Half of the population in Latin America still lacks access to a bank account. More than half of children in the region are unable to read and understand a simple text. A third of people continue to face barriers to accessing healthcare.
“When you look to Europe, to the U.S., in terms of social impact, for instance, the problems they are trying to solve are so much more complex than what the problems you are trying to solve here in Latin America,” says Tatiana Sasson, who leads impact for Lightrock in Latin America. The $5.5 billion private equity impact investment firm is backed by Liechtenstein’s royal family.
“In terms of opportunities, it’s huge,” Sasson told ImpactAlpha in a video interview on the sidelines of Foro Latinoamericano de Inversión de Impacto, or FLII.
Roughly 15%, or some $700 million, of Lightrock’s assets are located in Latin America, including through more than a dozen ventures delivering solutions at scale for “people, productivity and planet.” Track records increasingly show that “it is possible to deliver strong returns with impact,” Sasson says.
Lightrock has backed accessible bus charter company Buser, alternative credit scoring fintech platform Creditas and agribusiness lender Agrolend. “You have really good entrepreneurs here, smart people looking to solve the problems,” she says.
