Jan 2022 – Jun 2024 · 2 yrs 5 mos · Nairobi, Kenya

• Coaching founders that build companies with Antler (antler.co) - the global early-stage venture capital firm enabling and investing in the world's most exceptional people building the defining companies of tomorrow. With offices across six continents and most major startup ecosystems, Antler is enabling founders and investing in the top 1% of more than 50,000 entrepreneurs and ideas evaluated every year.

Jan 2020 – Dec 2021 · 1 yr 11 mos · Nairobi, Kenya

Sep 2021 – Present · 4 yrs 6 mos · Nairobi County, Kenya

• Member of Founding SteerCo.
• The Jobtech Alliance is an ecosystem-building initiative around inclusive jobtech in Africa launched in late 2021. We’re interested in digital platforms which connect people to work opportunities that build livelihoods – this includes gigmatching platforms, jobmatching, e-commerce marketplaces, and more. The Jobtech Alliance helps jobtech platforms to grow and create more jobs.

Apr 2021 – Present · 4 yrs 11 mos

• We are a group of founders, entrepreneurs, professionals, and tech-enthusiasts that supports and invests in technology-enabled startups. Our goal is to be entrepreneur-first investors, doing everything we can to be supportive, responsive and respectful.
• Personal Africa-based investments:
• Legendary Foods
• Twende Sports
• Hustlesasa
• StackShift
• Craydel
• Guidewheel
• 254 Brewing Co.
• Kopo Kopo
• GoBeba
• Zephyr Acorn
• Hodi
• Fingo
• Hulugram
• CatalyzU / Young Africa Catalysts
• Tripitaca
• Kafresh
• Jackfruit Finance
• MoPhones

Mar 2019 – Present · 7 yrs · Global

• Unreasonable is an organization, investment fund, and private global network dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs positioned to bend history in the right direction. Unreasonable's mission is to drive resources into and break down barriers for select companies leveraging profit to solve the seemingly intractable social and environmental challenges of our time.

Jun 2016 – May 2018 · 1 yr 11 mos

• Transitioned to Senior Advisor following departure from MD role in mid-2016.

Jan 2012 – Jun 2016 · 4 yrs 5 mos

• Founder and Managing Director of Accion Venture Lab until June 2016. Venture Lab is an investment initiative that provides patient seed capital and management support to innovative financial inclusion startups, fostering experimentation and promoting business models that improve financial access for people at the base of the pyramid. From founding in 2012 until my transition in 2016, Venture Lab invested ~$10M in 26 businesses across Asia, Africa, Latin America and US.

Jun 2016 – Present · 9 yrs 9 mos · Nairobi, Kenya

• Shortlist is one of Africa's leading talent advisory firms, on a mission to solve human capital challenges for orgs driving impact and innovation across Africa.
• Shortlist Search is a leading full-service executive search consultancy, supporting end-to-end leadership hiring for the pioneers of Africa's impact and innovation economies, with over 20 teammates based in Nairobi, Lagos, Cairo, Jo'burg, Dakar, Mumbai, NYC, and London.
• Shortlist Futures is a workforce innovation lab unblocking labor market barriers to helping more Africans access dignified and fulfilling work, with a particular focus on the twin transitions that will most shape opportunities for young people in the coming decades: green & digital. We aim to unlock $100B+ in incremental lifetime earnings for Africans by 2035.
• And we're working on a number of new innovations to unlock job access and unblock human capital challenges across Africa; watch this space.
• We were founded in 2016, and have worked with 1,000+ companies and 2,000,000+ professionals. To learn more, visit www.shortlist.net.

Feb 2016 – Jan 2020 · 3 yrs 11 mos

• Blue Haven Initiative is a single family office that is 100% dedicated to for profit, commercial rate of return investments that have a measurable social or environmental impact. BHI invests in enterprises that support the delivery of basic services to people and businesses that are underserved or out of reach of existing infrastructure, particularly in the areas of energy, financial and business services, healthcare and education.

Jun 2015 – May 2022 · 6 yrs 11 mos · Nairobi, Kenya

• Member of Advisory Council for AgriFin Accelerate, a Mercy Corps program to leverage digital technology to develop digital products and services that smallholder farmers need to increase their productivity, incomes and resilience.

Jan 2015 – May 2015 · 4 mos · Washington, District of Columbia, United States

• Taught seminar course "Impact Investing in Emerging Markets."

Jan 2013 – Jan 2016 · 3 yrs · Monterey, California, United States

• Taught 2-day course "Impact Investing in Startups" twice annualy for 4 years. Also taught similar courses through spin-out Impact Business Leaders at Oxford Said Business School, University of Virginia Darden School of Business, and the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad.

Jun 2010 – Feb 2012 · 1 yr 8 mos

• Managed initiative to generate new business opportunities in the global "access to finance" and social finance space for leading law firm.

Jul 2009 – Feb 2012 · 2 yrs 7 mos · New York City Metropolitan Area

• Advising on business, technical, and policy issues related to microfinance and “branchless banking.” Extensive work in India (payments infrastructure, product innovation, banking regulation, distribution, bank/telco partnerships); Mexico (BOP customer segmentation, basic accounts and mobile wallets); Maldives (payments infrastructure, payments regulation, mobile wallet product development); South Africa (retailer-led financial services); Ghana (customer research, banking regulation, telco-led financial services); and others. Co-authored Focus Notes "Nonbank E-Money Issuers: Regulatory Approaches to Protecting Customer Funds" and "Regulating Banking Agents."

Sep 2006 – Dec 2007 · 1 yr 3 mos

• Represented private equity investors and other investment funds in real estate-related transactions, corporate M&A, and various equity and debt investments. Worked on over 40 deals, with primary responsibility for managing and closing over 20 deals. Spearheaded firm-wide microfinance pro bono program, cultivating and leading engagements with Grameen Foundation, Aavishkaar, ACCION Chicago, Unitus and UN Financing for Development Office.

Aug 2006 – Jul 2009 · 2 yrs 11 mos

• Led new business initiatives, including the research, development and implementation of new financial products/services, non-financial product sales/financing, mobile banking, international expansion, and synergistic new business spin-offs. During tenure, oversaw the launch of a chain of low-cost private schools; managed partnerships with Nokia, Airtel, D.Light, Hindustan Unilever, and others to market/finance non-financial products; designed and tested various insurance and mobile banking offerings; designed and launched inventory procurement/finance program for thousands of small-scale retailers; and led expansion efforts into China.

May 2005 – Aug 2005 · 3 mos

Jan 2000 – Jan 2003 · 3 yrs

• Developed and implemented multi-media advertising campaigns and retail programs for major airline, appliance, and packaged goods companies.