Karin Larsen Burns

Director, Ambata Capital US

• As a director of Ambata, Karin is focused on advisory opportunities across clean technology and sustainability.
• Karin joined Ambata from the Masdar Initiative, where she was Masdar City’s US Representative.  There she originated business development opportunities across the US, notably in green building materials, energy efficiency, water, and solar.  Previously, she was a vice president at Gulf Capital Private Equity in the UAE, where she managed investment opportunities and due diligence activities in solar cell manufacturing, new media, and energy services.
• Prior to Gulf Capital, Karin established i2i Capital in Hong Kong, a boutique venture placement and investment firm serving Asian SMEs.  In the clean-tech sector, she worked with companies active in coal gasification, plastics recycling, nanomaterials, biofuels and water filtration.  Karin began her career in Hong Kong with JPMorgan Chase’s Global Mergers & Acquisitions team and in London with General Electric’s Private Equity group.
• Karin holds a bachelor’s degree with honors from Duke University, an M.B.A. in finance with honors from Edinburgh Business School, an M.P.A. in International Development Economics from Harvard University, was a Fulbright Scholar in India, and is a published author.  She speaks Spanish and Portuguese having lived in South America and has a basic knowledge of Mandarin, Indonesian, and Hindi after spending many years in Asia.
• Karin is a member of the Harvard and Duke Clubs of San Francisco and is the founder and sponsor of the Environmental Leadership Award, a financial and recognition award given each year to a high school senior from her alma mater who has demonstrated leadership in the area of environmental protection and awareness.