Caterina Meloni is a senior gender-finance expert and founder of Connecting Founders, a consultancy that partners with international funders and development agencies to integrate a gender lens into financial-sector strategies and programs. She operates at the intersection of gender, finance, and climate, with a track record of turning market insight into solutions that move capital to women and make infrastructure more inclusive.

Through Connecting Founders, Caterina works with regulators and financial institutions to translate strategy into measurable outcomes—grounded in data and delivery. This includes advancing national commitments and reporting frameworks such as the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Code, building sex-disaggregated data systems, and aligning product, supervision, and incentives so institutions close gender finance gaps at scale.

Her approach is informed by commercial, hands-on experience from her earlier venture, Connecting Founders, which delivered investment and business education, mentoring and networks, and tailored capital-raising plans for women-led MSMEs. 

Based in Bangkok and active across Southeast Asia and the Pacific, she is a two-time award recipient for contributions to women’s entrepreneurship and previously worked globally with IFC and the World Bank. She holds an M.A. in International Relations and Economics from Johns Hopkins SAIS and is an angel investor with Epic Angels, supporting female founders in Asia-Pacific.