August 1, 2024
Ulu Ventures cofounder Miriam Rivera is finding unicorns by betting on the underdogs; Sharon Bowen is breaking glass ceilings at the New York Stock Exchange; economist Olivia Mitchell is warning the nation about Social Security shortfalls. These are the women shaping the way money flows in the U.S—and beyond.
Edited by Maggie McGrath | Reported by Vickie Chachere | Photography by Mary Beth Koeth for Forbes
55 | CEO & Founder, SDS Capital Group
A former Los Angeles city hall deputy in the 1990s, Deborah La Franchi learned about impact investing well before the term was mainstream. Her job was to get the private sector to invest in businesses that could transform LA’s poorest neighborhoods, and the experience fueled her desire to found SDS Capital in 2001. Today, the firm has $1.9 billion assets under management and finances the construction of low-cost housing nationwide. Most recently, SDS joined with partners to build a 280-unit workforce housing community in South Carolina.
