director and Int’l Bus. Dev. Mgr. of Jamaica Money Market Brokers Ltd, and a former Director of the Jamaican Stock Exchange. Mr. Williams has also led several divisions within General Electric USA and Spain and was a consultant at the Boston Consulting Group. He holds BSc. Engineering from Princeton University, an MSc. Engineering and MA Int. Studies from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Wharton School of Business.

Lucas de Beaufort - is a Principal Investment Officer for the Investment Funds team at IDB Invest, where he invests in private equity funds and multi-sector debt throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Lucas has more than 25 years of experience in debt and equity in Latin America. Before joining the IDB Group in 2019, he was responsible for raising and investing the Central American Mezzanine Infrastructure Funds (CAMIF I & II) in LAP Latin American Partners. Lucas also served as Head of Investor Relations. He previously co-managed a $1 billion Latin infrastructure fund at EMP Global. Prior to that, he was Investment Officer for Latin America at the Dutch development bank FMO. Lucas completed a Master's degree in Corporate Law from Leiden University in the Netherlands and a Master's degree in International Economics and Latin American Studies from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), where he was a Fulbright scholar.

Marielle Del Valle - Senior Development Effectiveness Officer at IDB Invest. She works on the structuring, supervision and evaluation of projects with financial intermediaries and investments funds, and of trade finance operations, ensuring they promote social and economic benefits for the region. Prior to joining IDB Invest she worked as a consultant in the Office of Strategic Planning and Development Effectiveness and the Vice presidency of Countries of the Interamerican Development Bank (IDB), and as senior economic specialist at the Central Bank of Peru.

Martín holds a degree in Business Administration from the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM). During his five years as part of the incubation team at Angel Ventures, he incubated more than 120 companies through various programs within the Archetype incubator. Companies such as Finerio, Radii, Bacabes, and Bayonet, which have been part of his incubation programs, have successfully raised a total of $5 million USD. Martín has participated in various incubation and acceleration programs, as well as in events within the ecosystem such as Finlab Startup Weekend, WeWork Innovation Day, and Startup Bootcamp.

Mr. Rodinald Soomer is the Chief Executive Officer of the CARICOM Development Fund (CDF) since September 2015. He was previously employed with the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission, as Head of the Economic Development Policy Unit from May 2005 to August 2015, with oversight responsibility for regional sector programmes in Agriculture, Tourism, Statistics and E-Government, and a lead role in the preparation of a regional Growth and Development Strategy.

Mr. Soomer started his development career with the Government of St. Lucia in the Ministry of Planning, Development and Environment, where he served for twelve years, from 1986 to 1998, managing multi-year programmes of donor and technical assistance from multiple agencies including the British Development Division/DFID, the European Union, Kuwait Fund, Commonwealth Secretariat, OAS, the World Bank and the CDB, spanning sectors such as economic and social infrastructure, tourism and agriculture. He subsequently did a 6-year stint in the private sector as Executive Vice President/CEO of the St. Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association (SLHTA), forging partnerships around key industry priorities, including inter-sectoral linkages, visitor safety and security, marketing, public awareness, human resource development and tourism policy making.

Mr. Soomer holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of the West Indies and a Master’s Degree in Economics from York University in the UK, with a specialisation in Project Analysis, Finance and Investment.

Simon Johnson is a regional investment strategist who currently serves as an Investment Officer at IDB Lab where he helps to manage the Lab's investment efforts across its six Caribbean member countries: The Bahamas, Jamaica, Suriname, Guyana, Barbados, and Trinidad & Tobago. Simon’s responsibilities include supervision, originating, and structuring both debt and equity investments. Simon also serves on the IDB Lab's Direct Equity team, through which he evaluates equity opportunities in both the Caribbean and Latin America. Simon is passionate about financial literacy and dedicates his time to creating inclusive spaces in which individuals can learn how to build and maintain a healthy relationship with their money.

Susana del Granado is an Environmental and Social Officer at IDB Invest based in Panama, responsible for assessing the environmental and social impacts and risks of loans, proposing mitigation measures consistent with international best practices, and monitoring project performance. She holds a PhD in Natural Resource Management and Environmental Policy from the State University of New York at the College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) in the United States. She also holds a Master of Science from SUNY-ESF and a Master of Public Administration from Syracuse University at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs (United States). She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the Universidad Mayor de San Andrés in Bolivia.

Tadeo Leandro Fernandez is a Senior Specialist in Private Sector Integrity at the Office of Institutional Integrity (OII) of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). He earned his Law degree from the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina (2009), and a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, DC (2022). Before joining the IDB in 2018, he served as legal counsel to Argentina’s Financial Information Unit (2012-2015) and as a senior associate in the compliance department of the firm Beccar Varela (2015-2018). His academic training also includes the XIV GAFILAT Evaluators Seminar (Colombia, 2014), and graduate programs in Anti-Money Laundering and Customs Law at the Universidad de Buenos Aires (2014). Tadeo holds professional certifications in Anti-Money Laundering and Global Sanctions from the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS), as a Certified Compliance & Ethics Professional - International (CCEP-I) from the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE), and as a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) from the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE).

Valeria García is a specialist in strategic communication and public relations, with over 10 years of experience in venture capital, entrepreneurship, and corporate event production. She is currently the Public Relations and Comms Manager at Angel Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on early-stage investments in high-growth potential startups in Latin America, where she leads communication and public relations strategies to strengthen the firm's positioning. Her work focuses on building strategic relationships that connect startups with corporates, investors, and key players in the ecosystem, generating business opportunities and high-impact partnerships.

Veronica Hildenbrand is a Senior Investment Associate in CrossBoundary’s Caribbean Advisory practice. She is a frontier and emerging markets investment professional and has advised on +US$3b in transactions. During her time at CrossBoundary, she designed and structured the Caribbean Community Resilience Fund (CCRF), supported innovation ecosystems in the Caribbean, advised on transactions in Haiti, and supported financial institutions’ market entrance to Guyana. Prior to this, Veronica worked in impact investing in Amsterdam and played a key role in building out Deloitte Dutch Caribbean’s Financial Advisory division, providing transaction advisory services to private equity funds, strategic buyers, central banks, and government ministries across the Dutch Antilles and LAC region. Veronica holds a BSc in International Business Administration from Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University.