elea Foundation for Ethics in Globalization

elea deploys philanthropic capital into for-profit social enterprises, applying traditional venture due diligence—market sizing, management assessment, unit economics—alongside a rigorous impact measurement framework. The foundation measures success through the scale and depth of poverty alleviation achieved per dollar deployed, not through internal rate of return. All reflows from exits recycle back into the philanthropic pool, creating a self-replenishing capital base.

elea operates predominantly as a direct investor, taking equity or quasi-equity stakes in early-stage social enterprises across its four thematic corridors. The foundation does structure co-investments alongside other philanthropic investors and strategic partners, such as the Fourfold Foundation, but it does not function as a fund-of-funds.

The foundation concentrates in Sub-Saharan Africa, India, and Latin America—regions where large populations remain excluded from formal economic participation. Local deal-sourcing hubs in Johannesburg and Mexico City, alongside the Zurich headquarters, allow elea to underwrite businesses that serve agricultural value chains, last-mile distribution, and skill-building in communities that commercial capital typically avoids.

CEO Andreas R. Kirchschläger leads the investment team and drives day-to-day allocation decisions. Founder Peter Wuffli, former Group CEO of UBS, chairs the Board of Trustees, which provides strategic oversight. The board also includes Arianne Egger-Wuffli and Stefanie Blättler.

elea is a charitable foundation, not a for-profit fund. It raises philanthropic capital, not LP commitments, and carries no carry or management fee structure. The foundation holds positions without fund-life pressure and judges outcomes exclusively on social impact—specifically, the number of people moved out of absolute poverty—rather than financial multiples.

Yes. elea actively builds a 'circle of philanthropic investors' and partners with family offices, foundations, and corporations that want to deploy philanthropic capital alongside the foundation's pipeline. Co-investors gain access to elea's local sourcing infrastructure and impact diligence, structuring commitments as philanthropic allocations rather than market-rate investments.

Susanne Wuffli, a co-founder of the foundation, resigned from the Board of Trustees in 2023. The foundation has not disclosed specific reasons, but the move consolidated board oversight under Peter Wuffli and the remaining trustees.