Michael Brownrigg
Founding Partner | San Francisco Bay Area, California
Michael Brownrigg is a co-founder of Total Impact Capital and advises the leadership team on strategic growth initiatives. While at Total, Michael was responsible for helping expand Hawaii's largest organic farm, worked on regenerative agriculture projects in Africa, and helped launch a novel health equity platform in California for residents for whom English is a second language, among other impact debt and equity projects with Total partners around the world. In 2019 Michael stepped down from an operational role at Total to run for California State Senate and shifted into an advisory capacity, which he retains today. In 2020, Michael co-founded Apis & Heritage Capital Partners, a novel private equity fund that aims to close the racial wealth gap in the US through employee ownership. At A&H, he serves as Senior Managing Director and oversees opportunities in the Western US. Since 2009, Michael is also an elected council member of the City of Burlingame, CA, and in 2023 is serving as its Mayor. Michael chairs San Mateo County's affordable housing finance agency (HEART) and chairs the Zero Waste Group of the county's regional waste management agency.
Prior to Total Impact Capital:
Michael served for 13 years as a US Diplomat, serving the country in Syria, Hong Kong, and Washington DC, including at the US Trade Representative's office under Ambassador Carla Hills. He joined ChinaVest in 1997, one of the premier US growth equity investment firms in Greater China at the time. He rose to partner over his 12 years there, overseeing fund investments in California and supporting ChinaVest's investments throughout Greater China.
Michael holds a BA from Williams College in Economics and German.
Spending time with family, fly fishing, hiking with friends, and playing old man basketball (for as long as his knees will let him).