Welcome to the Portfolio of Harper Howard

A Seasoned Investor, Operator, and Social Entrepreneur

The Arabilis Project

Social Impact/ Negotiation / Entrepreneurship

Through my work with the Arabilis Project in Kenya, I learned that while talent is evenly distributed, opportunity is not. The communities we worked with were filled with kind, resilient people, all striving for the same basic human desires: love, connection, and the ability to provide for their families through dignified, meaningful work. Yet, despite their immense potential, these communities lacked access to the fundamental building blocks of human flourishing: education, healthcare, and economic opportunity.

My most formative experience came when I moved to Kenya during the pandemic to work directly with smallholder farmers in rural areas. Despite limited resources, the warmth and generosity of the people left a lasting impression. They welcomed us into their homes, shared meals, and treated us like family, teaching me the power of genuine human connection. Yet, as I witnessed firsthand, their challenges were immense: poor infrastructure, limited access to education, and economic instability were daily realities.

At Arabilis, I led initiatives that not only introduced innovative farming techniques but also fostered a collaborative ecosystem among farmers, local leaders, and regional organizations. One of our most impactful achievements was the creation of several farming collectives that empowered local farmers in multiple ways socially, environmentally, and financially.

CannaCheck

Fundraising / Innovation / Venture Capital

At CannaCheck, a kiosk-based service offering lab-quality cannabis testing, I’ve had the unique opportunity to blend my expertise as an investor with the hands-on challenges of building a pioneering business in a highly regulated industry. As a managing partner, my role has involved raising capital, forging relationships with investors, and helping commercialize our product. But perhaps more importantly, I’ve gained an intimate understanding of how critical design is in the startup world especially when you’re developing a product in an industry where both innovation and regulation collide.

The journey wasn’t easy. In fact, the 18-month process of constant redesigns each one more meticulous than the last was a major turning point for us. With each iteration, we worked to refine the product, pushing toward perfection. But the process nearly bankrupted us, despite raising substantial capital. The pressure was immense, but it reinforced the importance of resilience, adaptability, and, above all, design thinking in shaping the future of a product.

Duke Interdisciplinary Social Innovators

Commercialization / Strategy / Project Management

Nonprofits face significant financial challenges; despite nearly 2 million nonprofits in the U.S. and 60,000 new organizations starting each year, funding for nonprofits has remained stubbornly around 2% of GDP, contributing to the fact that 6 in 10 nonprofits fail within 10 years. In the wake of COVID-19, Hands on Peru was no exception. The pandemic forced them to pivot CHIMUK, a women’s knitting initiative, into an e-commerce business to sustain their mission of improving public health in rural Peru.

As Project Manager, I led a cross-disciplinary team of five graduate students in a consulting engagement to help CHIMUK grow beyond a temporary solution into a sustainable business model. Through extensive market research and data analysis using Excel, SQL, and Tableau, we identified that merging CHIMUK with Hands on Peru and partnering with a local nonprofit with an established e-commerce platform would provide the long-term stability it needed.

The results were striking: a 900% increase in sales year-over-year, reduced transaction costs, lower marketing spend, and an increase in donations. Our work not only solidified CHIMUK’s financial sustainability but also amplified Hands on Peru’s capacity to empower the rural communities it serves, demonstrating how strategic innovation can drive lasting, impactful change.

Redesigning Sun Devil Stadium

Design Thinking / Human Centered Design / Presentation

During my time at Arizona State, I participated in a design competition aimed at transforming Sun Devil Stadium into a year-round, community-driven space, rather than just a seasonal venue. Our goal was to propose innovative ways to integrate the stadium into everyday campus life, meeting current student needs, generating additional revenue for the university, and attracting both alumni and prospective students.

One of our core design concepts was to draw inspiration from the Sonoran Desert, creatively blending the stadium with its surrounding landscape, particularly the nearby Butte. We also explored several functional strategies to make the stadium a vibrant hub outside of game days. Our recommendations included offering students access to the field for yoga classes, inviting pop-up food vendors to use the concession stands, and activating the South concourse with a beer garden.

Our team’s innovative ideas won the $10K pitch competition, and several of our recommendations were later implemented by the university, proving the lasting impact of our vision for a more integrated, community-centric stadium.

As a fomer chef in a Michelin-star kitchen, I saw how food could unite people from all walks of life no matter their background or story. This belief in connection carried over when I transitioned into the finance world, and it led me to found Liquidity Preference Function in San Francisco. I wanted to create a space where young professionals in finance could connect and collaborate, in a city that often feels more focused on tech.

What started as a small idea has transformed into a close-knit community of several dozen professionals. Together, we've built a network that’s about more than just business it's about support, growth, and shared success. With a growing chapter in Los Angeles and plans for an East Coast launch this spring, our journey is just getting started.

Liquidity Preference Function

Community Building / Outreach / Event Planning

By bringing farmers together, we shifted their focus from individual survival to collective growth. A key breakthrough was helping them manage waste and byproducts, which had previously been discarded. We recognized an opportunity in the regional and national supply chains, where manufacturers of juice and jam were struggling with pandemic-related disruptions. We connected the farmers with these manufacturers, enabling them to negotiate deals that turned their excess produce into valuable raw materials. This not only reduced waste but also provided farmers with stable, long-term income, ensuring financial security for their families.

Seven years later, Arabilis has expanded into multiple countries, overseeing the production of millions of dollars’ worth of produce annually, all rooted in the work we began in those rural communities. This experience taught me that with the right connections and resources, communities can overcome even the most daunting challenges.

One of my most impactful contributions to CannaCheck has been on the payments side of the business. Given the sensitive and complex nature of cannabis testing, I worked closely with lawmakers and regulators in Massachusetts and Connecticut to navigate the tangled web of compliance and ensure our business met every legal requirement. This was no small feat, as the regulatory landscape for cannabis-related businesses is ever-evolving and fraught with challenges.

Thanks to this meticulous approach to compliance, we were able to build trust with financial institutions and form relationships with banks that would accept our deposits something that’s notoriously difficult for cannabis businesses. With these banking relationships in place, we were able to secure lines of credit that provided us with the financial flexibility to scale and expand meaningfully. These strategic steps opened the door to not just surviving but thriving in an industry that is often underserved by traditional financial services.

Looking back, the journey has been a mix of navigating uncertainty, overcoming regulatory hurdles, and constantly refining our product and business model. But through it all, I’ve witnessed firsthand how essential it is to not just have a great idea but to build it with the right partnerships, regulatory foresight, and the flexibility to adapt and grow.

A little about me

Skillset

Investor
Social Entrepreneur
Creative Problem Solver
Analytical Thinker
Proactive Leader

Education

BS (Hons.) in Finance

Arizona State University

Tempe, Arizona

MMS in Management Science

Duke University

Durham, North Carolina