Deborah La Franchi

CEO & Founder | SDS Capital Group

Deborah La Franchi, CEO of SDS Capital Group, exemplifies leadership in the male-dominated finance industry. Founding SDS in 2001, she has expanded it into an influential firm managing $1.9 billion in assets focused on affordable housing and social impact. La Franchi’s strategic expertise led to the $190 million SDS Supportive Housing Fund, which aims to create 2,000-plus permanent supportive housing units for California’s unhoused. Notably, its innovative single-capital source model reduces project timelines from 5-7 years to just 20 months. SDS is 100% woman-owned, with 50% of its investment team comprising of women or minorities. Under La Franchi’s mentorship and meritocratic approach, SDS maintains a commitment to diversity, ensuring 50% of interns are women or minorities and achieving a strong record of female and minority employee promotions and new hires.