“At IIX, we started with a broad mission to promote impact investing in developing countries. However, over time, we have narrowed down to some broad mission goals – empowering women and women entrepreneurs, particularly where gender and climate intersect. ”
— Robert Kraybill
Robert Kraybill is a well-known name in the impact investment space who has created innovative financial products that channel capital into improving livelihoods across emerging markets, particularly in South and Southeast Asia.
But his journey didn’t start there.
Robert’s first big career move was at Morgan Stanley. Fresh out of Princeton, he was ready to take on the world of investment banking. But before he even made it to his orientation session, he met Durreen Shahnaz – the woman who would later become his wife and, more importantly for this story, the founder of Impact Investment Exchange (IIX) and a global leader in social impact investing.
Not exactly what he planned when he walked through those doors on day one…
Back then, Robert wasn’t thinking about changing the financial system – he was there to be a banker. And that’s exactly what he did for years, working with top firms like Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse. In 2004, he moved to Singapore, leading investment banking for Wasserstein Perella & Co. Later, he transitioned into private equity at Marathon Asset Management, focusing on private investments across the Asia-Pacific region.
Then came 2008. The financial crisis hit, and Robert saw firsthand how capital was being recklessly misallocated. As he put it, the crisis “exposed the hollow promise of traditional finance’s claim to make the world better through efficient capital allocation.”
He knew there had to be a better way. So, he pivoted – to impact investing.
Fast forward to today, and he’s Chief Investment Officer at IIX, a Singapore-based enterprise that helps mission-driven businesses grow and scale their positive impact. In their words, they “build pathways to connect backstreets of underserved communities to the Wall Streets of the world”.
Alongside his wife, he is transforming financial systems and developing innovative solutions that drive women’s empowerment, climate action, and community resilience. Through IIX and the IIX Foundation, their work has mobilized over $250 million in private-sector investment and positively impacted more than 100 million people worldwide.
His team pioneered the Women’s Livelihood Bond (WLB) series, a first-of-its-kind financial product that channels investment into women-focused enterprises across emerging markets.
But they didn’t stop there. After proving the success of the Women’s Livelihood Bonds, they created Orange Bonds – an investment framework designed to standardize and scale gender-lens investing, just like Green Bonds did for climate finance.
In this episode, Robert takes us through the evolution of the WLB Series and the birth of Orange Bonds.
He also explains the mechanics of blended finance – where catalytic capital de-risks investments to attract large-scale institutional funding. We also talk about IIX’s Values Impact Measurement Tool, their Risk-Return-Impact philosophy, and their ambitious goal: creating one billion sustainable livelihoods by 2030.
Join us to discover why the future of impact investing isn’t just green – it’s turning orange.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. You can watch the interview on YouTube here.
What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
- Connect with Robert: LinkedIn
- IIX on LinkedIn
- IIX website
- Book: The Defiant Optimist: Daring to Fight Global Inequality, Reinvent Finance, and Invest in Women
SHOW NOTES:
[00:00] Introduction
[04:04] Robert Kraybill’s background and education
[11:57] Joining Morgan Stanley (where Robert met his future wife)
[20:48] Investment banking career – from Wasserstein Perella to Marathon Asset Management
[26:41] The 2008 financial crisis and the flaws of traditional finance
[29:44] Founding Impact Investment Exchange (IIX) Foundation
[38:17] IIX today – a high-level overview
[41:23] IIX’s theory of change
[44:53] The birth of the Women’s Livelihood Bond
[52:45] Development of Orange Bond Principles
[59:30] The risk-return impact philosophy
[01:04:08] Examples of loans from the WLB series and their impact
[01:07:25] Measuring impact through IIX’s Values tool
[01:10:30] Goal to create a billion sustainable livelihoods by 2030
[01:11:40] The biggest challenge in impact investing today
MORE ROBERT KRAYBILL QUOTES FROM THE INTERVIEW:
“We wanted to create a portfolio investors could support with a single decision instead of evaluating each deal individually. From that vision, the Women’s Livelihood Bond was born, providing loans to enterprises advancing sustainable livelihoods for women across South and Southeast Asia, and now East Africa. ”
— Robert Kraybill
“Large-scale institutional investors want to make impact investments, but they cannot afford to sacrifice returns or take on higher risk. That’s why a small yet essential layer of catalytic capital is needed to unlock much larger amounts of private-sector funding. In the WLB and other blended finance instruments, we see catalytic capital driving significant leverage and amplifying impact. ”
— Robert Kraybill
