ABOUT US
LOCAL INNOVATION. GLOBAL ELEVATION.
OUR APPROACH
HAVAÍC is an early-stage private capital fund manager that invests in and supports impactful, high-growth, post-revenue African technology start-ups with global prospects. To complement its investments, HAVAÍC provides corporate advisory and capital-raising support to its portfolio companies, which assists when scaling locally and internationally.
The HAVAÍC team has extensive local and international experience and networks. We are passionate about supporting entrepreneurs and encouraging our portfolio companies to retain their independence and unique cultures. We are deeply invested in ensuring alignment with founders on vision, strategy, and long-term objectives and work tirelessly to prepare our portfolio companies for global growth, impact, and high-returning exits.
OUR VISION is to provide a non-traditional investment offering that delivers annualised returns of at least 30% through participation in early-stage, post-revenue, high-growth African businesses with global prospects.
OUR MISSION is to facilitate the success and realisation of the international potential of emerging African businesses through technology adoption and our strong advisory relationships and strategic expertise.
OUR IMPACT
We invest in and support high-growth, African technology-enabled businesses with the potential to scale locally, across Africa, and internationally. By building globally competitive companies, our smart capital unlocks new markets and revenue that is reinvested in Africa, contributing to inclusive and sustainable economic development across the continent.
Our impact strategy is centered around developing Africa’s significant latent economic potential by supporting and contributing to local economic growth, skilled and diverse job creation, improving transparency and governance, and fostering more responsible business practices.
By using technology to reduce structural inefficiencies and expand access to essential services, our portfolio companies create new economic opportunities and provide real-world solutions.
Our portfolio companies leverage our networks, know-how, expertise, and ecosystem to make better decisions, build resilient and sustainable businesses, and scale locally and into international markets - ultimately creating greater long-term impact and enterprise value.
OUR THEORY OF CHANGE
Resilient businesses do more than generate returns. They lay the economic, social, and institutional foundations needed for inclusive, sustainable development and broader economic participation.
Our theory of change sets out how our capital, expertise, networks, and support help portfolio companies build stronger, more responsible, and sustainable businesses, ultimately contributing to broader economic and social impact aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
WHY HAVAÍC
HAVAÍC is built on the strength of its partners, investment professionals, and advisors.
Our team brings deep expertise and experience across fund management, investment banking, M&A, legal, corporate finance, and advisory.
This is complemented by diverse operational expertise, local and global networks, and a proven track record of scaling African businesses internationally.
Together, we deliver meaningful returns with impact.
OUR ECOSYSTEM FLYWHEEL
Leveraging HAVAÍC’s ecosystem and mission-driven approach to investing in and supporting African innovation, we bring deep expertise, networks, know-how, and strategic value-add.
This enables us to unlock capital, new markets, and pathways for our portfolio companies to create and deliver long-term value.
That value is reinvested in Africa and into the companies and entrepreneurs we support.
PARTNERS
OUR FUNDING SOLUTIONS
VENTURE CAPITAL
Investing in, raising capital for, and providing financial, operational, and strategic advice to early-stage startups, through to high-growth technology businesses, and scaling them from Africa to the world.
MEZZANINE FUNDING
Providing non-dilutive capital to optimise and scale more established portfolio companies and growth businesses through structured equity-linked debt instruments.
Ian Lessem
Managing Partner
Growing up in a family of entrepreneurs, Ian’s passion for building businesses runs in his genes. Coupled with close to two decades of pan-African fund management and investment banking experience, he is ideally placed to invest and advise early-stage, high-growth, and impactful businesses. Ian has a unique talent for raising capital and is an expert at strategically aligning businesses for international growth, investment, and exit.
Rob Heath
Partner
Rob is an inquisitive, active, original, and determined individual. This has led him to perform in and be exposed to various disciplines, sectors, and activities in academia, business, and sport. After post-grad studies and completing his chartered accountancy articles, Rob worked and travelled in Africa, the USA, and the UK as an executive, business founder, CA, and advisor. Rob brings practical operational experience, a wealth of multi-sectoral knowledge, and detailed financial acumen to the HAVAÍC team.
Kiara Suttner-Tromp
Partner
Kiara is an astute, results-driven, big-picture thinker. Her family history of entrepreneurship has taught her to challenge the status quo and take the road less travelled. As a qualified CA and CFA with over a decade of experience in unlisted investments, Kiara brings critical thinking and financial expertise to the HAVAÍC team and its portfolio companies. In addition to leveraging her extensive experience in financial analysis, as well as structuring and managing investments, Kiara is committed to creating sustainable, inclusive, and purposeful impact and heads up HAVAÍC's ESG initiatives.
INVESTMENT
PROFESSIONALS
Tyrone Moodley
Principal
Ty is a curious self-starter motivated by problem-solving. He co-founded an investment partnership in his teens and went on to become a partner of a South African-focused, US-based investment fund and one of the youngest directors on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. In 2016, Ty was recognised as one of the 30 Most Promising Entrepreneurs in Africa under 30 by Forbes. His skills add a strategic, operational, and entrepreneurial lens to the team and portfolio companies. This compliments his focus areas within HAVAÍC, which includes investment origination, post investment management and support, and creating realisations and exits across our portfolio.
Ismaeel Abrahams
Associate
Ismaeel is a CA (SA) with experience in management consulting and assurance, where he combined his skills in financial modeling with hands-on experience in developing commercial strategies, culminating in value creation through operational optimisation in many African businesses. Ismaeel's analytical mindset and passion for technology-driven innovation aligns perfectly with HAVAÍC's mission to empower African-born startups. His unique blend of consulting experience and financial expertise positioning him well to support entrepreneurs in their growth journey.
Madimetja Mashilo
Associate
Madimetja is a CA (SA) with a background in corporate finance and transaction advisory. Recently, as a corporate finance manager he has navigated complex financial due diligence and valuations for multi-billion rand deals across Africa, ranging from fintech-oriented asset managers to large-scale renewable energy developments. Driven by a deep passion for supporting African innovation, Madimetja’s ability to blend technical precision with strategic foresight enables him to empower entrepreneurs in building resilient, world-class companies.
INVESTMENT SUPPORT & ADMINISTRATION
Ilke Kemp has her BCom (Hons) in Econometrics, and a career that spans 20 years in investment support, administration and compliance.
Berit has her BCom Accounting, and is a CA with over a decade of experience in fund accounting and administration.
Nicola Venter
Nicola has her LLB from the University of Stellenbosch and has enjoyed a varied legal career spanning over 10 years across banking and finance, due diligence, compliance, and operations.
Steffan is a CA (SA) with over a decade of post-qualification experience across fund administration, financial reporting, audit, and finance operations. He has held senior roles at TMF South Africa, Allan Gray, JTC Fund Solutions and Mazars, working with South African and international fund and corporate structures. At HAVAÍC, he leads the finance and operations function, overseeing financial reporting, fund administration, governance, and scalable operational processes.
INVESTMENT
COMMITTEE
INVESTMENT COMMITTEE
Rob Hamer
Investment Committee Chair
Rob is currently the Senior Director of Growth Capital at Maia Financial in Sydney, Australia. He was previously the co-head of Alternative Investments at Ashburton and co-head of Investment Banking at Rand Merchant Bank and several other management roles at RMB. His institutional banking career was focused on the return and risk of corporate loans and private lending in various forms. He was also closely involved in RMB’s principal equity and mezzanine investing activities.
Previously Chairman of Bowmans and head of the firm's Corporate Department, Jon retired as a Partner this year, having spent his entire working life with the firm. He now consults Bowmans and specialises in corporate governance and advising boards of directors. His expertise extends to corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, capital markets and securities law.
Given his interest in assisting growth companies to access capital and his admiration for innovative entrepreneurs, it was merely a matter of time before Jonty would find himself advising a venture capital company. Jonty’s analytical approach is useful in evaluating companies’ likely capital requirements and considering the appropriate returns that investors are likely to seek. Jonty spent most of his career at Standard Bank, where he worked on a wide range of transactions across industries and legal jurisdictions, which has resulted in his in-depth understanding of the ways in which different capital instruments can be used to address specific funding challenges.