Elsa is an Associate in our Innovation Department, specialising in charities, social ventures and philanthropy.
She acts for the full range of purpose-driven organisations, from innovative charities and not-for-profits to impact ventures and those that invest in them.
Having spent the first part of her career working as a corporate and private capital investments lawyer, Elsa specialises in impact finance and covers the full spectrum of impact fundraising and investment options, from traditional equity, debt and grant finance to alternative, more innovative structures such as revenue-based or impact-linked finance.
Elsa is passionate about helping purpose-driven clients access the sources of funding and types of investment that are right for them and for their mission. She supports entrepreneurs through our Virtual Pop-Ups for social ventures, our Social Venture Handbook, and our research and outreach on Impact Investment, Intentionality and Innovation.
She is a member of the Global Alliance of Impact Lawyers (GAIL) and the Charity Law Association. She is a native French speaker and speaks English and Russian fluently.
Key Experience
- Advising Founders Pledge, a global charity for entrepreneurs, on the legal set-up and launch of Pledge Ventures, a value-aligned venture fund designed to operate as a flywheel for impact and to build up a long-term capital endowment for Founders Pledge.
- Advising lowRISC C.I.C., a non-profit open source technology company, with its international growth, people and operations.
- Advising Beam, an award-winning crowdfunding platform that supports people experiencing homelessness to get into work, on its seed series fundraising.
- Advising an impact venture collecting, treating, and converting waste streams into regenerative agricultural and energy products on its preparation for its next funding round, and on its people, operations and impact.
- Advising the London Impact Investing Network on incorporation and governance matters.
Career History
Associate, Mishcon de Reya LLP
Associate, Taylor Vinters LLP
Associate, Herbert Smith Freehills LLP
Trainee Solicitor, Herbert Smith Freehills LLP
BPP Law School, Legal Practice Course and Graduate Diploma in Law
University College London (UCL), BA (Hons), Politics and East European Studies