My VC journey: Finding variety in experiences and challenges

Venture capital was never the plan. I grew up surrounded mainly by teachers, and both my parents were educators. Structure, stability, and predictable career paths built on qualifications were the norm. 

As a teenager, I was drawn to physiotherapy or actuarial science. Entrepreneurs and business leaders weren’t in my sphere of experience, and VC didn’t exist as a concept for me. Success meant excelling academically and securing a steady job in an established industry. And most of my close friends have followed suit, having had no more than two jobs since graduating. 

That world made sense because it was what I knew. And for the time being, I too stayed the course. I switched from actuarial science to chartered accounting and began my career at an audit firm. 

But I was always drawn to something different. I wanted to explore, take risks, and see what happened outside the safety of a clear trajectory. So, instead of following the well-worn path into financial services, corporate finance, or large listed audit clients, I chose the entrepreneurial services division of Deloitte. 

I wanted to be close to the action - see how businesses operated, meet the people behind them, and understand what made them thrive and where they struggled. Early on, I realised that understanding numbers was one thing, but understanding how people build and scale companies was a completely different story. 

A crash course in handling adversity

After working and travelling across the USA, UK, and Africa, I left a sports media finance role to co-found an online travel company in the UK. Unfortunately, the global financial crisis hit within months, and tighter regulations took a toll on the travel industry. In between teaching myself coding and web building, we also found ourselves in a distracting legal complication tied to my co-founder’s previous business. 

The timing was entirely out of my control, but the experience was an incredible crash course in resilience, adaptability, and navigating uncertainty. Learning how to handle adversity - whether external economic shocks or internal business challenges - was a lesson not found in textbooks or taught in classrooms.

Learning what counts in business

Growing up around teachers and sports coaches, I was raised in an environment that valued learning, development, strong values, and discipline. But as an alternative thinker who liked to push boundaries, I found that the rules didn't always land the same for everyone. 

As a result, I was constantly questioning and adapting to get the best possible outcomes. It paid off in the classroom and on the sports field. Later in life, these principles also shaped how I approached business throughout my career. Embracing my inquisitive nature, I worked in countless roles across a wide range of industries, each with a spectrum of challenges and opportunities. 

Every job or project influenced my understanding of what makes businesses succeed, from running a cycle fair in Africa, launching an urban mobility event in Paris, and managing finances for global motorsport competitions to advising on complex accounting treatments for LSE-listed companies, auditing a landfill in Arizona, and raising capital for a global health insurer.

These experiences provided a front-row seat to corporate governance and management, consumer engagement, sponsorship negotiations, and brand positioning. 

Raising capital, selling sponsorships, and dealing with multinational corporations for major events and transactions helped me understand the importance of being prepared, backing yourself, and concentrating on execution in the real world. When the times are tough, a fancy deck, a clever name, or blue sky vision count for nothing. 

Learning what counts in venture capital

One phone call or WhatsApp message can change everything. 

While I had some experience raising capital and had been involved in capital transactions, it was an unrelated message that shifted my trajectory. 

Someone in a WhatsApp group mentioned they were moving and leaving the chat. Curious, I looked the person up on LinkedIn, which led to a follow-up conversation about a capital project and the subsequent decision to join my current partners at HAVAÍC. 

The timing was great, and the skills and experiences I had built over the years perfectly aligned. Nearly a decade later, I can confidently say that the shift into venture capital has been one of the most rewarding decisions of my career.

The patterns I saw across industries and in various jobs around the world all reinforced the same core truths: leadership, adaptability, and execution matter far more than just the idea itself. My broad experience allowed me to think deeply and thematically about market trends, business models, and investment strategies.

I now get the variety of experiences and challenges I sought in the earlier part of my career from the founders I meet and the hurdles we face alongside our portfolio companies. 

Creating new narratives for business in Africa

More critical than securing investment, startups need strategic guidance, operational insight, and access to the right experienced team. The best investments aren’t always the most obvious on paper. They are the ones where we back exceptional founders, believe in their vision, and work alongside them to navigate challenges.

At HAVAÍC, we take an active role in supporting companies, helping them scale and raise capital effectively. The process isn’t just about securing funding; it’s about preparing companies for the long haul - refining business models, stress-testing strategies, and positioning them for sustainable growth.

Far from chasing the next unicorn, VC is about being part of the journey as founders build real, sustainable businesses that create lasting value. My hope is that these companies will create new narratives for business in Africa and open enticing opportunities for the teens making career choices today.