Jim Chu

Biography

Jim is an entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist with over 25 years in IT and operating in emerging markets.

In the 90’s and 2000’s, Jim worked in the global technology sector in the US and Europe. He transitioned to emerging markets in 2010 and founded dloHaiti in 2013 to provide clean water to underserved communities in Haiti. Today, dloHaiti sustainably serves over 200,000 Haitians with safe water while boosting the incomes of hundreds of local entrepreneurs. More at dloHaiti.com

Untapped Global spun out of dloHaiti to bridge the financing gap in emerging markets with Smart Asset FinancingTM, a technology-backed financing solution for SMEs. Today, Untapped has offices in E-, W-, and S Africa and provides Smart Asset Financing to companies with assets ranging from electric motorcycles and delivery vehicles to PAYGO solar irrigation pumps and safe drinking water systems. He is especially focused on electric mobility in Africa. Jim also manages equity funds for early-stage companies in frontier markets. More at untapped-global.com

Jim is also the founder of The Nest, an international investment network connecting investors with emerging-market startups from around the world. The Nest hosts virtual and in-person events as well as in-country investment missions to regions with high-growth potential. During the pandemic, The Nest helped facilitate investments over $3M to early-stage companies in over 2 dozen countries.

Jim is on the boards of Watering Minds, a US public charity supporting youth in emerging markets (more at wateringminds.org), and MCE Social Capital, a non-profit impact investment firm driving economic empowerment in developing countries. More at mcesocap.org

Jim has undergraduate and graduate degrees from Stanford University and has run companies and teams in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Aside from his native English, Jim speaks French, German, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, and Taiwanese.