WE INVITED UWEM UWEMAKPAN FORMER HEAD OF INVESTMENT AT INGRESSIVE CAPITAL, WHERE HE DROVE THE SUCCESS OF FUND 1 (10M USD) AND FUND 2 (50M USD). WE SPOKE ABOUT THE STATE OF THE AFRICAN ECOSYSTEM AND EXPLORED THE ISSUES AROUND COLLABORATION AND THE CURRENT INVESTMENT LANDSCAPE.
Brief Uwem Uwemakpan
Uwem is an ecosystem builder and investor, dedicated to helping early-stage startups thrive in Africa’s fast-evolving business landscape. He has a proven track record of guiding entrepreneurs towards clarity and profitability, enabling them to turn their ideas into successful ventures.
As the former head of Investments and Operations at Ingressive Capital, Uwem played a critical role in driving the success of the $10M Fund I and $50M Fund II venture capital firm, which has been instrumental in funding the next generation of African innovators across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Prior to this, Uwem served as the Entrepreneurship Programme Manager and founding team member of The Tony Elumelu Foundation, where he led the largest Pan-African Entrepreneurship Programme, a $100 million initiative that surpassed its 10-year goal of training, mentoring, and funding 10,000 entrepreneurs across Africa in just five years. This accomplishment solidified Uwem’s reputation as a dynamic leader who is passionate about driving entrepreneurship in Africa.
