Upaya Social Ventures is proud to announce that Neal Winterhof has joined as the organization’s Director, New Initiatives. Working with the global Upaya team, Neal will lead the development of new strategies, tools, and relationships for the expansion of Upaya’s job creation capacity.

“Upaya is doing innovative work applying business principles and entrepreneurship to break the cycle of poverty,” said Winterhof. “The team built an incredible foundation over the past couple of years and I'm excited to help further Upaya's mission in the coming years,” he said.

A veteran of the financial services industry, Neal brings nine years of investment management and social investing experience to Upaya. He joins Upaya from Woven Fund, an investment fund he established to make early stage investments in positive impact companies. He was also Strategist at the derivatives hedge fund AlphaBet Management, leading the build out of the firm's global trading capabilities in the US, Europe and Asia. Prior to joining AlphaBet, Neal launched the physical oil trading business at Lehman Brothers after starting his career in investment banking.

“From our first conversation I was struck by the similarities between Neal’s thinking about poverty alleviation and the Upaya vision,” said Upaya’s Executive Director Sachi Shenoy . “His skills, experience and passion are a tremendous addition to the team as we look at new ways of scouting, selecting, and supporting promising entrepreneurs,” Shenoy said.

Driven by a commitment to fight social injustice in all of its forms, Neal is on the Board of Directors of Hope for New York and previously served on the Board of Restore NYC and advised Isaac Slade of The Fray on his philanthropic efforts.