Dedicated & Experienced Africa based GP's

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Founder & Managing Partner, Synergos Venture Partners

Business Transformation Advisor on Stanford Seed Transformation Program

Angel Investor in various African start-ups & early stage venture capital investor

Lecturer at various prominent business schools

Certified Leadership Coach, Mentor &  Mediator

Johan Richards has 35+ years of Africa-focused entrepreneurial and consulting experience and has assisted 40+ entrepreneurial start-ups across 15+ different industries in 18+ Sub-Saharan African countries. One of his most notable successes has been his involvement with the start-up and scaling of AfriSki. AfriSki is the largest snow ski and adventure mountain resort on the African continent and the mountain kingdom of Lesotho's biggest tourism project. 

Johan is also a Business Transformation Advisor at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business Seed Transformation Program - A Program for developing entrepreneurs in emerging economies. He also consulted with, and assisted, many other significant national and international companies operating on the African continent or wanting to expand onto the African continent.  

• 35+ years of Entrepreneurial Experience
• 15+ Industry Sectors
• 18+ Sub-Saharan African Countries
• 40+ Entrepreneurial start-ups 
• 10+ VC/Angel Investments
• Diversified by stage, sector, and geography

https://www.linkedin.com/in/johan-richards-5953381

General Partner, Synergos Venture Partners

Business Transformation Advisor on Stanford Seed Transformation Program

Director of the Botswana Central Bank

Ex Chairman Barclays Bank of Botswana Pension Fund

Ex CEO EOH Botswana

Ken Molosi has 30+ years of Africa-focused management consulting experience and has assisted numerous corporate clients throughout Southern Africa. One of his most notable successes has been as Chairman of the Barclays/ABSA Pension Fund which during his tenure has grown to $1 billion and while being part of the Board of Directors of Barclays/ABSA turning Barclays Bank into the 2nd largest and the most profitable bank in Botswana with Revenue in excess of a $1 billion per annum. 

Ken is also a Business Transformation Advisor at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business Seed Transformation Program - A Program for developing entrepreneurs in emerging economies. He also consulted with, and assisted, many other significant national and international companies operating on the African continent or wanting to expand onto the African continent.  

• 30+ years of Management Consulting Experience
• 10+ Industry Sectors
• 10+ African Countries
• Diversified by stage, sector, and geography

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenneth-molosi-146b2a10/

Elias Chikoto has over seven years of strategy and management consulting experience gained at Gemini Consulting, IBM, and Zariro Consulting. He started Zariro Consulting in 2011, and is currently working with clients in private equity whose focus is Africa.

Before starting Zariro Consulting, he worked for Syngenta Agro AG, spending five of the six years he worked there at the company's headquarters in Basel, Switzerland. He had various roles there, including Head of Strategy and Planning CP for Africa Middle East.

Specialties include Strategy, operations, business development

Agribusiness, Private Equity, Energy, Mining, FMCG. 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/elias-chikoto-80382412/

Terence has 25+ years experience in consulting finance and general management with a focus on financial services, having spent 12 years in banking and 5 years consulting in financial services. He worked in the banking strategy function as well as in the operational and client facing areas.

• MBA (Finance) at Wits Business School
• MSc (Chemistry) at UKZN
• BSc (Hons) at UKZN

https://www.linkedin.com/in/terence-singh-29b9b710/

Rachel is a seasoned consultant with over 16 years of experience in the consulting industry, specializing in management and advisory services for a wide range of large corporate clients. Her extensive expertise spans 14 years in international engineering consultancy, where she developed a robust understanding of the global market dynamics. Prior to this, Rachel spent a year in the healthcare sector, engaging in various business development roles. There, she played a pivotal role in operational and client-facing capacities, notably contributing to the expansion of the healthcare network for a medical equipment supplier. Rachel's diverse experience enables her to provide insightful, strategic guidance across different sectors

• Dip Project Management at Varsity College
• PMP Certificate at American Technical Institute
• Occupational Health & Safety Representative

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-l-652196136/

Lané completed her BAcc degree cum laude at the University of Stellenbosch (2019) and completed her BAccHons (2020). After joining the CA(SA) Entrepreneurship Programme at the VAT IT group she was one of the founders of Zee - Importer of Record (2021) where she fulfilled various leadership roles. Throughout her journey, she is continually involved in philanthropic causes and committed to having a sustainable and significant impact in her environment.

She is ambitious, has an inquisitive mind and seeks to continually broaden her knowledge and current skills making her a unique high performer. She is known to be conscientious but values interpersonal relationships. Affinity for business development in e-commerce through global expansion, investing by way of venture capital & private equity. Entrepreneurial spirit and proud business owner.

• CA (SA)
• Co-Founder of multiple Entrepreneurial Startups
• Previous Exco member of Johannesburg Article Clerks Association
• Golden Key International Honours Society member 
• Stellenbosch University, BAcc (Cum Laude) & BAcc Hon

www.linkedin.com/in/lané-richards-593647129/

• Venture Fellow, Jump Capital
• Co-Founder, Booth Bay Area Angel Network (Booth BAAN)
• Technology Investment Banking (Growth Equity), Financial Technology Partners
• Fixed Income Quant Trading, Morgan Stanley
• University of Chicago Booth School of Business, MBA 
• Cornell University, MEng (Computer Science)
• Jacobs University, BA (Electrical Engineering & Computer Science)

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jainaa

• ZX Ventures (CVC arm of InBev)
• Perdue University, B.S. in Mechanical Engineering
• https://www.arpanajmera.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/arpan-ajmera

• Venture Backed Serial Entrepreneur
• Co-Founder & CEO of The Next Big Thing: The Game of Entrepreneurship, backed by over 25+ of the top accelerators and VC investors
• Ranked Top 10 Female Tech CEO by Women 2.0 
• Former CEO of Largest Student Run Business in The Country (Tufts Student Resources)

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennafernandes