'A New Lens' is a podcast that features conversations between Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, and investors, RIAs, fund managers and philanthropists about their experiences within different impact investing themes as well as explore the power of stewardship and capital.
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Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, chats with Sib Sheikh, Wealth Advisor at SignatureFD, about his remarkable journey from growing up in Pakistan and Dubai to building a successful real estate career in the U.S. Sib shares the pivotal moment that shifted his focus from luxury real estate to affordable housing, how his faith and […]
Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, is joined by Jade Miller, CEO of ADISA (Alternative & Direct Investment Securities Association), for a conversation on leadership, stewardship, and the evolving world of alternative investments. Jade shares her journey through financial services, the mentors and experiences that shaped her career, and why expanding access, education, and connection in private markets matters for the […]
Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, talks with Anya Coverman, President and CEO of the Institute for Portfolio Alternatives (IPA), about her path from securities law into industry leadership, the rapid growth of private markets, and the critical role the IPA plays in advocacy, education, and advancing responsible capital formation. Together, they explore how private capital is expanding beyond […]
Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, talks with Alexandria Lafci, founder of Home Team Ventures and co-founder of New Story, about growing up in Section 8 housing and how it shaped her passion for solving housing instability, why she moved from nonprofit leadership into venture investing, what’s driving the housing affordability crisis, how construction technology could unlock more […]
Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, sits down with Colonel Jeffrey Williams – a retired U.S. Army officer and former NASA astronaut – to discuss how growing up on a farm shaped his view of work and capital, what it’s really like to live and work aboard the International Space Station, how seeing Earth from orbit […]
Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, speaks with Lynette Khalfani-Cox – a former Wall Street Journal reporter, CNBC correspondent, founder of a 22-year financial education company, best-selling author, investor, wife and mom – about how growing up with limited means shaped her views on work, entrepreneurship, and opportunity. Lynette shares lessons from paying off credit […]
Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, talks with Michael Chernow, founder of Kreatures of Habit, about growing up in New York City and discovering entrepreneurship early, his path to sobriety and how small daily habits helped reshape his life, building and scaling iconic hospitality brands, pivoting during the pandemic into a high-protein CPG subscription business, why relationships […]
Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, chats with Santiago Sedaca, CEO of LifeNet International, about his journey from growing up in a missionary family in Argentina to leading a network of about 500 faith-based health clinics across sub-Saharan Africa, how private sector development, blended finance, how thoughtful stewardship of both philanthropic and investment capital can drive […]
Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, talks with Sharon Beach, Founder/CIO of EA Capital Management, about her journey from surviving a violent kidnapping to rebuilding life through faith and resilience. They dig into her passion for agriculture, how EA Capital supports family-owned farmers with tailored capital, the barriers facing the next generation, how well-stewarded capital can meaningfully change […]
Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, chats with Andrey Bolokhovskiy, founder and CEO of Provision Group, a Land Development and Real Estate Holding Co out of Vancouver, Washington. The two discuss Andrey’s tumultuous battle with drug addiction in his teens and early 20s, his rediscovery of faith, how incremental change and accountability transformed his life, […]
Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, talks with Zachary Mannheimer, founder and chairman of Alquist 3D, which uses 3D printing to deliver exceptional designs while reducing infrastructure costs in economically distressed communities. They discuss how Zachary’s passion for the arts and his Brooklyn upbringing inspired him to launch a nonprofit that revitalized downtown Des Moines’ […]
Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, talks with James Clement, Marine Infantry Officer, veteran rancher, and Senior Vice President of Grass and Rangeland at EarthOptics, a leader in innovative soil measurement and mapping technology. The guys discuss James’ path from growing up in a ranching family to starting his own ranching businesses, how becoming a “Landman” […]
Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, chats with Aaron Mbati, Portfolio Director at The Schmidt Family Foundation where he manages a portfolio of impact investments in clean energy and sustainable food systems, with a focus on Africa and emerging markets. Aaron details growing up in Africa, his education there and in the US, his early […]
Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, speaks with Ferdinand Turatsinze, a young African investment analyst working with Fortis Green on renewable energy investment projects. Ferdinand details his professional path from schooling in his home country to earning his Master’s degree in Business and Technology Innovation at the University of Notre Dame, his experience at Agahozo-Shalom […]
Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, speaks with Robyn O’Brien – speaker, entrepreneur, and best-selling author of Seeding Innovation: The Path to Profit and Purpose in the 21st Century – on how her early financial services career found her covering the food industry at an influential time, how activating capital can help create smarter, more […]
Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, chats with JaQ Campbell and Hope Lovell of Alexander Legacy Private Wealth Management, about investing and building businesses together during their successful decades-long partnership, their mission to increase financial services access to underserved communities, how a due diligence trip to Africa reframed their approach to regenerative living, their thoughts […]
Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, speaks with Bill Kelly, former CEO of Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Association (CAIA), about growing up in Yonkers NY and putting himself through college, learning the value of professional credentials while working for Price Waterhouse (before they added the Cooper), how investing in alternatives is becoming increasingly important for […]
Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, speaks with Rob Hurlbut, Managing Director and Co-founder of Agriculture Capital – with over 30 years of experience investing in and leading reiterative farming businesses. Rob talks about how his time sourcing and buying coffee for Nestle lead him to his current philosophy of balancing the environmental, social and […]
Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, speaks with Andy Lower, an entrepreneur, investor, fund manager, financial advisor, and author of I Gave Away All My Clothes: Living Out Values Through Social Entrepreneurship – about his long journey in Impact Investing, finding success in connecting investors and entrepreneurs in the fight against extreme poverty, how innovation and social entrepreneurship can […]
Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, speaks with Steven Moss, co-founder of M. Cubed – a resource economics and public policy analysis consulting firm, about his passion for engaging the levers of society to effect positive change, the challenges of creating a for-profit company to build a solar farm to support the non-profit Agahozo-Shalom Youth […]
Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, speaks with Mike West, author and Executive Chair and Chair of the Board at Lirio, a platform that influences a person’s health actions by leveraging behavioral science expertise and adapting to a person’s evolving clinical history and social context. The guys discuss Mike’s early career evolution, adapting to his […]
Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, chats with Shiri Sandler, Managing Director of Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village (ASYV), about what the purpose of a “youth village” is and why Rwanda is ideal for such a model that provides a sense of familial love and opportunity, how her educational path in genocides of the past informs her […]
Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, speaks with Kendra VanderMeulen, CEO of the National Christian Foundation (NCF) who embodies the spirit of pioneering leadership and generosity. Kendra’s remarkable journey began in the telecommunications industry with AT&T in the 70s and 80s, where she was already on the cutting edge of technology, working on what would eventually become the […]
Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, speaks with Emmanual Nsanganwa, Investment Analyst at Fortis Green Renewables, on growing up in a small village in Rwanda with little access to power, on starting his own non-profit to provide scientific education to students, the pressure to be a good model of success for others from his village, […]
Jeff Shafer, CEO of CommonGood Capital, speaks with Dave Clark, CEO of Promising People – which utilizes virtual reality training solutions for those struggling to find meaningful employment across the country. The guys chat about Dave’s background in real estate development, his time in prison after a 40-year Federal conviction and subsequent Presidential pardon, how […]
