Yigal Kerszenbaum is the founding managing partner of JFFVentures, Jobs for the Future’s impact investing arm. In that role, he has overall oversight of JFF’s innovative finance and investment strategy. He was the founder and managing director of the Employment Technology Fund (ETF@JFFLabs), which is now JFFVentures.
An expert in impact investing, Yigal’s goal in managing JFFVentures is to support entrepreneurs who develop technology solutions that can be used to train and upskill workers in low-wage jobs and connect them to high-quality occupations and employment opportunities that lead to economic advancement.
Yigal has executed more than $140 million worth of transactions in impact investments in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa.
Before founding JFFVentures, he worked at the Rockefeller Foundation, where he managed a global portfolio of 25 impact and program-related investments that was valued at more than $60 million.
Earlier in his career, Yigal was an investment professional on the private equity team at Developing World Markets, an impact investment fund manager focused on inclusive finance.
Before that, he worked at 57 Stars, a $2 billion private asset manager focused on private equity partnerships in emerging markets. He started his career as an entrepreneur, founding a language school in Córdoba, Argentina.
Yigal says he came to JFF because it is a leader in workforce development and provides a platform for change that can drive the creation of economic opportunities for millions of people. He says he envisions JFFVentures building a market-leading workforce development impact fund and points out that “JFF’s brand and broad network will allow us to attract innovative entrepreneurs who are building companies that will ensure a fair chance at economic advancement for all.”
Outside of work, Yigal says he is “learning how to be a dad to my two beautiful, bright, and happy little kids, Noa and Oren.” He also loves soccer, surfing, exploring new countries, and the Grateful Dead.
