Women have always been underrepresented in the venture capital space worldwide. Some of the earliest research from the US (2018) found that only nine per cent of VC decision makers were women. In Africa, new data by Disrupt Africa shows some more promising trends – 39.6 per cent of VCs actively investing on the continent in 2022 had a female partner or founder – yet less than 10 per cent of angels are women.
With data demonstrating a direct link between gender diversity in teams, and increased profitability, the Diversity dividend: Female fund managers in Africa series of case studies and podcasts, produced by Disrupt Africa, commissioned by Boost Africa Technical Assistance Facility and financed by the European Union under EDF Thematic Blending and Cotonou Investment Facility, looks at Africa-focused VC firms that recognise this truth, and put diversity front and centre.
Patricia Rinke, Azza Khalfallah, and Hana Maalej from the Tunisia-based AfricInvest are the focus of the fourth edition of this series.
