Sara Balawajder
Vice President, Investments, Builders Initiative
Sara Balawajder is a Director of Investments on the Builders Initiative Investment Team and is energized by finding scalable market solutions that not only drive positive climate impact, but also deliver financial returns. In her role, Sara seeks to leverage alternative investment strategies that best align incentives for various stakeholders, and with an eye towards systems change.
Sara leads an investment vehicle focused on sustainable food and agriculture. Her strategy makes investments utilizing early-stage direct equity checks, creative debt financing, and anchoring fund managers to facilitate the transition to a more sustainable food system that affords healthy food to all.
Additionally, Sara supports the private investment activity of the Builders Initiative endowment and helped establish the group’s emerging fund manager program. Sara has over 10 years of institutional investment experience.
Previously, Sara worked at Hall Capital Partners and helped manage global, diversified portfolios for ultra-high net-worth families, endowments, and foundations. It was during her tenure that Sara developed her passion for impact investing and assisted the firm launch its first Full Consequence Investment Fund.
Sara holds a master’s degree in business administration from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and a bachelor’s degree from Colgate University. In her free time, Sara loves to spend time with her family, cook, golf, ski, and is a novice gardener.