Janade du Plessis is a 5-times fund manager, and currently the Co-Founder & Managing Partner of Launch Africa Ventures, Africa’s Tier-1 Seed Stage VC. Having invested in 160+ companies in 25 African countries, they focus on startups across multiple sectors, regions, and products that tackle the most meaningful challenges on the continent.

He has previously started and managed a corporate VC fund for a listed African investment bank, an female-focused Pan-African SME fund, as well as an impact fund called Abrazo Capital, investing in women in rural areas in Africa. Janade’s background is as an entrepreneur, investment banker and human behavioural researcher with M&A, Management Consulting and Development Finance experience. He holds a Master’s degree in finance, economics, psychology and business administration and a PhD researching the psychographic archetypes of African entrepreneurs.