Helena Special Investments

Protik Basu is Managing Partner of Helena Special Investments and a Senior Advisor to Wesray Social Investments, the family office of Ray Chambers, where he oversees healthcare, climate, and sustainable investments. He was previously Partner and Founder at Blue like an Orange Sustainable Capital, a mezzanine credit/subordinated debt impact fund, where he originated and led transactions and headed sustainable impact. Earlier, he served as CEO for the Office of the UN Secretary General's Special Envoy for Health Financing and held roles at the World Bank and World Health Organization; he holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from Johns Hopkins University and its Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Derin Adebayo is Manager of Entrepreneur Selection at Endeavor, focusing on the spread of technology, entrepreneurship, and venture capital across emerging markets. Adebayo writes a newsletter titled "Unevenly Distributed" covering these topics.

Amol Mehta is a Senior Associate at Helena Special Investments, where he works on the firm's for-profit investing including market identification, thesis development, due diligence, and portfolio company management. He was previously a generalist investor at Moderne Ventures and an early Senior Director at Advocate Technologies, a fintech platform, where he led business development. He started his career in strategy and investment banking at Goldman Sachs and Jefferies, and holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and Master's and Bachelor's degrees in Economics from New York University.

Anne Lann is the Executive Coordinator at Helena. She previously worked in finance and later pursued filmmaking, with work shown at festivals including NewFilmmakers New York, Ferrara Film Festival, and Palm Springs International ShortFest. She holds an MBA in Finance from Pace University, an MA in American Literature and American History from Columbia University, and an MFA in Film & TV Production from the USC School of Cinematic Arts.

Colin Whelan is a Vice President at Helena Special Investments, where he supports the firm's for-profit investing through market identification, thesis development, financial due diligence and execution, and portfolio company management. He previously worked as an investment banker across the healthcare, consumer, industrial, and real estate sectors, and as an investor at FTV Capital focused on financial software and payments. He holds a degree in Mathematical Economics from Colgate University, where he was a Division I athlete.

Erika Yorio is Vice President of Programming and Content at Helena, where she develops strategies to foster collaboration and support new ideas across complex challenges. Before Helena, she spent a decade in leadership roles at creative studios, building partnerships and producing books, films, and exhibitions in collaboration with organizations such as Apple, Sotheby's, Conde Nast, and the Smithsonian. Her background spans journalism, media, technology, and the arts, and she studied literature and poetry writing.

Jacob Smith is Director of Finance and Operations at Helena Special Investments, where he handles fund administration, financial management, and compliance across the firm's investment platforms. He previously worked as Director of Finance and Fund Operations at Soma Capital Management and held senior roles at SAX Capital and Osceola Capital Management, focusing on fund operations, reporting, and LP transparency. He earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of South Florida.

Jan Jaro is a Senior Associate at Helena Special Investments, where he supports the firm's for-profit investing through market identification, thesis development, due diligence, and portfolio company management. He previously worked as a generalist investor at H.I.G. Capital and held strategic finance and chief of staff roles at mission-driven startups in education, access to work, and climate. He holds an MBA from the Wharton School, an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School, and a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering and economics from Northwestern University.

Jeff Brooks is Director of America in One Room and a Project Operator at Helena, with a career focused on applying technology and organizational innovation to public policy problems. He founded and served as COO of Mapware, a geospatial intelligence and AI software company serving DOD environmental and infrastructure missions, where he led Operations and Government Relations. Earlier he was a Policy Advisor in the Texas Governor's Office of Budget, Planning, and Policy, and he holds a Master in Public Policy from Pepperdine University and a BA in Economics and East Asian Studies from Villanova University.

Mia Gifford is the Chief of Staff at Helena. She has a background in biological sciences and healthcare, along with early career experience in consumer goods, and has worked on efforts including taking products from R&D to market and managing post-acquisition transitions. She also co-authors research publications in partnership with Johns Hopkins Medical School Neuropsychiatry.

Sam Feinburg is Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director of Helena, focusing on addressing catastrophic and existential risks. He also serves as Social Entrepreneur in Residence at The Boston Consulting Group and sits on the Board of Directors of the Civilization Research Institute. He attended Yale University for two years before leaving in 2016 to run Helena full time, and previously won the 2014 World Schools Debating Championships with the England Debate Team.

Maureen Downey is a venture partner at DigitalDx Ventures with a global finance and private equity background. She was previously Managing Director at SharesPost, an equity principal at Pantheon Ventures, and a Vice President in Investment Banking at Goldman Sachs, and holds an MBA from Wharton and a BA from Claremont McKenna College.