Guneet Banga

Guneet Banga is an executive director at The Caravel Group, a Hong Kong-based diversified conglomerate with three key areas of business: maritime, commodities and investment management Mr. Banga is an active proponent of conscious capitalism, which he has historically done by investing in start up ventures that focus on climate change solutions and mitigation technologies, while driving the world toward a greener, cleaner sustainable future — he lives by the motto “do good and do well”, and tries to live in accordance with these values his daily life. In 2022, Guneet established Caravel Sustainable Investments (CSI), the sustainable investment arm of The Caravel Group, which is a distinct carve out of assets dedicated to investing in sustainable entities, both in public and private markets. The focus of CSI is on early-stage venture start up companies which align with the UN SDGs 7 and 13, and where the founders are amongst the best in the world and are aiming to produce a process of technology that is the best for the world. Guneet Banga is also a General Partner at Aera VC, a Singapore-based private investment firm that invests in early-stage, deep tech ventures that aim to accelerate the world toward a sustainable future. Aera VC’s two pilot funds (Aera 17 and Aera 19) were extremely successful, and off the back of the success of the initial pilots, the firm is now raising its first large-scale, broadly marketed VC fund. Aera completed the first close of the Climate & Frontier Fund from a global group of family offices in March 2022, and is continuing its fundraising efforts, with a view to a final close of the fund in 2Q 2023. Before he began his journey with Aera VC and The Caravel Group, Guneet was a Vice President with Citi’s Capital Markets Origination division, where he spent eight years originating and executing equity and equity-linked financing for companies based in India, Korea and South East Asia markets. Fresh out of university, Guneet got his start in 2002 as an Analyst in the Consumer Products Corporate Finance team at UBS Warburg in New York, where he had interned the previous summer. Guneet holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a Certificate in East Asian Studies and Finance from Princeton University; an MBA in Finance and Strategic Management from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania; and a Certificate in Impact Investing from the University of Zurich, the Institute for Responsible Investing, and the Harvard Kennedy School. As Guneet has become an established presence and voice in the sustainable and impact investing markets in Asia, he has spoken at multiple industry events focused on sustainable investing and building a successful impact focused family office portfolio. He most recently was a panelist at the Indian Impact Investors Council Forum 2022 and ReThink HK 2022. Prior to this, he also participated in events for the Asian Venture Capital Journal Private Equity & Venture Forum in 2019; and The Indian Families in Business Meeting in 2020. In addition, Guneet has been asked to act as a judge of Climate tech start ups on a handful of episodes of the Climate Tank (Linked In Link TBD), a Shark-Tank type show focused on climate tech startups seeking funding from the judges and other investors invited to the show. Most recently, Guneet Banga was asked to join the Board of the Sustainable Finance Initiative (”SFI”). SFi is a community of private investors who believe in Capital that Matters, whose mission is to mobilise private capital for intentional positive impact. SFI seeks to empower family offices, private investors and financial services professionals with the knowledge and expertise to invest for purpose and profit. Guneet serves on the board and on the fundraising committee of the Zubin Foundation, a think tank and charity in Hong Kong focused on helping local ethnic minorities, where he is also spearheading creating support groups for you men within the ethnic minority community who struggle with mental health, bullying and racism, addiction and trauma related issues and can safely discuss their challenges in s safe place. He has also funded and helped build a shelter for Chiang Mai’s Wildflower Home Foundation, which provides a nurturing space for marginalized single mothers and their children in 2016.