https://norrsken22.com

Norrsken22Norrsken22 is a tech growth fund, backed by an international network of tech founders, partnering with exceptional African entrepreneurs in scaling disruptive businesses.Norrsken22 Yummy cookies! We use them on our website to improve it. By entering this site you agree to us placing cookies on your device. Click here to read more about our Privacy Policy.OKWho we areWhat we're looking forOur Portfolioour impactLatest newsContactWe are backing entrepreneurs building Africa’s next tech giantsNorrsken22 is a tech growth fund, backed by an international network of tech founders, partnering with exceptional entrepreneurs in scaling disruptive businesses.We provide growth capital and deep strategic value to founders in Africa, while positioning them for international expansion and impact. We believe every investment is a partnership and value-creation goes far beyond just capital. FOR ENTREPRENEURS, BY ENTREPRENEURS Lexi Novitske, Ngetha Waithaka, Natalie Kolbe, Norrsken22 General PartnersNorrsken22 is managed by a team of general partners deeply ingrained in the African tech ecosystem, with decades of experience supporting African entrepreneurs, based in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa. ‍Our founding partners are Norrsken Foundation and investors who have built and backed some of the world's most successful tech companies.‍The fund is backed by a unicorn board of founders who have built companies like Flutterwave, DeliveryHero, Klarna, Skype, Mojang, Izettle and King, bringing a wealth of hands-on experience to the teams we partner with. ‍Our Advisory Council comprises business leaders from across the African continent, providing deep industry insight, local knowledge as well as global perspectives. PeopleOur teamAdvisory boardUnicorn BoardNatalie KolbeManaging PartnerNatalie KolbeManaging PartnerLinkedinNatalie is the Managing Partner of Norrsken22, responsible for the overall management of the Fund, based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Natalie brings a wealth of private equity and growth investing experience to Norrsken22, having spent 18 years at Actis – one of the leading private equity firms focused on the Emerging Markets. At Actis, Natalie was Global Head of Private Equity, responsible for the day-to-day management of the global PE business, spanning 8 funds across Africa, Latin America, India, China and SE Asia, with circa USD $2.5 billion in assets under management. Natalie was also part of the team that assessed and onboarded the Abraaj Africa, Middle East and South East Asia PE funds and team ($2.5bn portfolio). She is an experienced board member having held board seats on multiple companies across Africa and Europe and has been instrumental in numerous restructurings and successful exits. Natalie instilled and operated under world-class governance and ESG standards at Actis and brings this depth of knowledge with her to Norrsken22. Natalie holds a BComm from the University of Witwatersrand, an MBA (Cum Laude) from Wits Business School and is a CFA Charterholder.Nivesh PatherPrincipalNivesh PatherPrincipalLinkedinNivesh is a Principal at Norrsken22, based in Johannesburg, South Africa. He has extensive early stage experience in investing across Africa across pre-seed, seed and Series A rounds. Most recently, Nivesh was Principal at Newtown Partners, focusing on early-stage technology businesses within healthcare, insurance, logistics and supply chain across the globe. He has 9 years of financial services experience across  venture capital, cross border M&A, financial valuation, financial services advisory and audit.Nivesh holds a BAccSci from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, and is a Chartered Accountant and CFA Charterholder.‍Ofure IsenmilaESG & Compliance OfficerOfure IsenmilaESG & Compliance OfficerLinkedinOfure is Norrsken22’s ESG & Compliance Officer.  Ofure specializes in Environmental and Social assessment, impact management & monitoring and has worked with clients across a range of sectors across Sub-Saharan Africa to effectively manage risk, realize opportunity and drive holistic impact. Ofure works across the investment lifecycle from investment screening through to ESG due diligence and monitoring. She also brings relevant expertise across modern-day social issues including labour & working conditions, community development and social investment, resettlement, community health, safety and stakeholder engagement planning. Much of this work has involved helping Africa focused funds, and their respective portfolio companies, implement systems and processes to meet DFI investor requirements and adhere to the IFC Performance Standards and the Equator Principles.  She also has extensive experience in Environmental, Health and Safety Impact Assessments and the development and implementation of Environmental and Social Management Plans.Ofure has a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry, from the University of Benin, Nigeria and a Master of Science degree in sustainability and environmental studies from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland.‍Maina MuragePrincipalMaina MuragePrincipalLinkedinMaina is a Principal at Norrsken22, based in Nairobi, Kenya. He has previously been focused on the East African market in his previous role at DOB Equity. In his previous role, he focused on Seed to Series-A tech businesses across all sectors. He worked on the investments in Kwara, Cinch markets and Kwanza Tukule as well as leading DOB's EdTech investing efforts. He brings with him relationships with incubators, accelerators and early stage start-up networks in the region.Maina holds a BCom from Strathmore University with a double major in Finance and Management Science‍Precious John-AdeyemiInvestment AnalystPrecious John-AdeyemiInvestment AnalystLinkedinPrecious is an Investment Analyst at Norrsken22, based in Lagos, Nigeria. She has 3+ years of experience working within Africa's technology ecosystem. Most recently, she worked at Founder Institute where she spearheaded the Accelerator's startup support programs and initiatives in Lagos, Nigeria and helped accelerate and launch 100+ startups across Africa. This role allowed her gain deep insights into the challenges and opportunities within the African startup landscape, fostering a strong network among entrepreneurs and investors alike.Precious is a graduate of Law from the University of Buea, Cameroon and is called to the Nigerian Bar. She is also a Venture Fellow at Dream VCNiklas AdalberthFounding PartnerNiklas AdalberthFounding PartnerLinkedinNorrsken Foundation, founded in 2016, is a non-profit dedicated to helping entrepreneurs solve the world’s greatest challenges. It runs Norrsken House in Stockholm, Sweden, Europe’s largest hub for impact tech, and Norrsken House in Kigali, Rwanda, East Africa’s biggest hub for entrepreneurship. It has previously incubated Norrsken VC, a US$ 130 million European impact VC fund.Norrsken Foundation was created by Niklas Adalberth, co-founder of decacorn Klarna in 2005, today Europe’s largest online payment service company.Amanda PlowesExecutive & Admin AssistantAmanda PlowesExecutive & Admin AssistantLinkedinAmanda is Norrsken22’s Executive and Admin Assistant, based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Amanda brings a wealth of experience to Norrsken22, having spent over 16 years at Actis – one of the leading private equity firms focused on the Emerging Markets. At Actis, Amanda was the Executive Assistant to Natalie Kolbe who was the Global Head of Private Equity and Ngetha Waithaka who was a Director.   Amanda was also responsible for supporting the HR team across all key regions with particular focus on liaising between the team in London and the team in Africa and Mauritius.  In her role she handled several administrative tasks and day-to-day incoming requests. In addition, Amanda was responsible for key events for the Private Equity team and she also co-ordinated the Actis Investment Essentials onboarding programme and the IC Secondment program. At Norrsken22 Amanda is responsible for general administration, human resources, executive assistance and assisting the ESG, Impact and Compliance manager in their role.‍Laurie ClarkChief of StaffLaurie ClarkChief of StaffLinkedinLaurie is the Chief of Staff for Norrsken22 based in Cape Town, South Africa. His responsibilities include investor relations & reporting, operational duties, fundraising and he also forms part of the investment team. Laurie was previously at Morgan Stanley in London, where he focused on investor relations and fundraising for their private markets business. He has also worked with Lighthouse Venture Partners in Cape Town,supporting early stage South African tech businesses to receive funding.Laurie holds a BSc (Hons) from the University of Bristol, and has passed all three levels of the CFA Program. ‍Ngetha WaithakaGeneral PartnerNgetha WaithakaGeneral PartnerLinkedinNgetha is General Partner of Norrsken22 based in Nairobi, Kenya. Ngetha joined Actis in 2011 and has 10+ years of investing experience on the African continent with investments primarily in the financial services and consumer sectors spanning Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria and Egypt. Notably, he played a pivotal role in Actis's investment in Fawry, the leading payments enablement company in Egypt, where Actis anchored a $100m secondary sale and subsequent IPO. He was also an integral deal team member in Actis's investment in Credit Services Holdings (CSH) to establish the leading independent credit services business in Africa. Ngetha brings significant experience developing and implementing value creation and operational improvement strategies within his portfolio companies. Prior to Actis, Ngetha worked with PCG Capital Partners, a growth stage private equity firm in California, USA investing non-control equity in mid-market companies. He started his career within the Investment Banking division of Credit Suisse in New York. Ngetha holds a BA from Middlebury College and an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.Bernard GharteyPrincipalBernard GharteyPrincipalLinkedinBernard is a Principal at Norrsken22, based in Accra, Ghana. He has extensive experience in investing across sub-Saharan Africa. Most recently, Bernard was Head of Investments at Acuity, focusing on early-stage technology businesses in West Africa. He brings deep experience in investment banking, having executed mandates in excess of $150m for blue chip companies across the continent and has held key roles in the telecoms industry in Ghana. Bernard has spent part of his career in Kenya where he held advisory roles helping East African companies scale and access growth funding. Bernard holds a BSc from the Ashesi University in Accra, Ghana.Olamide BalogunFinance & Admin AssistantOlamide BalogunFinance & Admin AssistantLinkedinOlamide is Norrsken22’s Finance & Admin Assistant based in Lagos, Nigeria. She joins from Acuity Ventures, where she worked with Lexi and Bernard as Executive Assistant and Finance Manager. At Norrsken22, Olamide is responsible for assisting the team with Administration, Operational and Finance functionality to ensure the smooth running of the team. Olamide holds a BSc in Accounting from the University of Lagos, Nigeria.Hans OtterlingFounding PartnerHans OtterlingFounding PartnerLinkedinHans Otterling has been a partner of Northzone since 2006, one of Europe’s top-ranked venture capital funds with $1.5B under management and a portfolio of more than 60 tech companies. Northzone's track record includes 2 Decacorns, Spotify and Klarna, and 14 Unicorns. Before moving into venture capital, Hans was a successful serial entrepreneur, founding, scaling, and exiting three market-leading media and tech businesses. Lexi NovitskeGeneral PartnerLexi NovitskeGeneral PartnerLinkedinLexi is General Partner of Norrsken22 based in Lagos, Nigeria. Lexi has more than 10 years of investment banking, emerging market private equity and venture capital experience. In 2012, Lexi moved to Nigeria, originally supporting growth-stage businesses in Nigeria at Verod Capital. In 2014, Lexi launched Singularity Investments, a private capital-backed venture investment firm, and invested in market champions across fintech and enterprise platforms including Paystack, Flutterwave, mPharma, SmileID and Migo. In 2019, Lexi acquired the firm’s portfolio and launched Acuity Venture Partners. Acuity’s two funds have invested in over 20 African tech companies, with the first fund returning 10.9 times invested capital. Prior to joining Verod, Lexi was focused on investments in Africa at the Small Enterprise Assistance Fund in Washington DC and covered financial services at New York-based hedge fund Sandler O’Neill Asset Management. Lexi is a faculty member and mentor to several accelerators and start-up academies. Lexi holds a BBA from the University of Hawaii, is a CFA Charterholder and Kauffman Fellow.Stine FossCFOStine FossCFOLinkedinStine Foss is CFO of Norrsken22 and her responsibilities include finance, fund compliance and administration. Stine will be the primary interface between the Investment Team and the Fund administrator. Stine was CFO of Northzone between 2001 and 2019. During her tenure the franchise expanded to become one of Europe’s largest venture capital funds with €1.5 billion undermanagement and returns in the top quartile (globally). Today the franchise has a portfolio of more than 50 tech companies. Stine was instrumental in building critical processes such as fund raising, external reporting and governance, expanding the franchise.. In addition, Stine has been actively involved in establishing the partnership’s Stockholm, UK and US offices. Stine holds an MBA in Finance from the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration (NHH) in Bergen, Norway.Nonkululeko NyembeziChair, Standard Bank GroupNonkululeko NyembeziChair, Standard Bank GroupLinkedinNonkululeko Nyembezi is a South African business executive who is the Chair of Standard Bank Group. Shas been active in steel, coal, telecommunications and finance. Her previous roles include chief strategist for the Vodacom Group, non-executive Chairman of Alexander Forbes and Chair of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.Shingai MutasaFounder and chairman, Masawara GroupShingai MutasaFounder and chairman, Masawara GroupLinkedinShingai Mutasa is the Zimbabwean founder and chairman of the Masawara Group, which invests in and operates financial services, insurance, hospitality and industrial/chemical companies in the COMESA region.Phutuma NhlekoChair, Johannesburg Stock ExchangePhutuma NhlekoChair, Johannesburg Stock ExchangeLinkedinPhuthuma Nhleko is a South African business executive, formerly chief executive and executive chairman of MTN Group, a South African multinational mobile telecommunications company primarily focused on Africa. Phuthuma has also been appointed as the new Chair of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE).Niklas ZennströmCo-FounderSebastian KnutssonFounderOlugbenga (GB) AgboolaCo-FounderDan OlofssonFounderBjÖrn ZethraeusCo-FounderKRISTIAN MÄNNIKCo-FounderJohan TjärnbergFounderCarl MannehFounderChristo WieseFormer ChairmanMåns HultmanEx-CEOWillard AhdritzFounderHenrik EkelundFounderRobert GerstmannCo-FounderStefan KrookFounderFredrik Jung-AbbouFounderRustan PandayChair of the BoardMartin GrenFounderMartin WattinCEOThomas HartwigFounderHenrik SandellCo-Founderniklas ÖSTBERGFounder/CEOJohan AnderssonCEOHans BerghEx-CEOGustaf Brandberg CEO Jacob de GeerFounderJohn ElvesjÖCo-FounderMagnus BrandbergFounding PartnerJohan HedbergFounderErik BrandbergFounding PartnerPatrick StymneCo-FounderPeter BauerCo-Founder/CEOChinedu EcheruoFounderWHAT WE ARE LOOKING FORWe invest across Africa, but focus on the main tech hubs in Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and Ghana.‍Our teams are fully ingrained in these markets and our local presence is crucial in understanding opportunities and identifying the best solutions. We back relevant, disruptive, scalable and tech-enabled business models, focused on these four sectors:01234123402Market Enablement03Medtech04Edtech01fintech02Market Enablement03Medtech04Edtech01fintechFintechMarket EnablementMedtechEdtechFintechMarket EnablementMedtechEdtechBusinesses unlocking economic opportunities and financial access for consumers and SMEs via sustainable & affordable financial productsSolutions that eliminate disjointed markets through new distribution methods, marketplaces and efficient cross-border tools.Businesses that reduce inefficiencies and provide access to critical, affordable and quality healthcareBusinesses reducing inequalities in the access to quality education, promoting increased employment prospects and ultimately contributing to poverty alleviation02Market Enablement03Medtech04Edtech01fintech02Market Enablement03Medtech04Edtech01fintechPortfolioCredrailsCredrails provides accurate, fast and automated reconciliation for African businesses.WorkpayWorkpay is an end-to-end HR, Payroll, Compliance, Benefits and Real-Time Payment Disbursement Solution for fast-growing companies in AfricaNalaA new kind of mobile money transfer, empowering Africans globally. Make safe, affordable, and reliable payments to Africa.OneOrder OneOrder provides the restaurant industry with reliable, timely supplies of quality goods, embedded financing, and consistent pricing, all through a single, user-friendly app.SharaShara helps merchants grow their business by financing trusted customers to make purchases and pay back in installments.SabiSabi is Africa's leading provider of enabling infrastructure powering the distribution of goods and services. AutochekAutochek’s platform enables and enhances commerce within the automotive sectorSmile IDSmile Identity helps African businesses confirm the true identity of their users in real-time.TymeTyme is a multi-country digital banking group for emerging markets.scalable businesses drive long-term sustainable economic growthNorrsken House in Kigali, RwandaNorrsken22 works closely with our founding partner the Norrsken Foundation. ‍The Norrsken ecosystem is a global non-profit dedicated to helping entrepreneurs solve the world’s greatest challenges. Norrsken22 is an independent and for-profit growth fund, but shares the same values as the Norrsken Foundation.In 2021, Norrsken opened Norrsken House in Kigali, Rwanda, the largest hub for entrepreneurs in East Africa.Norrsken Foundation will re-invest its 22% carry from the fund back into the African startup ecosystem, to further promote entrepreneurship and support a new generation of founders.Norrsken.orgSustainability DisclosuresNORRSKEN22 EXCLUSION LIST01234123402Intentionality03Sectors04Customers01fintech02Market Enablement03Medtech04Edtech01fintechGeographiesIntentionalitySectorsCustomersGeographiesIntentionalitySectorsCustomersInvesting in Africa is inherently transformational through employment generation, market-enabling solutions and the provision of accessible services. Norrsken22 is focused on investing in Africa exclusively, with a specific focus on sub-Saharan Africa. Identifying impact targets upfront and building processes to assess social/environmental impact, Norrsken22 will establish impact KPIs at IC with targets set for each investment period. Norrsken is deliberately focused on healthcare, education, financial services and market enablement. These are sectors at the confluence of economic growth, investable opportunity and positive impact on wider society. Focusing on impact for underserved markets, particularly at the “bottom of the pyramid”. Norrsken22 will focus on partnering with companies who are improving access to services or products, or creating employment for low- and middle income earners.02Market Enablement03Medtech04Edtech01fintech02Market Enablement03Medtech04Edtech01fintechLatest newsNala Raised $40m Series A to build B2B payments platform, scale remittance servicesJuly 9, 2024Read moreOneOrder raises Series A Round to Expand to the GCCMay 24, 2024Read moreHow African Businesses Can Benefit from an Improved CFO StackMarch 7, 2024Read moreNorrsken22 Completes Final Close at $205mNovember 3, 2023Read moreSouth African challenger bank TymeBank raises $77.8M from Norrsken22 and Blue Earth CapitalMay 23, 2023Read moreAfrican B2B e-commerce startup Sabi tops $300M valuation in new fundingMay 19, 2023Read moreNorrsken22 Backs Smile Identity in $20m Series BFebruary 15, 2023Read moreNorrsken22 Backed Autochek Acquires CoinAfrique July 6, 2022Read moreNorrsken22 Poised for Second Africa Startup ForayApril 20, 2022Read moreNextLet´s stay in touch!Follow usLinkedinTwitterInstagramContactinfo@norrsken22.comComplaintsFile complaint here Terms & ConditionsPrivacy Policy© Norrsken22° 2021. 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