Ingressive Capital, a leading venture capital firm focused on investing in innovative startups across Africa, has announced the addition of two new partners to its team. Anthonio Pinheiro, the former Head of Talent Delivery at Andela, and Nela Duke Ekpenyong, a former CoS at Harambe Entrepreneur Alliance, have joined Ingressive Capital as partners to help drive the firm’s mission of supporting and investing in the next generation of African tech startups.
Anthonio Pinheiro is a seasoned operations executive with over a decade of experience scaling businesses across Africa. Prior to joining Ingressive Capital, Pinheiro led global operations at Andela, a billion-dollar African unicorn that provides engineering talent to technology companies around the world. During his time at Andela, Pinheiro helped the company expand into new markets and increase its workforce by over 500%.
As a Partner and COO at Ingressive Capital, Pinheiro will leverage his extensive operational expertise to help portfolio companies scale and grow their businesses. He will also work closely with the firm’s leadership team to develop and implement strategies to support the overall growth of Ingressive Capital.
Nela Duke Ekpenyong is a former CoS at Harambe Entrepreneur Alliance, where she oversaw investments in African startups and supported their growth on a global scale. Duke Ekpenyong founded an organization focused on upskilling African youth and recruiting ultra-high-net-worth individuals to support scalable impact work.
At Ingressive Capital, Duke Ekpenyong will serve as a Partner and Portfolio Support & Investment Relations Partner, working closely with portfolio companies to provide strategic guidance and support. She will also work with the firm’s leadership team to identify and evaluate new investment opportunities across the African continent.
Ingressive Capital is known for its focus on pre-seed and seed investments in African tech startups. The firm has made a number of high-profile investments in companies across a range of sectors, including fintech (Greyfinance, Bamboo), healthtech (Healthtracka, Remedial Health), and e-commerce (Oze, Metacare). Ingressive Capital was an early investor in Paystack, a Nigerian fintech company that provides payment solutions for businesses. In 2020, Paystack was acquired by global payment giant, Stripe for over $200 million. With the addition of Pinheiro and Duke Ekpenyong, the firm is well-positioned to continue its mission of supporting and investing in the next generation of African tech entrepreneurs.
In a statement, Maya Horgan Famodu, the Founder and General Partner of Ingressive Capital, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Anthonio and Nela to the Ingressive Capital team. Both bring a wealth of experience and expertise to the firm, and we are confident that they will play an instrumental role in driving our mission of supporting and investing in the next generation of African tech startups.”
