What if we’ve been thinking about the economy the wrong way around?

Most investment models are built to maximize returns.

But what happens when the system itself is no longer aligned with the world we’re trying to build?

In this episode of Catch The Upswing, Jessica Espinoza speaks with Jodi Smith — founder & fund manager of Matanataki — about rethinking capital from the ground up, and what it takes to build investment models in places where traditional approaches don’t work.

After two decades in Hollywood, Jodi walked away and moved to Fiji, where a mission to protect coral reefs led her into finance. Today, she is investing with an innovative approach that connects businesses across sectors — from agriculture to tourism — to create impact at a landscape and seascape level.From local ownership to interconnected deal flow, this conversation explores what it really means to design capital for ecosystems, communities, and long-term resilience.

This is a conversation about investing — and beyond.

🎙️ In this episode, we explore:

• Why the economy should be seen as a subset of the ecosystem
• Why traditional investment approaches fail in frontier markets
• How to design capital that works in nascent and frontier markets
• What “interconnected deal flow” looks like in practice
• Why local ownership and vision-setting are critical for long-term success
• The risks of “solutions looking for problems” in global investment
• How finance can be used as a tool to protect ecosystems
• The reality of building new models — and the leadership it requires

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🔗 Check out Jodi’s work:

Jodi Smith (LinkedIn): https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodi-smith/

Matanataki: https://www.matanataki.com/

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⏱️ Chapters:

00:00 Episode Start

00:01 Intro

01:10 Welcome Jodi Smith

02:30 Why Fiji’s Reefs Matter Globally

06:45 From Hollywood to Walking Away

10:30 The Moment Finance Became the Tool

16:20 Why Traditional Investment Models Don’t Work Here

22:40 Building an Ecosystem, Not Just a Portfolio

29:10 Who Owns the Future?

35:30 “Let Us Solve Our Problems”

41:20 Building Something That Doesn’t Exist Yet

46:30 Why It Can Feel So Lonely

50:10 “The Economy Is a Subset of the Ecosystem”

52:00 What This Means Going Forward

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📺 Watch more episodes:

Catch The Upswing is a business and leadership podcast exploring how people build, lead, and navigate complexity in a rapidly changing world.

Subscribe for conversations with global leaders, entrepreneurs, and emerging voices shaping today’s economy.

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YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CatchTheUpswing

Instagram: https://instagram.com/CatchTheUpswing

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#ImpactInvesting #SustainableFinance #Leadership #ClimateFinance #SystemsChange #CatchTheUpswing