Our team
of advisors brings deep subject matter expertise
and longstanding commitment to community-centered work
Lucas Turner-Owens,
founding partner
Lucas Turner-Owens is the founder of The Sankofa Group (TSG), a consulting practice which has worked with clients ranging from the fintech unicorn Stripe, the coalition of lenders and investors known as SPARCC, and a host of integrated capital funds. Lucas brings to TSG skills in fund management, impact investing, and strategic advisory work having worked as a consultant at Next Street and The Bridgespan Group prior to founding TSG. Prior to founding TSG, Lucas managed The Ujima Fund, an integrated capital fund based in Boston, where he helped to launch and raise the fund, as well as underwrite its initial investments. Lucas also was a Principal at the venture capital firm TMV leading four investments out of Fund II and Fund III. Lucas received his BA from Wesleyan University and his MBA along with a Certificate of Sustainable Business from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business.
Eric Horvath, Advisor
Most recently, Eric was the Director of Capital Strategies at Common Future, where he supported the organization’s development of innovative capital products. Prior to Common Future, Eric served as Program Manager for Community & Social Justice Partnerships at Transform Finance, where he launched and directed several initiatives in collaboration with activists, community organizers and other social sector allies across the United States to explore paths for their communities to harness and reclaim capital. Eric has also worked in philanthropy, serving as an integral part of the Woodcock Foundation’s rollout and execution of its inaugural program-related investment portfolio by sourcing, doing diligence, and administering several million dollars of impact investments. A former Fulbright ETA, Eric earned his MPA from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University and his MBA from the Stern School of Business at NYU.
Kyle Wong, Advisor
Kyle Wong is a Director of FP&A at IFF, a Chicago-based CDFI. In this role he provides financial reporting and analytical support for the broad organization, as well as IFF’s distinct lines of business, including its lending, real estate consulting, and development services. Kyle is interested in the intersection of finance and community development and has prior experience consulting with place-based investment funds in his hometown of Boston, including the Boston Impact Initiative Fund and the Ujima Fund. Specifically, Kyle developed financial models to inform capital structure, investment terms, and capital raising strategy for the funds.