Carmina Francisco Bayombong

Inspired by her parents, who broke out of poverty and spent 30 years in microfinance, Carmina used her engineering and finance background to create the world’s most comprehensive study in youth lending, spanning more than 60 countries. She has raised over $10M throughout her career for InvestEd and impact businesses in developing markets and has trained more than 10,000 youth in the region. For her expertise, Carmina has been engaged by governments, companies, and academic institutions around the world, including the governments of Qatar, Australia, and Luxembourg, and leading institutions such as the Asian Institute of Management, INSEAD, Citibank, Times Higher Education, and UNDP.

Given InvestEd’s impact, Carmina was recognized by the Philippine Senate as an Outstanding Woman in the Nation’s Service. She is also a Women of the Future Awardee, a Forbes 30 Under 30 Honoree, a Tatler Generation T Honoree, an Obama Asia Pacific Leader, and one of Cartier’s Top 9 Most Impactful Female CEOs. In 2024, InvestEd was named Champion of the Asia Technology Conference AI Category and received the Luxembourg Government’s Southeast Financial Inclusion Award.

Carmina has a degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of the Philippines and has completed certificate courses in Entrepreneurship, Startup Management, Data Strategy, and Social Entrepreneurship from the Asian Institute of Management and INSEAD. Carmina has worn both the operator and funder hats—sitting on the boards of globally recognized institutions such as U-Go Philippines, the world’s largest university scholarship program; Beneficial Returns, an impact investment fund that supports the growth of outstanding social enterprises in Latin America and Southeast Asia; and UPLIFT, one of the most impactful microfinance NGOs in the Philippines.