WILL CEMBALEST

Will is currently an associate banker at JP Morgan, supporting venture-backed companies in the Commercial Bank's innovation economy business. He began his career at BTG Pactual in New York as an investor relations and strategy analyst on the LATAM sustainable forestry team. There, he helped develop a $1B fund strategy aimed at converting degraded agricultural and pasturelands into commercial and natural forests, targeting outsized climate and ecosystem benefits. After three years, he moved to Kenya for a fellowship with TechnoServe, where he conducted a market study on the coffee value chain. While in Kenya, he joined Kumbatia, a social enterprise startup that sources and exports East African seafood from local fishing communities. He served as Chief of Staff and co-CFO, helping the organization’s transition to its commercial stage. Will graduated from Middlebury College in 2020 with a degree in environmental economics. He is an advanced scuba diver and enjoys hiking, ping pong, and chess.