Investing in Nigeria - What's The Fuss?

​An investor-only event with a panel diving into their experience of investing in Nigeria and how to successfully navigate the market.

The panel will be preceded by an overview of the state of the market and a keynote by Russ Shaw - see agenda below.

SPEAKERS & PANELLIST

• ​Russ Shaw, Founder - London Tech Advocates & Global Tech Advocates
  Founder of Tech London Advocates and Global Tech Advocates. He originally founded Tech London Advocates in 2013 to promote and support startups and scaleups and be an independent, grassroots voice for the community.
  
  Since then, he has been championing London and the UK as a global tech hub and campaigning to address some of the biggest challenges and opportunities facing tech companies in the UK.
  
  Global Tech Advocates, which Russ founded in 2015, is now present in over 40 hubs around the globe, with over 40,000 members. In 2019, Russ launched the inaugural GTA Festival, taking place in China and bringing the international network together for the first time. The second edition of the Festival was held in India in 2022.
  
  Russ was awarded a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the Queen’s New Year Honours List 2021 for services to technology and to business in London. He is a founding partner of London Tech Week, an advisor for Future Energy Ventures and a member of the Chatham House Science & Technology group.
  

• ​Dario Giuliani - Briter
  The Founder and Managing Director of Briter, a leading business intelligence and research company focused on emerging markets. He is also the Co-Founder of the London Africa Network, London’s largest community of professionals active on the African continent. Prior to Briter and LAN, Dario worked at the crossroads of investment, research, and innovation, with organisations such as GSMA, Oxford University, and British International Investment.
  

• ​June Angelides MBE - Partner, Levare Ventures
  A leading investor in African startups, with over 13 years of experience across venture debt, venture capital, and entrepreneurship. She began her career at Silicon Valley Bank, working on the Venture Debt and Early-Stage Banking teams, before launching her own startup, which she ran for three years before transitioning into investing.
  
  As the Founding Partner at Levare Ventures, June backs high-growth early-stage startups across E-commerce, Fintech, Healthtech, Future of Work, and B2B SaaS in Sub-Saharan Africa. She has invested in nine African startups, spanning Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Senegal and Ghana, including Chowdeck, Raenest, Craydel, Berry Health and Luo.
  
  Beyond Africa, she is a Venture Partner at Samos Investments, where she has been investing since 2018. She has led Samos’ investments into Jude, Ruka Hair, and Mantle and has a growing portfolio of angel investments in women-led businesses, including Bloom Money, Odin, By Rotation, Code First Girls, Sojo, and Amela.
  
  June is an active leader in the global tech and startup ecosystem. She sits on the boards of Jude, Flair, Ruka, and Everpress, mentors founders at Oxford University, and runs mentoring circles for aspiring VCs and entrepreneurs. Previously, she founded Mums in Tech, the UK’s first child-friendly coding school, which helped over 250 women learn to code.
  
  A thought leader and advocate for diverse representation in tech and venture, she was a Columnist at the Financial Times and served on the UK Government’s Taskforce on Women-Led High-Growth Enterprises, focused on breaking investment barriers for women entrepreneurs. She has been named the 6th Most Influential Tech Leader by the Financial Times and recognised as one of Computer Weekly’s Most Influential Women in Tech. June holds an Honorary Fellowship from the Institute of Engineering and Technology and was awarded an MBE for services to women in technology.
  

• ​Anthony Catt - Founder, Ventures54
  With over a decade of experience in building ecosystems and driving investment across EMEA and Asia, Anthony has been active in the African startup scene since 2015. He founded Ventures 54, a Pan-African advisory firm that bridges global investors, corporates, and DFIs with African tech opportunities, focusing on capital mobilisation, investments, and exits across Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
  
  Anthony is also the co-founder of the London Africa Network, the largest UK-based community of leaders focused on UK-Africa tech and investment. Currently based between South Africa and the UK he sits on the South Africa Startup Act Steering Committee. Previously, he was the Investor in Residence at Google for Startups EMEA including work as an Investor Relations Advisor for the Google Black Founders Fund Africa.
  

• ​Niama El Bassunie - Managing Partner, The Boabab Network
  A founder, investor and advisor in technology companies in Africa and beyond. Most recently she joined The Baobab Network as Managing Partner. She is the CEO and founder of WaystoCap, and recognsed as a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum. She was the CEO & Founder at WaystoCap, the premier B2B marketplace in Africa and one of the first North African companies to be accepted into Y Combinator in 2016. Waystocap were on a mission to solve the inefficient continental supply chain by bringing payments, logistics, and distribution into one online platform; they exited to MaxAB in 2021. Niama started her career at PwC and sits on a number of boards of African startups.
  

• ​Gbite Oduneye - Managing Partner, ODBA VC
  Co-founder and CEO at Egmarkets, a multi asset derivative trading provider located in Lagos, Nigeria. He is also the visionary founder and driving force behind ODBA, an early-stage VC firm with an African focus. Gbite has over 20 years of experience in financial services and a deep understanding of Africa’s dynamic landscape. He is committed to fostering innovation, empowerment, and sustainable growth within the African continent. Through technology, he shapes Africa’s transformative journey, propelling it towards a prosperous future.

​AGENDA

• ​18.00 - 18.45: Arrive & Networking

• ​18:45 - 19:00: Welcome & intro

• ​19.00 - 19.15: Bullish on Nigeria

• ​19.15 - 19.30: Nigeria - an investment & tech market overview

• ​19.30 - 20:30: Panel discussion

• ​20.30 - 21.30: Drinks & Networking

​Plus a teaser into ODBA VC's new funding offering launching at GITEX Nigeria in September.

SPONSORS

​Wimbart PR
An independent PR agency specialising in Africa and emerging markets. With a focus on the continent’s tech and start-up sectors, we produce hyper-targeted, relevant & meaningful media campaigns for our clients.

TLP Advisory
A law practice founded for the sole purpose of supporting creatives, founders and their funders.

​At TLP Advisory, we serve the world's most innovative people and businesses in the technology, media, creative and emerging business sectors. We also support those who finance them.

​This is an official London Tech Week fringe event.