Speaker Profile

Payel Farasat

Chief Growth Advisor,

FINCA International and FINCA Ventures

Speaker Bio

Payel Farasat is a seasoned investor and strategist with two decades of experience deploying catalytic capital and scaling inclusive innovation across global markets. As Chief Growth Advisor to FINCA International and FINCA Ventures, she supports women-led enterprises and climate-focused businesses across Africa through flexible investment approaches rooted in local ecosystems and long-term resilience.

Payel advises leading foundations and funds on blended finance, pipeline development, and systems-level change. Known for bridging returns with impact and global capital with local solutions, Payel brings a practitioner’s lens to what she calls “generational infrastructure”—models that build equity, resilience, and intergenerational well-being.

A sought-after speaker, she brings both warmth and clarity to global stages, drawing from her lived experience as an immigrant, mother, investment leader, and bridge-builder between worlds.