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Cecilia Chapiro

Cecilia Chapiro smiles to camera.

Scholar Cecilia Chapiro from Columbia University Scholars 2021-2022.

Investments Lead, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF); Founder, Yunus & Youth

ARGENTINA & SPAIN

Cecilia Chapiro is the investments lead at the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), overseeing its Innovation Fund. The fund is the first of its kind at the United Nations (U.N.) and invests in early stage, open-source technology solutions that have the potential to impact and benefit children on a global scale. Cecilia structured the fund at its inception, leading a team of technology, businesses and industry experts who sourced and managed a portfolio of 85 investments in 36 countries. In 2019, she expanded UNICEF’s reach by launching the U.N.’s first CryptoFund, an innovative investment tool that allows the organization to explore the use of crypto currencies.

In addition to her work at UNICEF, Cecilia is the founder of Yunus & Youth, a global social enterprise that empowers young leaders to build, develop, and expand social ventures that promote economic advancement and reduce unemployment in their communities. Yunus & Youth has accelerated more than 5,000 youth-led ventures globally by connecting entrepreneurs with innovative tools and support to increase their financial sustainability and maximize the impact of their work to achieve the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Cecilia received her bachelor’s degree from the University of San Andres in Buenos Aires. She holds a master’s degree in public administration from New York University.

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