- September 30, 2024
- Posted by: Kusumi
- Category: Articles
Aruwa Capital Digest
A summary of the latest news across our ecosystem
Welcome to the third edition of the Aruwa Capital Digest! We’re excited to share the latest developments, highlights, and insights from Aruwa Capital in the month of September.
Voices of Influence (Speaking Engagements)
Aruwa Capital at the Women’s Private Equity Summit Europe
Adesuwa Okunbo Rhodes represented both Aruwa Capital and the African continent at the Women’s Private Equity Summit Europe which held at Fairmont Windsor Park. She was invited to speak on two pivotal panels namely “Putting Capital to Work” and “Areas to Watch: Investing in Africa” where she shared valuable contributions regarding the role of gender lens investing in driving superior financial performance and highlighted key areas of growth and investment potential across the continent. She spoke alongside senior representatives from global funds such as IK Capital and Oakley Capital on the first panel. For the second panel focused on Africa, she spoke alongside senior representatives from the DFI, EBRD, Adenia Partners and Innovate Africa Fund.
Aruwa Capital at PEWIN Pinnacle Event
Our Founder, Adesuwa Okunbo Rhodes represented Aruwa Capital at the 2024 PEWIN Pinnacle Event in New York, where she sat on a panel with trailblazing female fund managers to discuss “The Global Landscape for Female Founders and Funders.” The session was a powerful exchange of ideas, inspiring a broader conversation on how to empower more female founders across the world.
Beyond Our Walls (External Events)
Aruwa Capital at the Wetech Conference 2024
Aruwa Capital was proudly represented by Seye Kolawole at the Wetech Conference, an exclusive gathering where female founders, investors, and tech leaders connected to share insights and build meaningful relationships. Sponsored by WEAV Capital (Women’s Enterprise Acceleration Vehicle), the event focused on empowering bold female founders who are driving innovation across Africa.
Aruwa Capital at FSD Africa’s Early-Stage Finance Conference
Our Principal, Christian Ekpo represented Aruwa Capital at FSD Africa’s Early-Stage Finance Conference in Nairobi from 18th to 20th September. The event brought together catalytic investors and early-stage venture portfolios to foster peer learning, explore portfolio needs, and showcase fund managers to potential LPs and co-investors. Discussions centred around enhancing collaboration among funders and driving innovation in early-stage investments across Africa.
Awards
Exciting News! More Recognition of Our Impact!
In recognition of Aruwa Capital’s leadership in the private equity and venture capital ecosystem, Adesuwa Okunbo Rhodes accepted the Female-Founded Emerging Manager Award at the PEWIN Pinnacle Event. This honour celebrates the hard work and dedication driving Aruwa forward, reaffirming our commitment to making impactful investments and championing gender diversity within our team and portfolio companies.
Read more in our press release- https://us20.campaign-archive.com/?u=74babea9f0ace337a4fdbd832&id=fdb75a99c8
Portfolio News
https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2024/09/12/agroeknor-olutoju-announce-springboard-project-closure/
Modernising Africa’s retail infrastructure: OmniRetail’s CEO shares his insights
Wemy Industries: https://wemydrbrowns.com/4716-2/
Birthday Cheers
Happy Birthday Ajibola!
We’re thrilled to celebrate one special birthday at our Portfolio company, Lifestores Healthcare:
Ajibola Abdulkadir, Chief Operations Officer at Lifestores celebrated her birthday in the month of September. Her remarkable leadership and commitment to innovation play a vital role in driving positive change within our portfolio.Here’s to a year filled with achievements and the continued pursuit of her inspiring vision!
On the Horizon (Upcoming Events)
Black Women in Asset Management Annual Conference
Adesuwa Okunbo Rhodes will take the stage at the 3rd Annual BWAM Network Conference on October 4th, 2024, in London. The theme,“Thrive Together,” reflects our mission to drive impactful investments and sustainable growth. Recognized as a BWAM 40 Under 40 honouree in 2022, Adesuwa will share insights on “Gender Lens Investing: Driving Impact and Returns,”highlighting how investing in women-led businesses generates both social and financial returns, a core principle of Aruwa Capital.
Discover more about the conference and the speaker line-up here:https://bwamevents.com/
To register for the event, visit: https://bwamevents.com/registration-pricing
Elevate Africa Conference, Abuja
Adesuwa will also be moderating a key panel session at the Elevate Africa Conference, hosted by His Royal Majesty Ogiámè Atuwatse III, The Olu of Warri, and Her Royal Majesty, Olori Atuwatse III.
The two day event will take place on October 10th and October 11th at the Musa Ya’Ardiss Centre. The panel, titled “Strengthening Regional Partnership sand Collaboration,” will focus on enhancing African trade through regional cooperation. Notable guests include H.E. Mama Rachael Ruto, First Lady of Kenya, and Mayor Jaylen Smith from Arkansas, USA, as the event brings together prominent leaders to spotlight Africa’s vast potential for growth and development.
Nigerian Economic Summit Group 30th Economic Summit
The Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) will be holding the 30th Nigerian Economic Summit (#NES30), with the theme – “Collaborative Action for Growth, Competitiveness, and Stability” marking a significant anniversary for this milestone event. Aruwa Capital will be represented by our founder, Adesuwa Okunbo Rhodes, as we join key stakeholders between October 14th-16th in Abuja, across various sectors to address Nigeria’s critical challenges and explore shared opportunities for growth and competitiveness. As members of NESG, Aruwa Capital is committed to fostering discussions that drive financial inclusion and sustainable development for Nigeria and the African continent.
12th Annual Private Equity Africa (PEA) Awards Gala
The prestigious Private Equity Africa (PEA) Awards, celebrating excellence across private equity, venture capital, infrastructure, and credit, will take place November19, 2024 at the Royal Lancaster London Hotel. This year, Aruwa Capital has been shortlisted for several significant awards, including the PE/VC Deal Award and the Portfolio Company Award, where we are highly recommended. Our founder,Adesuwa Okunbo Rhodes, who has also been nominated for the People’s Choice Award, will proudly represent us at the gala. We look forward to bringing our awards home and celebrating with the industry’s best at this distinguished event.
Looking Forward
Deployment of and final close for Aruwa Capital Fund II
Having achieved a first close of Aruwa Capital Fund II, we are actively deploying capital into proven and high growth companies in Nigeria and Ghana. We remain focused on achieving a final close for Aruwa Fund II in the next 3-6 months, with a purposeful commitment to impactful investments and superior financial returns. To learn more about our investment strategy and portfolio companies, please do get in touch with us.
Thank You for Reading
We appreciate your support and engagement, stay tuned for more exciting developments as we continue to drive positive change and foster sustainable growth on the continent. We look forward to sharing our journey with you and thank you for being a part of it.
Warm regards,
The Aruwa Capital Team