Shivani Kotecha

Shivani Kotecha

Consulting Associate

Shivani is a Consulting Associate at BFA Global. She works with BFA Global-affiliated programs to operationalize and manage high-impact programs.

Across a 7+ year career, Shivani has served as a program manager, partnerships leader, and operations specialist in climate tech, fintech, and education across Africa. Most recently, she has led strategic partnerships with 70+ climate energy companies and spearheaded the Mastercard Foundation Associates Program, placing 224 associates across 50+ companies in East Africa. Prior to this, she managed end-to-end delivery for the TECA Venture Launcher program at BFA Global, supporting startups innovating in climate resilience and the Blue Economy, and oversaw operations for the Catalyst Fund.

Her technical expertise includes program design and implementation, partnership development, stakeholder management, and MEL systems, with a particular focus on climate consulting and inclusive fintech in emerging markets.

Shivani holds a BSc from City University of London in Investment and Financial Risk Management.

Publications by this author

Why we invested in sustainable natural resource livelihoods: Strengthening rural food systems and local economies
Climate Action |

Why we invested in sustainable natural resource livelihoods: Strengthening rural food systems and local economies

Natural resources underpin rural livelihoods across Africa. Smallholder farmers, fishers, and traders drive local food markets and supply chains,...

By Kenneth Ngetha Mwangi
Learnings from our WhatsApp chatbot survey platform – A lightweight, digital research tool that meets the customers where they are
Livelihoods and Microenterprise |

Learnings from our WhatsApp chatbot survey platform – A lightweight, digital research tool that meets the customers where they are

WhatsApp is one of the most popular social media applications in Africa. Majority of the internet users use WhatsApp...

By Shivani Kotecha
Blue carbon: a climate game changer
Climate Action |

Blue carbon: a climate game changer

To reduce global average temperature rise to well below 1.5 °C by 2030, current greenhouse gas emissions must be...

By Shivani Kotecha
4 Innovation Opportunities to Unlock the Potential of Blue Carbon
Climate Action |

4 Innovation Opportunities to Unlock the Potential of Blue Carbon

The blue carbon wave This week at COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, global thought leaders will come together...

By Tyler Ferdinand
How to ace your TECA application
Climate Action |

How to ace your TECA application

Triggering Exponential Climate Action (TECA) is a new venture launcher that promotes ambitious and innovative ventures in the area...

By Shivani Kotecha
10 tools to kickstart your startup journey
Inclusive Fintech |

10 tools to kickstart your startup journey

Imagine that you are a CEO running a startup. You are busy building a product that solves a real...

By Akansha Kasera
Two years of catalyzing talent for inclusive fintech startups
Inclusive Fintech |

Two years of catalyzing talent for inclusive fintech startups

Finding talent is an unprecedented global challenge for employers right now, across geographies, sectors, and sizes. Many fintech startups...

By Abby Butkus
4 tips for converting internships into full-time offers
Inclusive Fintech |

4 tips for converting internships into full-time offers

  The African fintech industry provides dynamic, exciting opportunities for junior professionals to kickstart their career. However, even as...

By Abby Butkus
Internships help startups de-risk potential hires, and provide junior talent with valuable work experience
Inclusive Fintech |

Internships help startups de-risk potential hires, and provide junior talent with valuable work experience

Picture credits: Kwara Early-stage startups, like most companies, prefer to hire experienced talent rather than invest effort and resources...

By Shivani Kotecha
SaaS startup Kwara is helping SACCOs deliver during COVID-19
Inclusive Fintech |

SaaS startup Kwara is helping SACCOs deliver during COVID-19

Savings and Credit Co-operatives (SACCOs) are the financial service backbone of the unbanked population in Kenya. While SACCOs increasingly...

By Abby Butkus