Otundi

Origins & Mission

“Otundi” is derived from the Abiriba-Igbo phrase “Otu Anyi” (our group). Otu Anyi describes the “age grades” or groups of elders that advise a community’s traditional chief around aspects of civic and community life. “Otu Ndi” is more loosely defined as, “the same group, cohort, or team.”

Through our investing, Otundi Ventures is building Africa’s strongest cohort of founders. We identify and support the continent’s best founding teams, helping accelerate technology-enabled businesses to build firms with high-performing cultures that achieve sustainable financial and social returns.

Founders in the Otundi portfolio contribute to the cohort — supporting each other to advance the growth of their businesses and that of the broader, African entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Ethos

We are intentional in both our thoughts and our actions, preferring focused (and not diffuse) activity. We work to build authentic relationships based on candor, vulnerability, and humor. We value excellence, experimentation, and fun. We prioritize collaboration, inclusion, and diversity — of ideas and human capital.  

Thesis

• We invest in entrepreneurs because their businesses create scaled economic opportunity and impact, playing a key role in building sustainable ecosystems of wealth creation in Africa.
• We invest in technology because it is accelerating Africa’s growth and development, providing the foundation for transformational economic and social change, supported by transparency and data-driven accountability.
• We invest in inclusion because we believe that access to opportunity and participation in entrepreneurial ecosystems builds more equitable societies.
• We invest in relationships because we believe they build value for Otundi’s portfolio companies and expand the impact of the collective efforts within the African entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Partnership

Otundi Ventures has partnered with Lion’s Head Global Partners (LHGP) — a frontier market investment bank with operating presence in Nairobi, Lagos, London, New York and Dubai — to create a jointly- owned invesment manager and GP.

Otundi’s core investing team will leverage the reporting, governance, and operating infrastructure LHGP has derived from its decade-long experience as a global, best practice, African financial advisory and credit asset management firm.