Monica Brand Engel

Co-founder and Managing Partner

2013 - Current

Quona Capital is an investment manager fueling fintech globally. We back innovators enhancing the quality and availability of financial products and services for underserved consumers and enterprises through business model innovation, smart leveraging of technology, and a passion for making a positive change in the world. Quona is focused on South/SE Asia Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa and MENA. Quona is investment manager for the Quona Accion Inclusion Fund and its predecessor funds – the world’s first, dedicated global fintech vehicles for the unbanked.

Board Member

2020

Sokowatch is putting the power of ecommerce into small retailers, providing last mile logistics, data analytics, and fit-for-purpose financing to merchants across Africa

Board Member

2021

Verto is a global B2B payments platform that provides a fast, simple, and reliable way for businesses to transact cross-border. The company is on a mission to solve cross-border payments problems for SMEs, including lack of liquidity, large transaction fees, and long settlement periods. Verto facilitate $ billions in transactions on a yearly basis to businesses operating in over 200 countries across 39 currencies.

Board Member

2022

Board Director

2022

Board Observer

2014 - 2022

Azimo is a digital remittances company that provides migrants and other Europeans a better way to send money to their loved ones back home.

Board Member

2017 - 2021

Board director of the electronic payments and small busines solutions company in South Africa helping to expand the acceptance environment for digital payments on the continent.

Board Member

2012 - 2021

Tiaxa provides the mobile telecom market with infrastructure, clearinghouse and revenue enhancement services for major operators around the world. Tiaxa’s Managed Services offering is based on a combination of proprietary, patented software platforms, user-centric business analytics and operational services, in the rating and charging, and user balance management realms, in order to achieve significant ARPU and revenue increases. In Auusut 2021, Tiaxa was acquired by BeMobi following its IPO.

Board Member

2012 - 2021

Zoona is a mobile transactions company that helps people send and receive money when they need to most so that communities can thrive.

Adjunct Professor - Impact Investing

2009 - 2019

Adjunct professor for two graduate level courses I developed in response to student demand: Impact Investing: Creating Value at the Base of the Pyramid and Advanced Topics in Microfinance. Co-taught Imoact Investing course with Mike Kubzansky, CEO of Omidyar Network; Paul Breloff, CEO of Shortlist; Gil Crawford, CEO of Microvest. (2008-17) Taught Introduction to Microfinance with Under Secretary Maria Otero, (2001-7),