The LSE Marshall Institute has announced that venture philanthropy and investment specialist Leslie Labruto will be director of its newly launched Marshall Impact Accelerator, a first-of-its-kind new launching ground for innovative social ventures. The new director’s immediate focus is on building the Accelerator’s strategy before it operationalises later this year.

Labruto joins the Marshall Impact Accelerator from Acumen, where she served as Head of Investment Strategy and spearheaded initiatives to ensure universal energy access during the pandemic and kickstart philanthropic investment in emerging markets around the world.

First announced in 2021 following a £50M donation, the Marshall Impact Accelerator will support not-for-profit social ventures that focus on tackling global challenges in key areas such as health, climate change, social inequality, public policy and developmental economics.

The Accelerator will leverage LSE’s existing expertise in these areas to add rigour and data to help determine what’s needed to scale effective solutions, provide philanthropically backed capital to start-up enterprises, and accompany successful companies on their pathway to scale through business, policy, and talent support.

‘The Marshall Impact Accelerator will help us scale up the social impact projects that are making a difference in key global development areas. With her years of success and experience in global venture philanthropy and investment, Leslie Labruto is the ideal leader to take us from a world that focuses less on “what people want” and more on “what people need”. We’re confident and excited to take our next steps with her at the helm’, said Stephan Chambers, Director of the Marshall Institute.