Scott Wu – IBank CEO/Executive Director
Before being appointed by Governor Newsom in 2019 to lead the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank (IBank), Scott Wu spent many years leading and advising teams focused on financing beneficial and innovative solutions to large-scale, public sector issues.
The long-time Northern California resident was a partner and head of investments for the Omidyar Network where he also led the firm’s activities to provide energy to off-grid communities around the world.
Wu has spent a lifetime of uniting his strong finance and innovation skills with a passion for global philanthropic endeavors. Now he plans to leverage those experiences as a banker, investor, entrepreneur and public servant to help amplify California’s economic growth through IBank’s powerful platform.
“IBank combines all the things I love and care about most: infrastructure, economic development, climate change and the environment, education, disaster relief, and supporting people, small businesses and our communities,” Wu said. “We finance things that matter to the public and improve our society. To be able to help guide these programs for one of the largest economies in the world is a dream come true.”
Wu holds a deep dedication for innovation – investing in, working with, and launching young companies and organizations to disrupt their respective sectors. He served as a White House Presidential Innovation Fellow and senior advisor to the innovation funds of USAID.
Being involved with USAID and later as a leading impact investor combined Wu’s 30-year commitment to improving global poverty and education with his innovative problem-solving skills. Wu is a board director of global human development non-profit, FHI 360, board advisor to the Dartmouth Center for Social Impact and former director and chair of both the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants and the Aim High summer school network for the disadvantaged. He lived in Tanzania to work on development projects and in Bangkok to help combat child prostitution, visited numerous refugee camps and co-founded a middle school for the underprivileged.
Wu was a member of the founding team of Upstart.com (NASDAQ: UPST) and co-founded several venture capital and investment firms that together manage billions of dollars of capital. He has a record of achieving superior returns with over a dozen portfolio company IPOs and successful exits.
He is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Business School.