Reimagining Capital Through Education: Ascendus at Harvard

This month, several members of the Ascendus team—including our CEO Paul Quintero, SVP of Lending Andrea Ierace, and colleagues from across departments—had the honor of participating in the final session of the Capstone Project at Harvard’s Extension School Program, led by Professor Henrik Totterman. 

Ascendus was selected as the core case study of the semester: “The Capital Conundrum: Reimagining Funding Models for CDFI Sustainability.” The students were tasked with one of the most pressing questions in our sector: how can mission-driven lenders like Ascendus create sustainable, inclusive funding models in a changing financial world? 

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Henrik Totterman, a valued member of our New England Advisory Board, for championing this collaboration and bridging academia with real-world impact. And to the outstanding Capstone captains and team members—Claudya Tremblay, Katelin Firth, Kitty Chan, and Jason Pang—thank you for bringing sharp strategic thinking and bold action to help Ascendus and the industry continue growing and advancing its mission. 

This inspiring visit ended on a high note with a stop at El Jefe Taqueria, one of our longtime client success stories. We reconnected with owner John Schall, who started his journey with Ascendus years ago through two small business loans when he was just launching his first restaurant near Harvard Square. With grit, vision, and support, John has grown from one location to nine across Massachusetts and Pennsylvania—now leading a thriving business that employs hundreds and feeds thousands. His story is a powerful reminder of what’s possible when access to capital meets perseverance and purpose. 

As our CEO shared during the session, one of the most powerful takeaways was the reminder that social capital matters—because individuals, united by purpose, have the power to move entire systems forward. 

This is what innovation through education looks like.
This is the power of “This Way Up.”