“we are the ones we have been waiting for.” My favorite quote is from June Jordan’s Poem for South African Women, written in 1980 during apartheid. It is a call to action, a reminder of the importance of social movements (people coming together rather than individual action), and an embrace of positivity and abundance. I find the poem to be powerful and motivating, and the phrase in particular, “we are the ones we have been waiting for”, to be a powerful reminder of each person’s potential.
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As an African-American and Nigerian multicultural child with exposure to different regions, I have always been adept at navigating different identities, cultures, and locations. My parents were each the first in their family to attend university and instilled in us a hard work ethic (in addition to their high expectations). I was also blessed to have access to opportunities such as attending Harvard for university, and I am acutely aware that the opportunities I had were due to the luck of my birth rather than any particular or special characteristics that I had been innately endowed.
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I grew up as a Black girl in America and my parents’ upbringing had a deep influence on my point of view. I learned early and through personal experience about justice, equity, inclusion, and the systems (including white supremacy) that encouraged the transatlantic slave trade that brought my ancestors from Africa to America and slavery and the same systems that contribute to racism in the modern day. I worked in my father’s Black bookstore from the time I was seven years old and my exposure to Black authors and to Black diaspora literature, political thought, fiction, and history was foundational in my knowledge and understanding of the world.
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I moved to Kenya in 2009 and have spent the majority of my professional career in Africa. However, my frame of reference has been based on Black feminism, and my understanding of race and class struggles in America as an underrepresented minority. Applying this perspective to an African context helps me to better understand how class dynamics work, how biases affect capital allocations, and how important it is for Black people to access the basics and the opportunities.
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I spent 14 years in strategy consulting and built a business in Nigeria. I hope to help founders develop planning and strategic thinking capabilities and help build capacity to execute their strategies.
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I am committed to Africa’s growth and future, and I am deeply invested in building the impact investing ecosystem. I am passionate about building African businesses and supporting African entrepreneurs and will use my energy, networks, and knowledge to do so.
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I believe that an entrepreneur’s journey should include a focus on balance - better decisions (and higher financial returns) come from a place of balance. One of our values at VestedWorld is focused on balance and the health and wellbeing of our team and community. I hope to be a support as a coach and mentor, and as I encourage our entrepreneurs to strive for balance as we work together.
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You are an expert in your field and in your company. Tell us your story, and explain the challenge that you are trying to solve. What is called “product-market fit” has been critical to business success - and we need to understand that the fit exists and the scale of the challenge being addressed before we move a company forward for deeper screening and diligence.
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We can only invest in a small percentage of companies. From a microeconomic perspective, it’s a fact that capital isn’t yet matching the opportunities that exist. From a VestedWorld perspective, it also has to do with portfolio construction and fit, our commitment to gender lens investing and to African founders, and timing.
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Perspectives:
