Brian Milder

Brian Milder is Founder & CEO of Aceli Africa, a market catalyst that unlocks private capital to boost productivity and growth in the agriculture sector. Aceli’s data-driven incentives share in the risk and increase returns for a marketplace of lenders serving agricultural SMEs across Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. Since launching in 2020, Aceli has partnered with 45 commercial banks and innovative finance companies to mobilize $300M in finance for agricultural SMEs that provide market access and employment for 1.5 million smallholder farmers and workers. Previously, as Chief Innovation Officer for Root Capital, he designed blended finance structures to reach underserved segments of the agri-SME market in Africa and Latin America. He is also a co-founder and former Director of the Council on Smallholder Agricultural Finance, an alliance of 19 lenders that promote responsible lending and impact standards for agri-SME lending globally. Mr. Milder has written several articles and case studies including for Harvard Business School on agricultural development and agribusiness in Africa and articles on agricultural value chain finance. He holds a BA in Social Studies from Harvard College and an MBA from Harvard Business School.