USAID Mobilizing Investment

Audrey Verhaeghe is the Chief Executive Officer of Anza Capital, a Venture Capital (VC) firm and an active Angel investor in South Africa. Leveraging three decades of global expertise in science, technology and innovation, Audrey has provided innovative consulting services to the public and private sectors. She has directed the design and implementation of ground-breaking programs and developed strategic policies and frameworks to ensure that start-up entrepreneurs move forward. Audrey has founded notable ventures such as the South African Innovation Summit, the Research Institute for Innovation and Sustainability (RIIS), and the Tech-Tribe Accelerator. The SA Innovation Summit is now recognised as one of the largest innovation events in Africa that integrates business, academia, and government. She has successfully facilitated over 50 technology-based innovation challenges, and enjoys identifying business opportunities, investing and growing them.  Audrey says “At Anza Capital, we are committed to investing in the future of industries that have the power to transform society, including food technology, just energy, and digital Africa which are our focus areas”. USAID | Audrey Verhaeghe | Anza Capital #NationalWomensMonth #Investment #USAID #USAIDMobilizingInvestment #venturecapital #WomenInFinance

Samantha Watermeyer, partner and executive director of operations, compliance and investor relations at Sanari Capital, a private equity fund manager. Samantha followed an unconventional path to becoming a leader in finance, having started her career as an attorney. She left the legal practice to head up a compliance team at a well-known South African credit provider, where she had her first taste of the finance world. She soon established her expertise in the financial advisory and intermediary services, credit and insurance compliance space, as she grew a team and developed a practical and operational structure. This marked the beginning of Samantha’s deep appreciation for the benefits of good governance practices.   Samantha joined Samantha Pokroy and Moushmi Patel in early 2017, her legal and FAIS compliance background was the drawcard for the founders of Sanari Capital and the rest, as they say, is history. Having grown with the organisation, Samantha has established the operations, governance and compliance structures of Sanari Capital from the ground up, learning the intricacies of the private equity industry, and expanding fit for purpose processes and policies, as the business grew.   Samantha’s attention to detail and engaging nature are what have set her apart as she has established herself in the financial services sector. Most recently this has been demonstrated in her seamless management of both the operations of the business, as well as the governance, investor relations and reporting of Sanari’s first private equity fund. Samantha holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences degree in Law and Politics as well as a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Cape Town. USAID | Samantha Watermeyer | Sanari Capital #NationalWomensMonth #Investment #USAID #USAIDMobilizingInvestment #venturecapital #WomenInFinance

Batya Blankers, is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Chancen International (CI), a company founded in 2018. CI offers African youth access to high quality skills development that leads to employment which would otherwise be out of reach. This is done utilizing an innovative and sustainable financing model known as an Income Share Agreement (ISA).  Students who join the ­CI community sign fair and ethical contracts which allow them to repay tuition costs as a percentage of their salaries over a set number of years when upon graduating from rigorously evaluated education programs.  Batya, who was born in South Africa, was able to attend a quality university in Germany through participation in an Income Share Agreement. As a beneficiary herself, Batya is passionate about offering an ethical and fair financial aid model to fellow Africans to ensure more individuals have educational opportunities on the continent and a role in building strong and peaceful economies. Over the last six years, Batya built and led a global team of 60 who have facilitated access to high-quality education via more than 12 higher education partners which in turn has led to employment opportunities for more than 4,000 young people. Through her work, Batya has become a recognised expert on fair and ethical student finance and is invited to speak regularly and share learnings. USAID | Batya Blankers | CHANCEN International #NationalWomensMonth #Investment #USAID #USAIDMobilizingInvestment #venturecapital #WomenInFinance

Catherine Young, the Managing Partner of Grindstone Accelerator and Grindstone Ventures and founder of Thinkroom, plays a critical role in developing entrepreneurial ecosystems globally. She brings experience in Africa, Europe, Southeast Asia, and the UK and has a deep passion for unlocking the potential of fellow entrepreneurs.  She has gained invaluable insights into what it takes to thrive in the business world through her successful career that includes senior and executive roles at Shoprite/Checkers, Deloitte, Chevron, and SAP Ariba. This experience has been instrumental in shaping Catherine’s journey, enabling her to recognise and cultivate the qualities that lead to business success. Her work spans a diverse range of entrepreneurial programs, both tech and non-tech, through Thinkroom, and she is deeply involved in supporting growth-stage businesses via Grindstone and its post-seed, pre-series A fund, Grindstone Ventures. Catherine is also a Partner at Knife Capital, where she contributes to the asset class of venture capital in Africa, focusing on high-potential startups and growing them toward successful exits. Here she contributes to boards and investment committees, and growing portfolio companies with the rest of the team to ready them for exit. With a keen understanding of the challenges faced by startups and small business owners, Catherine's ability to lead, build, and grow businesses is rooted in her profound connection to others and love for growing people and teams. “I recharge through reading poetry by the ocean, walking, birdwatching and I am content when solving problems and innovating new ways of doing things”, said Catherine USAID | Catherine Young | GrindstoneXL #NationalWomensMonth #Investment #USAID #USAIDMobilizingInvestment #venturecapital #WomenInFinance

Fatima Vawda is the Chief Executive Officer of 27four, a financial services group founded in 2007 with the vision of doing things differently. 27Four has grown into a diversified financial services group specialising in asset management, fiduciary management, and regulatory fund hosting across both domestic and global capital markets, encompassing public and private markets. Fatima has significantly contributed to enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the domestic asset management industry. She pioneered an incubator programme that has seeded and supported over 50 Black and/or women-owned fund managers. Fatima is a lifelong learner and an entrepreneur constantly seeking ways to disrupt and innovate. She serves as a Director of the Association for Savings and Investment South Africa and is a member of the Board of Governors at Wits University. To date, 27four manages several blended finance partnerships in private equity and venture capital, focusing on driving economic growth, job creation, and advancing DEI in fund management. One notable example is 27four’s partnership with USAID Southern Africa Mobilizing Investment, which aims to empower women-led fund managers for success in Southern African private markets through the provision of working capital and deal warehousing support. Another noteworthy innovation came in 2022 when 27four listed Agrarius, Africa’s first sustainability-linked Sukuk. This R10 billion note programme, listed on the debt market of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange's Sustainability Segment, focuses on the agriculture sector and food security. USAID | Fatima Vawda | 27four Investment Managers #NationalWomensMonth #Investment #USAID #USAIDMobilizingInvestment #venturecapital #WomenInFinance

We are still accepting concepts under our FY2024 funding window. The final closing deadline is August 30, 2024.   Entities engaged in the investment ecosystem to achieve scale through inclusive initiatives leading to increased attraction of investments, are invited to submit their concepts, read more about the funding opportunity: Live Grant Opportunities — USAID Southern Africa Mobilizing Investment Project (mobilizing-investment.com) Learn about what to expect from our grants process: https://lnkd.in/dNkP-iaF   USAID #USAIDMobilizingInvestment #MobilizingInvestment #USAID #VentureCapital

Meta Mhlarhi is a qualified Chartered Accountant with over 19 years of professional experience. She is the Co-Founder and Director of Mahlako A Phahla Group. Meta is particularly drawn to Private Equity's role in infrastructure development, where investments can directly enhance the quality of life for individuals by improving access to energy which can lead to a better education, healthcare, and essential services.   By participating in these ventures, she aims to contribute to positively impacting people's lives and changing the economy of South Africa. “This realization prompted me to Co-Found the Mahlako Energy Fund, our mission was clear; address the lack of capital available to black communities, tackle South Africa's energy crisis, promote women's participation and use investment funds to alleviate infrastructure challenges across Africa”, said Meta.   The Mahlako journey started with a modest goal of raising a ZAR 500 million fund. However, through perseverance and dedication, they exceeded expectations, successfully raising ZAR 2 billion. This achievement has positioned Mahlako as the largest women-owned private equity fund in South Africa. USAID | Meta Mhlarhi CA(SA) | Mahlako A Phahla Investments (Pty) Ltd #NationalWomensMonth #Investment #USAID #USAIDMobilizingInvestment #venturecapital #WomenInFinance

USAID Mobilizing Investment’s sister project, the USAID Africa Trade and Investment Activity( ATI) program, a Prosper Africa initiative designed to bolster USAID’s ability to boost trade and investment to, from, and within the African continent has a funding opportunity to support the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) to catalyze economic diversification and job creation in South Africa with a predominant focus on Mpumalanga that is currently live and closing on August 31st, 2024. Details of the Request for Applications: USAID Southern Africa is supporting the Government of South Africa in their ambitious commitment to transition to a low-carbon economy through the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP). Through JETP, the Government of South Africa aims to accelerate the phaseout of coal-fired power generation and promote clean energy investments while addressing social concerns such as job loss. USAID Africa Trade and Investment Activity, on behalf of the USAID Southern Africa has issued a Request for Applications (RFA) that will help to catalyze economic diversification and job creation in South Africa in support of the JETP commitment. This RFA is seeking potential partners to propose creative, effective, and impactful innovations or approaches to addressing challenges that constrain investment in SMEs with a predominant focus on Mpumalanga. Please access the Request for Application on https://lnkd.in/d9d9ADkP USAID | Prosper Africa | USAID Africa Trade and Investment Activity (ATI) #USAID #RFP #RequestForApplication

Sindi Mabaso-Koyana is the Chairperson of AWCA INVESTMENT HOLDINGS (PTY) LTD Investment Holdings, a women owned and managed investment company. A Chartered Accountant by profession and a respected businesswoman, Sindi is the co-founder of The African Women Chartered Accountants. She later led the formation of the commercial arm, AWCA Investment Holdings (AIH) which she currently chairs. She is currently the Managing Partner of AIH Capital, the Private Equity firm of AIH. AIH has built a portfolio of solid investments in the Financial Services, Industrial and Technology Sectors for whom Sindi plays a key role in strategic and development growth.   Her illustrious career has included being Managing Director of Viamax Logistics, a subsidiary of Transnet, Group Financial Director of Transnet, Executive Partner at Ernst & Young, amongst others as well as having served on the boards of many leading South African firms.   Sindi is a renowned leader and champion in growth and development of young women. She is proud of AIH Capital’s mission to be a catalyst for increasing the participation of women in the economy, “uplifting and impacting women through our investment choices”.   The recipient of many distinguished awards over her career, Sindi shares her experience as a lecturer at many leading business schools and as a Fellow of the Aspen Global Leadership Network (African Chapter), an international leadership program that encourages leaders to DO GOOD in society. USAID | AWCA INVESTMENT HOLDINGS (PTY) LTD #NationalWomensMonth #Investment #USAID #USAIDMobilizingInvestment #venturecapital #WomenInFinance

Philile Maphumulo CA(SA) is the Managing Partner at Heritage Capital (Pty) Ltd, a company she founded with partners in 2015. Philile is chartered accountant by profession with over 18 years of private equity and corporate finance experience. Prior to establishing Heritage Capital, Philile spent 6 years with RMB Corvest, a private equity division of Rand Merchant Bank.   Philile served as corporate finance advisor, investor as well as a non-executive director for clients in industries such as: manufacturing, engineering and services companies. Heritage Capital invests in South African SMEs in the industrial, consumer-branded goods and services sectors.   “I am passionate about the empowerment and upliftment of women and young people through education. At Heritage Capital we aim to make an impact by investing in businesses that provide decent working conditions and promote gender diversity, whilst preserving the environment”, said Philile. USAID | Philile Maphumulo CA(SA) | Heritage Capital (Pty) Ltd #NationalWomensMonth #Investment #USAID #USAIDMobilizingInvestment #venturecapital #WomenInFinance