Our Staff
Prasad Menon
Bayou Microfund Founder Prasad Menon is a serial entrepreneur and formerly a ship’s captain in the Merchant Marine. He went to business school in the UK and came to Houston in 1979. While in Houston, he overcame adverse job circumstances to start his own business. Over the years, he has created several successful businesses ranging from ship operations to health foods. Prasad is a founding charter member of TiE Houston (TiE.org) and is passionate about many charities. This is his first venture into social entrepreneurship. He and his wife Amrita live in Houston and Los Angeles, dividing their time between the two cities.
Rachel Greene
A longtime Kiva enthusiast, Rachel Greene recently joined Bayou Microfund as the Kiva Houston Hub Capital Access Manager through a partnership with BeehiveFund. Pre-pandemic, she was an online business entrepreneur herself for five years. She has held numerous arts administration positions in theatre institutions in Dallas, Houston, Minneapolis and Tokyo, Japan. Rachel also gained extensive experience in teaching private English lessons and analyzing sustainable businesses during her seven-year stint in Japan. Her passions include the cultivation of creative artists and entrepreneurs, the exploration of intercultural communication and new play development.
Yovana Vargas
Yovana Vargas is a Communications and Marketing Strategist who helps clients uplift their personal and professional brands. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Corporate Communication and a Master’s degree in Organizational Communication. Yovana came to the Houston area five years ago from the vibrant city of Caracas, Venezuela. Before joining Bayou Microfund, she was a Fundraising Coordinator at Universidad Monteavila and a Communications Specialist for Corpoelec Industrial and La Electricidad de Caracas. She, her husband and their two beautiful daughters are settling in well to their new hometown of Katy. Yovana loves being out in nature, reading, traveling and aromatherapy.
Freddy Blanco
Freddy Blanco, Bayou Microfund’s Resident Creative Director, is a multifaceted graphic designer whose creative track record spans over 20 years. An accomplished Graphic Designer with a unique combination of conceptual strength and broad technical proficiency, Freddy is passionate about working directly with clients in a collaborative way to design powerful ideas that amplify their brand and bring their strategic thinking to life. His eclectic body of work covers a broad range, from brand identities, web design, logo design, brochure design, illustration, packaging, video production, and much more. He has worked on a wide range of collaborative projects from small to large-scale clients, to globally recognized brands. He is available for contract and freelance work and can be reached at 832.964.6772, Email at freddyb@jusdesign.com. You can take a closer look at some of his best work at www.jusdesign.com.
Kimi Buser-Clancy
Kimi Buser-Clancy is excited to join the Bayou Microfund Team as its Entrepreneur Relations and Special Programs Associate! She grew up in Alief, TX and recently returned home after living and working in Los Angeles for 18 years. Years away from Texas and many, many months of living through a pandemic have reinvigorated Kimi’s desire to connect and help fellow Houstonians. A passionate activist with a history of community organizing, Kimi is proud to use her unique skill set to provide entrepreneurs across the city better access to all that Bayou Microfund and Kiva have to offer.