Dr. Steven Funk is an international financier-turned-race car driver and has long been a proponent of microfinance.  "I'm the product of microfinance," says Dr. Funk describing his years growing up on a 160-acre farm outside Osage, Iowa. "My parents were farmers. One hundred percent entrepreneurs operating a small business, depending on small loans, working to create something of value, microfinance is my passion because I feel I have been born and raised as a product of it in the United States" 

He founded the Dignity Fund, with Unitus to bring needed capital to the microfinance industry to fuel the social empowerment of the poor.   He has served as a director and financial sponsor of Unitus a microfinance accelerator, and serves as Chair of the Microcredit Summit Campaign, Directors Advisory Group.

“I call the Microcredit Summit the Davos of the industry and when Professor Muhammad Yunus won the Nobel Peace Prize the first person he acknowledged was Sam Daley-Harris its director.”

Dr. Funk will be co-navigating a car in a dangerous and daring Kenyan race called the East African Safari Classic Rally.  Together, with the other driver, French financier, Jean-Louis Juchault he is launching Race4Change to move people to donate to the race to end poverty, by giving money to The Microcredit Summit and Jamii Bora, one of Kenya’s biggest and most innovative microfinance organizations.

“This race is in Kenya, the next Microcredit Summit is in Kenya, the President of our country has a long, deep affiliation with Kenya, and the Kenyan microfinance program Jamii Bora and its founder Ingrid Munro are preeminent in the industry.  It doesn’t take long sitting in the presence of Ingrid Munro to realize you are sitting in front of a giant of a woman.  All of these things tied together are why I am supporting Jamii Bora and The Microcredit Summit by asking people to donate to them during the Rally.”  

Dr. Funk, the financier, is the founder and controlling shareholder of Aspen Properties Ltd., Imperial Parking Ltd., Imperial Parking (Hong Kong) Ltd., Canadian Maple Leaf Financial Corporation, and the Canadian Maple Leaf Fund Management group.  Dr. Funk manages his private equity group, Funk Partners.

Dr. Funk pursued a career in oral surgery, holds a master’s and doctoral degree, and was an anatomy professor.   During a sabbatical from his residency program Dr. Funk worked for two of North America’s most renowned entrepreneurs.  After 5 years and an executive role, he went on to found three operating concerns over the ensuing 20 years, each with broad international scope, and each achieving best of category status in their respective sectors.  

He founded the largest fund management business in Investor Category Funds in Canada; built the largest car park management business in Canada, also one of the largest operations in the world, and solely founded Aspen Properties Ltd., headquartered in Calgary, Alberta.  This real estate company grew from inception to his sale of the company in 2007 to be the fasting growing and largest owner of office commercial real estate in Western Canada and the country. Dr. Funk also currently oversees one of the largest and most critical timber and environmental rainforest assets in Central America (www.balamjungle.com). 

Dr. Funk is now engaged in private debt and equity investment as well as philanthropic endeavors with an emphasis on microfinance initiatives.  Dr. Funk has lived and worked in the United States, Canada, Hong Kong, and Europe. He is a private pilot a marathoner, squash player, water and snow skier, car racer, and outdoorsman.  He loves to travel and is now a fitness and life experience enthusiast.

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