Erick is our CEO and co-founder and has helped developed our unique investment approach that combines funding, knowledge transfer, and capacity building. He is our specialist for working with start-ups, global strategy, and business development. Erick has traveled extensively since he was young and has lived in various countries while traveling with his parents. He has Cameroonian roots, although he was born in Bonn, Germany and attending university in France. Erick became an entrepreneur and strategic consultant immediately after his studies, where he further developed his strategic thinking skills and comprehensive track record of launching and scaling up new business concepts. He is also a specialist in international marketing strategies, implementing brand strategies, marketing plans and communication campaigns. He has also directed innovation efforts and managed international teams in executing company strategies with global vision. He is especially passionate about the environmental as well as the economic impact of his projects. Erick speaks English, French, and German and is well-versed in cross-cultural collaboration. He has a passion for basketball and used to be a professional player in his youth.  

Thomas is our CFO and co-founder, who brought his extensive financial and investment background to the development of our investment approach. Thomas is our specialist for financing, investor relations and business planning. In the middle of a successful career at Deutsche Bank (DB), Thomas decided to apply his wealth of financial expertise towards work with more direct impact. Familiar with the challenges in emerging markets through his family ties to Peru, he started by volunteering with several projects in Africa and Latin America. Experiencing that his abilities and knowledge could make a significant difference for companies and projects that wanted to grow in Emerging Markets, he decided to make it his full-time business. Thomas was head of Product Management (International & Customized Funds) at DB’s Asset Management subsidiary and was promoted to Director within 5 years, resulting in more than 10 years of financial experience and a comprehensive network in the financial industry. He speaks fluent English and Spanish in addition to his native German. He is married and in early 2015, he became first-time father to a son who he wants to grow up in a better world.

Jean-Dominique (JD) is our Chief Operating Officer, he is responsible for overseeing the growth and operations of the rapidly growing GreenTec organization. JD is a senior business development executive specialized in organizational performance and change management. He has more than 25 years of management experience spanning 20+ countries in the IT, Automotive, Banking, Entertainment and Fast Moving Consumer Goods industries, as well as management consulting experience for large corporations, medium & small enterprises, and national and international institutions. Most recently, JD was Sales Director EMEA & APAC for Toronto-based Environmental Health & Safety leading SaaS software vendor Cority, where he was instrumental in the growth of Cority's business beyond North America. JD enjoys coaching and leading organizations through change and business growth in multi-cultural environments, with a preferred focus on solving sustainability-related challenges. He holds a master degrees in Management and Information Systems from Ecole Centrale de Lille (France), and in Sustainability Business Practice from Bath University School of Management (UK). He is an Adizes qualified change management consultant.  Married and father of two, JD speaks French, English and Swedish, is co-owner of a rising star micro-brewery, and is an avid opera tenor and football player.

'Tomi Davies is our Chief Investment Officer, who will leverage his extensive experience in business and African investing in guiding GreenTec Capital's investment decisions. Mr. Davies was a systems analyst turned tech strategy advisor, public speaker and Angel Investor, Harry ‘Tomi Davies (TD) is Collaborator-in-Chief at TechnoVision, co-founder of the Lagos Angel Network (LAN) and President of the African Business Angel Network (ABAN). For nearly two decades after graduating from the University of Miami TD led implementation of innovative technology-led transformation initiatives in the Oil & Gas, Retail, Information Technology and Telecommunications industries for influential global brands Elf Aquitaine, Marks & Spencer, Ernst & Young and Sapient across Europe, the United States and Southeast Asia. In 2000 his focus shifted to Africa where he helped create the African Agriculture Technology Foundation (AATF), led the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) initiative in Nigeria and delivered a World Bank pilot of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel information system (IPPIS) that uncovered over 20,000 ghost workers in the Nigerian Government payroll system. Leading these kinds of innovative initiatives in Africa using his goal-oriented approach to project delivery which consistently delivered effective results inspired his 2014 book “The African Project Manager”. TD is Chairman of TextNigeria (Telecoms) and Non-Executive Director at MBO Capital (Private Equity) and Big Cabal Media (Media & Entertainment). He is a member of the Lagos State Science, Research & Innovation Council (LASRIC) and sits on the board of Laptops4Learning (L4L) Nigeria and the Global Business Angels Network (GBAN). As a thought leader with increasing knowledge gained from nurturing entrepreneurs in a growing portfolio of tech-enabled early stage business ventures originating from Africa, TD’s personal mission is “to help drive Africa’s development by supporting young entrepreneurs using innovation and technology to create social impact and economic value.” TD can be reached at www.tomidavies.com and on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook as TomiDee

Anandha is our Chief Technology Officer and the Head of the Digital Transformation Business Unit. He leads the digitalization of the investment process at GreenTec; and advises and audits the startups and SMEs in GreenTec’s portfolio. Anandha is known within his industry for being a forward-thinking and creative leader, constantly keeping abreast of current developments in technology, climate change, sustainability, and clean tech. Prior to GreenTec, he was Vice President & Global Transformation Lead at Publicis Sapient in London. Anandha was born in Sri Lanka, raised in Doha, and graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Sciences from the University of Toronto. He has worked all over the world including; Boston, New York, Chicago, Frankfurt, Delhi, Bangalore, Singapore and Sydney. Anandha is currently based in London, UK. Anandha is married with two teenage children. He enjoys cooking, long hikes and reading. Anandha is interested in nutrition and cultivating a longevity mindset and thinks continuously about maximizing life-span and health-span

Norbert is the Head of our Financial Solutions Business Unit which he will lead in developing and delivering innovative solutions for investors to benefit from GreenTec’s unique venture building approach in African Impact Opportunities Norbert comes to us with more than 30 years of experience in interaction with global U-HNWI and institutional clients. Since 2017 Norbert is Founder and Managing Partner of “Frankfurt International” a Multi Family Office and Consulting Boutique. Between 2003 and 2017 Norbert ran the International Wealth Management unit as Managing Director at Deutsche Bank HQs in Frankfurt.  From 1999 to 2003 he acted as Head of Private Wealth Management Argentina based in Buenos Aires Norbert is married with three children. In addition to his native German, Norbert speaks English and Spanish Fluently. His interests include marathon running and handball, in which he has been involved as both a player and a coach.

Andrew Gwadiva is our Vice President, Growth. He brings a wealth of knowledge of the African entrepreneurship ecosystem. He is responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with DFIs, Foundations, Investors, Entrepreneur Support Organisations (ESOs), and other entities involved in the development and strengthening of the African entrepreneurship ecosystem, and to support the overall growth of the firm. He is a member of the Global Shaper Community (GSC), an initiative of the World Economic Forum. He serves as an Africa Partnership Lead for Shaper Impact Capital an organisation founded by a team of experienced VCs who are part of the GSC. He has walked in the shoes of an entrepreneur; as a founder, he provided secure housing solutions in informal settlements. He has also co-founded Zao Invest an African investment consultancy that focuses on the diaspora community. He previously worked as a head of investor relations and a venture partner for a leading ESO in Africa. His experience spurs across Africa’s top-performing pension schemes, banks, and VCs. Gwadiva holds a Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Science as well as a Master of Science in Finance and Investment from the University of Nairobi. Gwadiva loves to build communities; he coordinates a run club community and an investor club. He loves working with kids in line with talent development, loves experimenting with new cuisines, hiking, travelling, he is a functional fitness CrossFit enthusiast, practices meditation, and is passionate about discovering new cultures.

Jörg is our Senior Product Manager who is bringing deep knowledge of the Asset Management industry, including complex investment vehicle structures and offshore solutions. Jörg is responsible for the lifecycle management of our SPVs and funds. He has worked for more than ten years in the financial industry. Before joining GreenTec Capital, Jörg worked as a Product Manager at DWS Investment GmbH. In his role he gained experience for various jurisdictions in Europe and APAC. Jörg holds a Diploma degree in Economics with a specialization in Monetary Policy from Goethe University Frankfurt (Germany). He speaks English and German. Jörg has a strong interest in diving deeper into impact investment, venture capital and frontier markets.

Sylvia is our Head of Communications and responsible for media and public relations. She support us by working to raise our profile with relevant target groups. Her expertise in the field of communication as well as in the financial and capital markets, coupled with her passion for projects with a social and environmental impact and her knowledge and understanding of the African continent align well with GreenTec Capital's activities. Before Sylvia started her own business, Sylvia was positioned in the German speaking market as the sole Managing Director of a leading international consultancy headquartered in London, specializing in financial and corporate communication. The agency focused on M&As, IPOs, investor relations as well as corporate and crisis communication, with banks, private equity companies, hedge funds and commercial law firms among the target clientele. Previously, she worked for different international agencies with a strong focus on cross-border financial communication. Her specialization is the positioning of management and firms from start-ups to DAX companies. Among her recent clients are a company active in renewable energies and an impact investing advisor with almost 2 billion Euro assets under management. Sylvia is passionate about discovering different cultures and has repeatedly visited more than half a dozen African countries. As a Rotarian, she is committed to service and doing good in her projects. In her spare time, she is a frequent swimmer. Sylvia speaks German, English, and French.

Kaarina brings to GreenTec 20+ years of experience in the field of business, organizational and ecosystem development linked to sustainability challenges and innovation opportunities. She has a MSc in Business & Sustainability, was one of the first globally to hold a Corporate Social Responsibility management role (at Volvo Car Corporation in the late 1990s), and has served small, medium and large companies, government agencies and NGOs in Africa, East Asia, Europe and South America. Fields with which she has in-depth experience include transport and logistics, public and private procurement, inclusion of marginalized groups (in employment, product and service development, etc.) and climate mitigation and adaptation.

At GreenTec, Kaarina serves as a pathfinder to identify and evolve winning solutions for customers and partners including governmental agencies, the private and public sectors, and other partners. Kaarina also serves as Vice-chair on the executive board of Circular Economy 4 Africa, an international multi-stakeholder consortium that focuses on the development of circular thinking, waste management and recycling, and the creation of sustainable, inclusive, quality, green jobs through joint action in Africa.

Kaarina is a Canadian-Finn, is fluent in English, French, Portuguese and Swedish, and has conversational competencies in Chinese and German. She is married, has two children, enjoys singing, swimming and the rhythm of the seasons. On a voluntary basis she co-manages an alternative primary school and a local agricultural resiliency project.

Arie Ben Josef leads our Venture Building Team bringing extensive experience in identifying, evaluating and nurturing innovative startup companies from initial concept to commercialization. His team is responsible for Greentecs’s assessment of potential portfolio companies, providing strategic advisory and operational support to our selected portfolio companies and the investment  of Greentecs’s human and financial capital resources in these companies. Arie is leveraging over 20 years of experience gained in the Israeli startup ecosystem where he held a variety of executive positions before joining NGT3, an international micro Venture Capital fund operating a technological incubator focused on early stage healthcare and life science companies. As CTO & Business Development Director at NGT3, he oversaw the venture building and business development activities of the fund’s portfolio companies, as well as managed its deal flow review process.  He is a graduate of the MBA for Science & Technology program at Queen’s University, Ontario, Canada, holds a DMD degree in dental medicine, a MSc. degree in Basic Dental Science and a LL.B. degree in law. Arie combines the above with his long-time passion for education and innovation by lecturing at Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, teaching Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management and guiding MBA students in their first steps as entrepreneurs.    He is actively engaged with the Frankfurt International School community where his two sons are studying, and, in his free time, enjoys cooking, travelling, and watching football with friends.  

Thomas Reyal is our Investment Manager. Thomas will apply his background in acquisition finance and private equity in support of the GreenTec Financial Solutions Team and its initiatives to develop solutions to help investors participate in African innovation. Thomas grew up in Martinique before moving to Europe to attend SKEMA Business School in Lille. He also studied abroad at NC State in the US. After completing several internships including one at the French Central Bank, he spent his early career between Madrid and London. In the Leveraged and Acquisition Finance of BNP Paribas in Madrid, he worked on the structuring of financing for large corporate clients including El Corte Inglés and Parques Reunidos. After joining the family office of a Spanish HNWI in London, he focused on private equity transactions within the hospitality sector in the Iberian Peninsula and in financial services in West Africa. Thomas is also part of the CFA Program and passed the first two levels.  Thomas speaks fluent French, English, and Spanish. He enjoys discussing mobility as well as history. He enjoys biking, hiking, as well as listening to hip hop music.  

Nicholas is our  communications officer who joined our team from an academic background in Social Science. He has an extensive experience in web-development, sales, and e-commerce. He has traveled extensively, including extended time in Ukraine as a Fulbright Scholar, and repeated trips to Central Asia during the course of his studies. He is passionate about social and environmental impacts, with keen interests in renewable energy, sustainability, and technology. Nicholas is our business support consultant, assisting our portfolio companies with grant research and applications, copy-writing, and editing communications. In addition to those administrative tasks, he also plays a key role in assessing various strategic partnerships for potential synergies with our startups. Nicholas speaks English and Ukrainian fluently, with abilities in Russian, French, and German. He holds a Masters Degree in Anthropology from Washington University in St. Louis as well as a Masters Degree in Classics from the University at Albany, State University of New York.

Ms. Xhensila (Jenny) Beka is our IT Coordinator. Jenny has a background in project management and international business which she will leverage in the planning and implementation of transformation projects for the company. In this role Jenny will serve as a bridge between company stakeholders and the Management Team ensuring that our technological posture is optimized to achieve our company objectives. Ms. Beka holds a Bachelor’s in Economics from the University of Epoka in Albania, as well as, a Masters’ degree in International Business Administration & Foreign Trade from the University of Worms. Following her studies, Jenny joined BorgWarner GmbH as a Project Manager in the Training & Communications department. Jenny lives in the area of Frankfurt. Her mother tongue is Albanian, but she also speaks fluent English and possesses conversational skills in German. Her hobbies include: reading, physical fitness, dancing, and baking.

Jana is our Business Manager who supports GreenTec Capital’s senior management. She comes to us with experience in the international development sector from her internship at GIZ.

Jana studied International Relations at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen in the Netherlands and the University of the Free State in South Africa.

Jana speaks fluent English as well as her native German and has strong working knowledge of French. She enjoys playing basketball, reading as well as cooking.

Nils is our Head of Company Building and comes from a background in finance and has more than 10 years’ experience in the finance, support, and development of startups. Mr. Hafa has extensive social impact experience from his role as the location head of the Social Impact Lab in Frankfurt. Nils’ business development experience includes being a XING Ambassador for the Startup community group on XING, a founder at GründerTaxi, and the Frankfurter Gründerfonds operated via ConCap Connective Capital. Mr. Hafa’s training includes specializations in career consulting, business management, and banking. Nils is passionate about social impact and helping entrepreneurs to succeed. Nils speaks fluent English as well as his native German. He is passionate about fitness and has participated in several half triathlons. Furthermore, he loves sailing, as he grew up sailing on a dinghy after school in the northern Germany. Nils is married, lives in Wiesbaden, and has two sons and two daughters. He also loves travelling, especially in Asia.

Elodie is our French analyst, who brings her support and analytical skills to the company-building team. She will execute various strategic initiatives as a part of the GreenTec Capital “results4equity” investment model and will engage with all internal and external stakeholders to ensure delivery of targets by analyzing and monitoring onboarding of portfolio companies.

Elodie holds a Master's degree in International Relations with a specialization in Corporate Social Responsibility at Sciences Po Bordeaux (France). After several enriching experiences in international organizations, environmental NGOs, and consulting, Elodie worked as an ESG analyst for a Belgian asset manager where she developed a keen interest in sustainability-related topics, especially responsible investments and green finance.

She speaks fluent French, English, and Spanish, with abilities in German. In her free time, she enjoys doing sport, such as running (long-distance runner), hiking and yoga.

Fabienne Kirchhof is an Associate currently responsible for leading projects supporting the newly founded CE4Africa consortium (Circular Economy 4 Africa). Fabienne comes to us with relevant professional experience having previously held an Intern role with GreenTec Capital Partners. Fabienne received her Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University Osnabrück in Lower Saxony, Germany; and was awarded a Master of Science in Integrated Natural Resource Management from Humboldt-University Berlin. She is fluent in German and English; and enjoys traveling, hiking, ocean surfing and advocating for sustainability.

Bahon Gbalé is an Associate responsible for sourcing, assessing and supporting startups in the Investment Business Unit.  Prior to accepting this fulltime position, she was an Intern at GreenTec in the Venture Building Unit.  Bahon is originally from Côte d'Ivoire and speaks French and English fluently and has studied Spanish.  She holds a Master degree in Strategy Consulting with a specialization in Financial Investment Strategies from EDHEC Business School (France), where she defended her Master thesis on the Impact Private Equity and Venture Capital on Sub Saharan Africa's Human Capital. She enjoys fitness, music and reading; and is passionate about nutrition, health and African history.

Francisco “Paco” Schäfer Aguilar is our Intern supporting the Investment Business Unit. He will assist the team in screening, sourcing, and assessing potential startups and support the Investment Business Unit in supporting GreenTec portfolio companies.  He is of German-Spanish descent and holds a B.Sc in Economics and Business Administration form Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main and a M.Sc in Environment, Politics and Development from SOAS University of London.  Prior to GreenTec, Paco was the Head of Communications and Project Manager for Bodawerk International, a Ugandan-German startup that focuses on energy storage systems and e-mobility.  He speaks English, German and Spanish fluently, and is an avid fan of Eintracht Frankfurt and Real Madrid. His other interests include: circular economy, finance, economics, sustainability and renewable energies.

Clemens Habig is our Intern in the Financial Solutions Business Unit.  He has Bachelor in Biochemistry from Jena University (Friedrich Schiller-Universität Jena) and is currently studying Philosophy and Economics at the University of Bayreuth.  Clemens is skilled in Agile Project Management from a previous internship and is knowledgable of B2B communications from another internship at Merck KGaA. He speaks fluent English having attended boarding school in the UK and has a basic understanding of Japanese having studied the language for 3 months in Kobe, Japan.  He is a Game Master of two Dungeon and Dragons groups, and creates “wonderous worlds” in this game environment.

Thomas Albert is a member of the Management Board at Swiss Life Fund Management (Lux) S.A. Prior he has worked as a Managing Director at Credit Suisse Asset Management as Head of Retail Distribution in charge of Europe (ex Switzerland and Italy) and Latin America and as a member of the Operating Committee for Germany and Central Europe. Up until 1999, Thomas Albert worked for Fleming Asset Management (now JP Morgan) and was responsible for the distribution of mutual funds in Germany’s western federal states, a function that also saw him active in various support areas in Luxembourg and London.

Matthias is an Economist by training (Diploma of University of Freiburg and Doctorate at University of Munich).  He started his carrier in the economic policy advisory sector (Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik and Policy Planning Staff, German Foreign Office).  He then turned into Development Banking (European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, 1990-1995) and Commercial Banking.  Since 2006 Generalbevollmächtigter (authorisised signature), head of the Banking Department (2006-2018). Since then in charge of strategic projects.

Rasheed previously held the position of Managing Director/CEO of the Bank of Industry (BOI), Nigeria’s oldest and leading Development Bank. Mr. Olaoluwa has 30 years’ experience in banking and financial services sector, playing senior and executive level roles in Retail, Corporate and Investment Banking, Treasury Management, Financial Control and Strategic Management gained from reputable institutions such as KPMG Professional Services, GTBank, Ecobank, United Bank for Africa (UBA) and BOI. He has recently founded Niche Capital Limited in 2016 as an investment company with the objective of making minority equity stakes in early-stage, high growth technology and tech-based companies in Africa.

Pauline Mujawamariya Koelbl is an Innovation Catalyst, Angel Investor and Co-Founder of the Professional Women of African Heritage (PROWAH) in Switzerland. PROWAH initiative aims to empower professional women of African heritage to connect, learn from one another and expand professional and leadership skills so that they are change agents who shape the African narrative globally. Pauline’s passion lies in innovation, entrepreneurship and empowerment of youth and women. Pauline worked for the African Innovation Foundation (AIF) from 2011 to 2018 as the Managing Director and Program Director for AIF’s flagship program, Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA), where she was responsible for the overall management of the Foundation and led all work related to building African innovation ecosystems and catalyzing market-orientated solutions for African-led development across the continent. Pauline has over 20 years’ experience in international affairs and philanthropy industries including various UN bodies and international organizations in Africa, Europe and USA. Pauline currently serves as a Board of Directors member of the Flame Tree Initiative, a US-based NGO that uses ICTs to address the digital divide through collaboration with African universities. In addition, Pauline is an Advisory board member for EurAfrican Forum and Innovation in Laboratory Engineered Accelerated Diagnostics (iLEAD). She is also a Bellagio/PopTech Catalyst, a joint initiative between the Rockefeller Foundation and PopTech, working with a global community of innovators and thought leaders for positive social change.