Why I’m an Angel Investor in Africa
Why I Became an Angel Investor in Africa
Last month, I met Sarah, a young entrepreneur in Nairobi, who showed me her mobile app designed to help small-scale farmers access real-time market prices. Her face lit up as she told me about her grandmother, a tomato farmer, who like many small-scale farmers on the continent lose up to 40% of their earnings by selling to middlemen at the wrong prices. "This app," Sarah said, pulling up the simple interface on her phone, "could have changed my grandmother's life. Now it's changing hundreds of others." In that moment, I was reminded why I became an angel investor in Africa.
The Challenge
While Sarah’s story is just one example, my answer goes deeper: I love Africa. Anyone who loves Africa dreams of it being as free from poverty as possible. Why? Because poverty, like old age, doesn’t come alone. It drags in ill health, eroded confidence, disempowerment, stress, and a dozen other burdens that weigh communities down.
But here’s the thing – the solution isn’t charity. It’s opportunity. It’s entrepreneurship.
The Solution
Entrepreneurship! According to this study & countless others over the last three decades on African economic development, entrepreneurship is one of the most powerful drivers of change. I’m not talking about big corporations. They’ve already figured out how to thrive within Africa’s challenges, some even thrive because of those challenges. The real change-makers that I am referring to are the small startups led by people who live these challenges daily and refuse to accept "this is just how things are."
These entrepreneurs are driven by curiosity, hope, and a need for better solutions. They’re not just chasing profit* – they’re chasing progress.
Why Local Angels Matter
Think about Paystack, the Nigerian startup that transformed online payments and got acquired by Stripe. Now imagine if African investors, not Y Combinator or Tencent, had been the primary backers. What could that have meant for our local ecosystem?
Look at Estonia. When Skype’s founders cashed out, they didn’t just disappear. They reinvested in their home country, sparking a cycle of innovation. Africa needs that. We’ve already got brilliant entrepreneurs – from Strive Masiyiwa to the Sawiris family. The odds, however, of getting someone like Aliko Dangote to spend the sort of time with James from Tanzania who has a Vital Medicines drone delivery start-up, as John Dooer did with the founders of Google are slim. That’s where angels enter the building.
My Approach
I bring more than money to the table. As an angel investor-operator, I work directly with founders. No middlemen, no endless layers of analysts. By limiting myself to 2-3 investments a year, I can go deep – not just financially, but personally.
Here’s what I offer:
Strategic Networks: I open doors founders didn’t know existed.
Policy Navigation: It’s Africa after all, it helps to know a person or two.
Operational Know-How: From scaling operations to crisis management, I’ve been there.
Mental Health Support: Startups are brutal. I’ve seen regulatory changes destroy entire business models overnight. Founders need someone who gets it.
Redefining Success: The African Way
One of the best re-occuring conversations I ever had was with my late friend Zororo Makamba. This is a man that loved his country, Africa, it’s people, it’s land and it’s grit. We talked endlessly about the need to tell Africa’s story in Africa’s way. That applies to our startups too. The Silicon Valley obsession with ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue) or user growth doesn’t always fit here. Not to say it does not matter but we mustn’t compare Apples (the fruits) with Apple (the company).
Take last-mile logistics. Start-ups that are improving supply chains in rural Africa might not have explosive growth in their first few years, but their impact is transformative. We need to develop metrics that reflect that. If we judge ourselves by someone else’s yardstick, we risk missing our own brilliance.
My investment thesis zeroes in on sectors that are foundational to Africa’s development that are within my remit:
Logistics
Energy
Data Infrastructure
Agriculture
Fintech
These aren’t just market opportunities. They’re the building blocks for a stronger, more self-reliant Africa. Success here doesn’t just mean profit*; it means lives transformed, families empowered, and communities uplifted.
The Path Forward
The future of African entrepreneurship needs patient capital, local knowledge, and dedicated mentorship. That’s the role of the local angel investor. It’s not just about building successful companies – it’s about building the next generation of leaders who will reshape this continent.
So if you’ve ever thought about investing, don’t just think about the returns. Think about Sarah. Think about the entrepreneurs who are out there, creating the future. And ask yourself: what part do you want to play?
*Big Disclaimer: The full term is “Angel Investor,” not “Angel.” Don’t get it twisted—while I love Africa deeply, I’m only investing if I see the potential to 1000X my money if things work out. Why? So that I can back another 1000 Start-Ups right here, in Africa.