The Beyond Capital Podcast

Founder friendly vs. founder fair — many venture capital firms tout the former, but Beyond Capital Ventures embraces the latter approach for a well-rounded, fully immersive VC strategy. In this week’s episode, join our hosts Eva Yazhari and Nicholas Java as we explore all of the ways in which BCV serves as a deeply connected and committed partner to our portfolio company founders. As a continuatio...

The capital gap — the difference between the financing that small to medium enterprises (SMEs) need to grow and operate efficiently and the amount of capital that they can actually access — is often the difference between innovation and sustainability and failure, especially in emerging markets. As the Beyond Capital Ventures Debt Opportunities Fund enters its second year, learn more about how thi...

Beyond Capital Ventures is a pioneer in the field of debt financing for startups in India and Africa. The concept of credit is nothing new, but for startups in emerging markets, it’s been often out of reach as banking systems are too risk averse. With its debt opportunities fund, BCV is supporting startups and extending their opportunities for growth. Learn more about this compelling category with...

Join our hosts Eva Yazhari and Nicholas Java of Beyond Capital Ventures as they take us inside the BCV portfolio, in particular the firm’s climate-focused companies, which are finding innovative and sustainable solutions, primarily in the agriculture and mobility subsectors. Stay tuned for some truly eye-opening and heartening facts and figures about climate trends and initiatives in emerging mark...

In this first episode of 2025, our hosts Eva Yazhari and Nicholas Java of Beyond Capital Ventures take us inside the BCV portfolio, in particular the firm’s innovative and impactful fintech companies, which make up close to 30% of our business. To usher in the new year, Eva and Nicholas also take their conversation to video so listeners can get to know them and BCV even better.   Fun fact of the d...

Conscious investing — what does it mean, really? And how is it different from impact investing or philanthropy? In this informative episode of the Beyond Capital Ventures Podcast, our hosts, BCV Managing Partner Eva Yazahri and Partner Nicholas Java, tackle the term and why it serves as our firm’s North Star.   Eva shares an anecdote about a recent conversation with a “cold-blooded” investor that...

Healthcare is a crucial sector within Beyond Capital Ventures’ investment outlook, comprising more than 40% of our portfolio. Access to quality healthcare remains a challenge in much of the world, markedly so in emerging markets such as India and East Africa, where we concentrate our efforts.  In this compelling episode of the BCV Podcast, our hosts Eva and Nicholas discuss the trends, challenges,...

In a follow-up to our previous podcast episode about why Beyond Capital Ventures invests in Africa, our Managing Partner Eva Yazhari and Partner Nicholas Java discuss our firm’s dual focus on Indian startups and their importance in not only emerging markets but in the global economy as a whole. In this insight-packed episode, Eva and Nicholas share data around India’s ascendant role in the global...

In this week’s episode of the BCV Podcast, we tackle a question our Partners hear often: Why invest in Africa, and, specifically, East Africa? An easy — but incomplete — answer: The world is becoming more African. It’s true: Africa has the fastest growing, youngest population of any continent, and by 2050, one in four people on the planet will be African. Beyond Capital Ventures Managing Partner E...

Welcome to Episode 4 of the Beyond Capital Ventures Podcast! Join BCV Managing Partner Eva Yazhari and Partner Nicholas Java as they delve into the firm’s debt capital opportunities and why this type of investment is crucial in supporting startups in emerging markets such as India and Africa.  Eva explores the meaning behind being a multi-asset venture capital firm and how that led to BCV taking o...

It’s time for episode 3 of the BCV Podcast and time to take a deeper look into what makes Beyond Capital Ventures truly one of a kind in its industry. As Partners in the firm, Eva and Nicholas offer their unique perspectives on the singular ways BCV is cultivating impact-driven companies in emerging markets. Tune in and get inspired!  The data of the day? A look at the emerging markets investment...

In episode two of the BCV Podcast, we get to know Co-Host and Beyond Capital Ventures Partner Nicholas Java better … his time spent serving in the United States Army, what sparked his interest in venture capital in emerging markets, and where he continues to find his purpose in his challenging role. The data point of the day (a feature of every episode) brings everything full circle. Tune in to le...

Welcome to the BCV Podcast! Beyond Capital Ventures Managing Partner Eva Yazhari and Partner Nicholas Java are here to bring you the stories of a venture capital firm focused on more than money. Through our weekly conversations, we strive to inspire you to think differently about what investments can achieve. Each episode will broaden your understanding of investment and inspire you to envision ne...

Where has the time gone? It’s already the finale of Season 4 of the Beyond Capital Podcast! For our sendoff to a brilliant season, our Co-Hosts Eva Yazhari and Ed Stevens are interviewing each other about everything from their current personal and professional projects to their thoughts on the 12 episodes that came before today’s closer. Key takeaways and fun facts from our Season 4 finale: Ed sha...

Peace and invest aren’t two words you necessarily hear together very often, but Scott Weber is here to change that. The President and CEO of Peaceinvest, a Geneva-based global investment firm committed to transforming finance into a force for positive change, Scott started his career at the United Nations in humanitarian and political affairs.  His current role places him at the epicenter of globa...

From starting his career as an intellectual property lawyer working in China and witnessing technologies such as lithium batteries, solar panels, and electric vehicles take off, to seeing an opportunity to implement them in emerging markets, Josh Whale has found himself at the pulse of e-mobility. Some don’t-miss moments from the episode: How watching An Inconvenient Truth at an impressionable age...

Alix Lebec is a founding member of WaterEquity, where she helped build a global asset manager focused on water, women, and sanitation in emerging markets. She also previously worked at the World Bank, Clinton Global Initiative, and Water.org, where she mobilized $260 million in capital. In 2020, Alix launched LEBEC to support philanthropists, investors, and entrepreneurs and drive a paradigm shift...

Parker Brook is a veteran of Big Food, helping bring an array of household-name brands to countless consumers around the world. While working for one of the world’s largest food conglomerates, he hoped to have the opportunity to create change from within; however, it became apparent that profit would always being the driving force behind every decision.  He knew there was a better way. That’s when...

Welcome to the BCV podcast brought to you by Beyond Capital Ventures in our Purpose driven World leadership and the way we invest are more crucial than ever. Stakeholders are demanding the integration of values into every aspect of business, and leaders are driving the way forward. We are here to bring you the stories of a venture capital firm focused on more than money and to inspire you to think...

What began as a six-month sabbatical backpacking around the African continent became a major career shift for Lexi Novitske. In 2012, Lexi left her job at a hedge fund in New York and landed in Nigeria, never to look back.  In 2014, Lexi launched Singularity Investments, a private capital-backed venture investment firm, and invested in market champions across fintech and enterprise platforms inclu...

Steve Biko has led an interesting life. From his childhood in Kenya to moving to the U.S. when he was 16, studying aviation, becoming a licensed pilot, and moving back to Africa to help launch M-PESA, a pioneering collaboration of telecommunication and banking sectors in East Africa, Steve has always been ahead of the curve.  Today, Steve is the Co-Founder and CEO of Zanifu, a financial platform f...

Maxine Trowbridge expertly and elegantly links the world of contemporary art, fashion, and high-quality editorial content to concoct a compelling brand identity in Eve & Max, a conscious women's luxury ready-to-wear label designed with the ethos that style should be ethical, sustainable, artful, and beautiful. British born and Dallas based, Max dropped by the studio to discuss the sometimes ci...

Peggy Yu is the CEO and Co-Founder of Stack, which is supercharging the impact of clinical trials and research through the most important assets — the people. Peggy brings a wealth of knowledge about the intersection of higher education and the job market, having worked at the Startup Institute and the Rock Center for Entrepreneurship at Harvard Business School, collaborating with founders and peo...

Welcome to Season 4 of the Beyond Capital Podcast! In this special kickoff episode, Co-Hosts Eva and Ed are joined by friend of the show, Keren Eldad of With Enthusiasm Coaching. Coach Keren — as she’s widely known — is an accomplished executive coach, but so much more. She is able to break beyond rote career advice and tap into what brings professionals deep fulfillment on their path to success. ...

On this week’s episode of the Beyond Capital Podcast, we welcome Ross Baird, an accomplished venture capitalist with a focus on emerging markets, startup investing, and real estate. Ross now leads Blueprint Local, which invests in real estate projects that are intended to drive attractive returns for investors and impact in communities.   Ross is generous with his time and his knowledge, delving i...