Jay L. Koh

Jay L. Koh is a Co-Founder and Managing Director of The Lightsmith Group, a global growth equity firm.

Jay brings over 20 years of extensive experience in investing and public policy across both public and private sectors.

Jay is the Founder and Chair of the Global Adaptation & Resilience Investment Working Group (GARI), an investor-led initiative launched at Paris COP21 and an official partner of the UN Secretary General's A2R Climate Resilience Initiative.

Prior to co-founding Lightsmith in 2016, Jay served as a Managing Director and Partner at Siguler Guff. Jay's career also includes leadership roles as the Head of Investment Funds and Chief Investment Strategist at the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), where Jay oversaw a $2.6 billion active emerging markets private equity program. Jay also led private equity and illiquid investing for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at R3 Capital and focused on direct growth equity investing as a Principal at The Carlyle Group. Earlier in Jay's career, Jay served as a law clerk to Justice David H. Souter of the United States Supreme Court and to Judge Michael Boudin of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.

Currently, Jay is an adjunct professor at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Jay also serves on the NYSERDA Board and the advisory committee to the NY Green Bank.

Jay holds a bachelor's degree magna cum laude in economics from Harvard College, a master's degree in management from Oxford University, and a juris doctorate from Yale Law School.

Bio is AI generated & may not be accurate.