Welcome to my page!

I’m Christine, an entrepreneur and native Chicagoan who’s passionate about helping entrepreneurs flourish, encouraging women and youth, and driving economic equity.

Growing up with a public finance investment banker father, I discovered my passion for using finance to empower communities at a young age. My parents’ example embodied Chicago’s legacy of heavily involved civic leadership, out of which my calling to serve my community was born.

After graduating from Yale University with a BA in Psychology, I worked in financial services — first, as an investment banking analyst helping execute over $1 billion in M&A and financings for healthcare companies, then on the investor support team of a $300 million private credit fund manager that invests in financial institutions serving underbanked communities globally.

In 2015, I became a small business owner. As sole proprietor of a consulting firm, I advised small businesses, impact investors, and non-profit organizations on fundraising, financial analysis and modeling, and strategy. This work took me from Washington, DC, to Accra, Ghana, and back home to Chicago.

I pursued my MBA full-time at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business from 2018 to 2020, where I focused on finance, entrepreneurship, and strategic management and interned in venture capital.

In 2020, I founded Chama Capital, a financial technology platform designed to increase access to capital for women small business owners and drive gender equity in business financing, where I serve as CEO. To access our curated list of funding opportunities for women business owners and get connected to best-fit financing, join our community!

When I’m not hard at work on Chama Capital, you can find me community organizing and serving as an ambassador for Chicago’s South Side, going for nature walks, reading historical novels, volunteering with youth, having game nights with my family, cooking paleo comfort food recipes, and sharing encouragement on my Instagram page (@christinesaffold).

Read More

• Toigo Top 35 Rising Leaders Award
• Meet the next cohort of BIPOC innovators building with no-code
• Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation Member of the Month Feature
• Chicago Booth Black History Month Feature
• Fellow South Siders and I shared thoughts with WBEZ on preserving the legacy of Chicago’s South Side

My Strengths