Robert Tashima

Rob Tashima leads pipeline and partnership development for the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, collaborating with mission-aligned funders to identify new investment opportunities. Prior to joining DRK, Rob served as Chief Growth Officer at Village Capital, an early- stage impact investor and intermediary, overseeing efforts to develop and design new ways of supporting entrepreneurs and investors, in new markets, and with new partners. Rob joined Village Capital in 2017 after a decade at an emerging markets consultancy, where as the head of research for Africa he led economic consulting projects across the continent. He started his career working on policy and legislative issues in California. Rob currently serves as a trustee for Social Tech Trust, a UK-based impact investor and foundation, and as a board advisor for CARE Social Ventures. He has also previously served as an advisor to a number of startups, social enterprises, and nonprofits. He holds an MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics and a CEP from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques in Bordeaux, France. He received his BA from UC Berkeley.