Muthoni Wachira

General Partner &Investment Director, Katapult Africa Food and Climate Fund at Katapult Africa

Speaker

Muthoni is a thought-leader and change-maker recently recognised as one of 12 venture capitalists to know in Africa. She lives at the intersection of innovation, impact, and investment. Since leaving investment banking in London in 2009, she has built a career in Africa with an aim to lead, create and inspire entrepreneurship across the continent. Believing that technology innovation can leapfrog growth for Africa, she has undertaken roles with impactful organizations such as Engineers Without Borders, Canada; managed scalable investments such as Safaricom Spark Fund; and helped spur innovation within technology startups such as JUMO.

More recently, Muthoni joined Katapult Group as the General Partner and Investment Director for their dedicated Africa Food and Climate Fund. Muthoni leads a team of investors and former operators based in Kenya, Rwanda and Norway in making Seed and Series A investments across Africa. She currently manages a portfolio of 16 startups and is leading the charge in raising a $50M Pan-African fund, believing that through mentorship and strategic investments, they can unlock the continent's potential, build resilience to climate shocks and transform lives.

Muthoni is an Actuarial Science graduate; CFA Charterholder; a leading voice in venture investing as featured in Disrupt Africa, VentureBurn, Impact Alpha, Briter Bridges and Forbes; and a former visiting lecturer on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the University of Cape Town’s Bertha Center for Social Innovation. She engages actively in the African tech ecosystem and holds Investment Committee roles in venture funds and Board Advisory roles in startups and impact-driven organizations. Her career vision continues to be creating a self-sustaining cycle of innovation that propels Africa to the forefront of global technology, addressing socio-economic challenges and fostering inclusive development.