Claudia Yang

Financial Specialist

 

Claudia is interested in the intersection of food, sustainability and finance. She spent five years in quantitative investment management at Dimensional Fund Advisors, where her most recent role was Associate Portfolio Manager specializing in U.S. small and microcap equity strategies. She has held finance internships with companies along the food value chain, including Gold Leaf Farms and Hancock Natural Resources Group.

 

Claudia volunteered on a regenerative agriculture farm in Austin, TX, which led her to pursue a master’s degree in business to transition into agriculture and food investing. Today, in addition to her role as financial analyst at New Venture Advisors, Claudia is a Structuring Associate at Amp Americas, a developer of biogas operations.

 

Claudia received an MBA at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in June 2022 with concentrations in Finance, Entrepreneurship, and Strategic Management. As a double Maroon, she also holds an B.A. in Economics from the University of Chicago.

 

 

 

 

 Whatcom County Food System Plan

In 2021, the Whatcom County Food System Committee conducted a community food assessment that pointed to key opportunities to build a more robust and resilient regional food system. New Venture Advisors partnered with Whatcom County staff and the Food System Committee to draft a Whatcom County Food System Plan that builds upon these findings. This Plan focuses on five key goals for building a more equitable, sustainable, and resilient food system, and was informed by an inclusive community engagement process. The Food System Plan will provide the county with a policy roadmap that will strengthen the local food system for years to come. (2023)

 Whatcom Local Food Campus

The Whatcom Community Foundation invests in activities and organizations that improve the ability of people to help themselves, increase connections among people, and take cooperative approaches to community issues. WCF is exploring the development of a local food campus on a waterfront property that would become a multi-tenant site, anchored by a collaborative production kitchen benefitting food access, school system, and community organizations. The goal is strengthening Whatcom County’s local food system by promoting health equity, forging tangible strategic connections between food production organizations, and helping farmers connect with institutional markets. The facility will also feature an incubation kitchen, demonstration kitchen, event and classroom space, collaborative office and conference facilities, and housing.  New Venture Advisors developed the business case for this ambitious project and continues to support its development through engagement and operational development. (2023)