Liz Grubin

Investment Principal

Liz joined Mulago in 2025 as an Investment Principal. Before Mulago, Liz spent 10 years at Vital Wave focused on digital for development. She worked with funders like the Gates Foundation, World Bank, and US CDC and their local partners. Her experience spans global health, safe drinking water, and clean household energy. Early in her professional life, she worked as an educator on tall ships, sailing in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. 

Liz has an MA in Environmental Policy from Tufts University and an MSc in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. In her free time, you’ll find her outside backpacking, skiing, or learning to garden.

Organizations

Liz Grubin is currently the lead on these Fellows and Portfolio organizations. If you're a funder and want to learn more, please reach out on LinkedIn. We'd be delighted to chat.

Portfolio

These are organizations that have gone through our Fellowship and emerged with a promising model, strategy, and organization. We are making a bet on their potential for exponential impact over time.
Income Share Agreements
Livelihoods
Nonprofit

Chancen International

Nonprofit
Livelihoods
East Africa
A Personalized Math Chatbot
Education
Nonprofit

Darsel

Nonprofit
Education
Asia,West Africa
Pay People to Protect Nature
Environment
For-Profit

EarthAcre

For-Profit
Environment
East Africa
Carbon-Financed Agroforestry
Environment
Nonprofit

Farmers for Forests

Nonprofit
Environment
Asia
Last-mile Trail Bridges
Livelihoods
Nonprofit

Fika

Nonprofit
Livelihoods
East Africa,Southern Africa
Lay Psychotherapy
Health
Nonprofit

Friendship Bench

Nonprofit
Health
Southern Africa
Teachers as Health Workers
Health
Nonprofit

Healthy Learners

Nonprofit
Health
Southern Africa
Uber for Tractors
Livelihoods
For-Profit

Hello Tractor

For-Profit
Livelihoods
West Africa,East Africa
Professionalized Community Health Workers
Health
Nonprofit

Integrate Health

Nonprofit
Health
West Africa
Quality Childcare Microbusinesses
Education
Nonprofit

Kidogo

Nonprofit
Education
East Africa
A Well-being Class for Kids
Education
Nonprofit

Labhya

Nonprofit
Education
Asia
Self-injectable Birth Control at the Last Mile
Health
Nonprofit

Lafiya

Nonprofit
Health
West Africa
Parent-Powered Early Learning
Education
Nonprofit

Lively Minds

Nonprofit
Education
East Africa,West Africa
Connected Clinics and Medical Equipment
Health
Nonprofit

Nexleaf Analytics

Nonprofit
Health
Asia,Africa Wide
AI-powered, On-demand Women’s Health Care
Health
For-Profit

Pinky Promise

For-Profit
Health
Asia
District Level Healthcare In-a-Box
Health
Nonprofit

Pivot

Nonprofit
Health
Southern Africa
Scripted Sex Ed as Core Curriculum
Health
Nonprofit

Projet Jeune Leader (PJL)

Nonprofit
Health
East Africa
Rural Water Utilities
Water and Sanitation
Nonprofit

Saha Global

Nonprofit
Water and Sanitation
West Africa

Fellows

Earlier stage founders who have a scalable solution to poverty — and the chops to deliver it.
Nonprofit
Environment

The Idea

Community Water Schools

Minni Jain

The Flow Partnership

2026

|

Henry

Nonprofit
Environment
Henry
Global
Nonprofit
Water and Sanitation

The Idea

In-line Chlorination in Large Water Systems

Megan Lindmark

Mangrove Water

2026

|

Rainer

Nonprofit
Water and Sanitation
Rainer
Global
For-Profit
Livelihoods

The Idea

Credit Scores Through Digital Bookkeeping

Tekwane Mwendwa

Leja

2026

|

Rainer

For-Profit
Livelihoods
Rainer
East Africa
Nonprofit
Health

The Idea

AI Psychotherapy for Teens

Jono McKay

SameSame

2026

|

Rainer

Nonprofit
Health
Rainer
Africa Wide
For-Profit
Livelihoods

The Idea

Data-driven Superfarmer Aggregation

Yi Li

FarmWorks

2026

|

Rainer

For-Profit
Livelihoods
Rainer
East Africa
For-Profit
Livelihoods

The Idea

Rentable Cold Storage For Farmers

Denis Karema

SokoFresh

2026

|

Rainer

For-Profit
Livelihoods
Rainer
East Africa
Nonprofit
Education

The Idea

Smartphone-Enhanced Structured Pedagogy

Simon Graffy

Inspiring Teachers

2025

|

Rainer

Nonprofit
Education
Rainer
East Africa,West Africa,Southern Africa
Nonprofit
Environment

The Idea

AI Powered Tree-Based Carbon Measurement

Sassan Saatchi

CTrees

2025

|

Henry

Nonprofit
Environment
Henry
Global,Asia,Latin America
Nonprofit
Health

The Idea

Dispensers for easy access to life-saving medicines in Southern Africa

Neo Hutiri

Pelebox

2024

|

Rainer

Nonprofit
Health
Rainer
Southern Africa
Nonprofit
Health

The Idea

Scripted Sex Ed as Core Curriculum

Maia Ramarosandratana

Projet Jeune Leader (PJL)

Projet Jeune Leader (PJL)

2024

|

Rainer

Nonprofit
Health
Rainer
East Africa
Nonprofit
Health

The Idea

Community distributors of self-injectable contraception in Nigeria

Klau Pakos

Lafiya

Lafiya

2024

|

Rainer

Nonprofit
Health
Rainer
West Africa
For-Profit
Health

The Idea

Uber for emergency transport

Folake Owodunni

Emergency Response Africa

2024

|

Rainer

For-Profit
Health
Rainer
West Africa
For-Profit
Health

The Idea

AI-powered, On-demand Women’s Health Care

Divya Kamerkar

Pinky Promise

Pinky Promise

2023

|

Rainer

For-Profit
Health
Rainer
Asia
Nonprofit
Education

The Idea

A Personalized Chatbot to Learn Math

Abdulhamid Haidar

Darsel

Darsel

2023

|

Rainer

Nonprofit
Education
Rainer
Asia,West Africa
Nonprofit
Environment

The Idea

Carbon-Financed Agroforestry

Krutika Ravishankar

Farmers for Forests

Farmers for Forests

2023

|

Henry

Nonprofit
Environment
Henry
Asia
Nonprofit
Education

The Idea

Alison Naftalin

Lively Minds

Lively Minds

2019

|

Rainer

Nonprofit
Education
Rainer
East Africa,West Africa
Nonprofit
Health

The Idea

District Level Healthcare In-a-Box

Matt Bonds

Pivot

Pivot

2018

|

Rainer

Nonprofit
Health
Rainer
Southern Africa

Fellows