Lauren Blasco, Principal - Head of ESG at AC Ventures (ACV), is responsible for the strategic direction and implementation of ESG principles across the firm’s business operations and investment portfolio. Her professional mission is to scale impact with technology, creating a more environmentally sustainable and socially equitable future for Indonesia.

On behalf of ACV, in partnership with Boston Consulting Group and with support from The Upright Project in Finland, Lauren recently set the first quantifiable ESG standards for Indonesia's tech sector. This was done via the most in-depth and data-driven impact report to date on the local digital economy. She also sits on the board of Waste4Change, the leading responsible waste management startup in the country.

The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) recently tapped Lauren to join its newly formed ESG task force, an elite group of stakeholders in the nation, assembled and launched on the sidelines of the recent B20 Summit in Bali in November 2022. This group of high-profile corporate figures and business leaders has been asked to craft and propose a sector-agnostic roadmap that will help set the rules for ESG standards and compliance nationwide.

Recently, the ASEAN Business Advisory Council inducted Lauren into its Carbon Center of Excellence. The center aims to promote an understanding of carbon markets for business leaders, market participants, and regulators. It will build from B20 Indonesia legacy initiatives and launch a new ASEAN Alliance on Scaling Carbon Markets, which will champion scaling up voluntary carbon markets and compliance markets in the region. Lauren has committed to a five-year tenure to act as an official advisor to public and private stakeholders across the bloc on how to build, launch, and grow voluntary carbon markets.

Lauren is a seasoned sustainability and impact practitioner with over ten years of experience in the private, public, and educational sectors. She held multiple roles including Director of Sustainability at Potato Head Group, Executive Director at Clean the World, Guest Lecturer at the National University of Singapore, Adjunct Professor at The University of Hong Kong, lead consultant on projects with The National Environment Agency in Singapore, Think Tank/Incubator participant at Asia P3 hub, Incubation Network, Second Muse, Responsible Business Forum as well as frequent ESG panel speaker across Asia Pacific.

With a visionary mission to empower entrepreneurs beyond just providing capital, ACV is a powerhouse for investment and value creation in Southeast Asia. With operational experience, industry knowledge, and deep local networks, ACV is a generational partner to founders driving positive societal change and economic impact in Indonesia and beyond. It is also a trailblazer in promoting women's empowerment, with an impressive 50% of senior leadership roles occupied by women within the firm and 40% across its portfolio.

With over US$500 million in assets under management invested across five funds, ACV's partners have backed more than 120 technology companies in the region, including some of the most iconic names in the ASEAN digital ecosystem. Adrian Li, Michael Soerijadji, Helen Wong, and Pandu Sjahrir lead a team of over 35 professionals with offices in Jakarta and Singapore. ACV is an official signatory of the UN's Women's Empowerment Principles, IFC's Invest2Equal program, and the UN's Principles for Responsible Investing.

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