Kristen Smith
Anza Capital has appointed Robert Williams to its board of directors to support the venture capital firm’s goal of securing U.S. investments for African startups.
Williams brings to the board over two decades of global operating experience, having held leadership roles at AT&T, Amazon, cyber company Palo Alto Networks and artificial intelligence company SandboxAQ, Anza said Thursday.
Funding Gap in Africa
He joined the board as the company ramps up its Fund II activities to drive increased investing in early-stage African startups with scalable technology solutions designed to address critical global problems and sustainable impact. Anza has established an office in Delaware, providing U.S. investors with the opportunity to gain early access to one of the fastest-growing entrepreneurial regions.
“While Africa holds one of the world’s largest untapped entrepreneurial markets, it receives a fraction of early-stage venture capital,” said Audrey Verhaeghe, CEO at Anza Capital “Through our Fund II, U.S. investors can diversify into high-growth, high-impact companies while benefiting from our local networks, robust diligence model, and track record of significant growth across our portfolio.”
Anza’s second fund focuses on providing capital for startups involved in food technology, clean technology and digital technology across Southern and Eastern Africa that are not large enough to attract later-stage venture capital, development finance or private equity funding.
According to Williams, the continent is rich in talent and natural resources and has a growing population that is digital first.
“There is still a big opportunity for scaled access to global capital, customer bases, and this differentiating concept of direct engagement by inspired Americans with the African Diaspora connection,” Williams noted. “Anza Capital is well positioned to unlock global growth by backing African founders solving global problems.”
