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Entrepreneurship and Investor Forum

Grassroots African entrepreneurs and African diasporan entrepreneurs are actively innovating and realizing solutions to global challenges, including climate change, through their businesses. Yet, the biggest challenge they face and continuously work to overcome in evolving from a startup to a sustainable business is fundraising and investment. This forum presents an opportunity to hear firsthand from graduates of ADN’s accelerator programs, Builders of Africa’s Future and Accelerating Black Leadership and Entrepreneurship, to learn about their individual journeys as entrepreneurs and their advice for building toward success. Entrepreneurs, foundations, VCs, and investors are invited to discuss and share best practices that enrich and enable a beneficial ecosystem on the part of both investors and entrepreneurs.

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Speakers

Romi Bhatia

Romi Bhatia

Sr. Finance & Investment Advisor, USAID Africa Bureau (Moderator)

Mr. Romi Bhatia is the Senior Finance and Investment Advisor for USAID’s Africa Bureau supporting the strategic priorities of Prosper Africa; a presidential-level national security initiative aimed at strengthening the strategic and economic partnership between the U.S. and Africa by catalyzing transformative two-way trade and investment flows. Mr. Bhatia has worked for the past 20 years in the international development and finance field with a focus on microfinance, small business development, and mobilizing private capital for development. During his 10-year span at USAID, Mr. Bhatia has also served in roles as the Sr. Advisor for Diaspora Engagement and Africa Team Lead for the former Office of Development Credit and currently oversees the Prosper Africa Catalytic Investment Facility.

Funto Boroffice

Olufunto Boroffice

CEO, Chanja Datti

Funto Boroffice is the founder/CEO of award winning Chanja Datti Ltd, a waste collection & recycling social enterprise dedicated to transforming the waste in her environment to value and creating jobs and positioned to solve the growing plastic waste and unemployment crisis in Africa. Chanja Datti’s 4-pronged sustainability model focuses on waste management solutions that reduce CO2 emissions, creation of economic opportunities through the circularity of plastics, engaging on principles of circular economy, and economic empowerment of women and youths via job creation. She started her career in the US, where she spent 17 years gaining global experience, 12 of which were with GE as an executive.

Kristal Hansley

Kristal Hansley

CEO and Founder, WeSolar

As the CEO and Founder of WeSolar Inc., the first Black Woman-owned community solar development company in the U.S., Kristal has accrued over 8 years of hands-on experience in solar and Distributed Energy Resources (DER) development. Her prior role as a policy adviser to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid underscores her commitment to addressing policy issues related to clean energy.

Sr. Josephine Nabulya

Sr. Josephine Nabulya

Treasurer, General/Marketing Manager, Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Reparatrix Ggogonya (IHMR), Uganda

Sr. Josephine Nabulya belongs to the Institute of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Reparatrix Ggogonya (IHMR), Uganda. She is an Accountant by profession with a master's degree in administration and management. She is interested in farming. Currently she is the Treasurer General of the Institute and a Marketing Manager of the Social Enterprise (Sunga Coffee Social Enterprise.

Shingai Samudzi

Shingai Samudzi

CEO, Asoba

Data scientist by training, Shingai has built AI-based tools for driving greater efficiency in major industries for nearly 20 years.  Currently, with Asoba, he is building Africa's largest private retail clean energy marketplace, with a goal of 10GW under management by 2030.

Impact

Since 2016 ADN convenings have reached...