Zachariah George: From a career on Wall Street to backing Africa's early stage startups

Zachariah George is a lot of things. He is a guitarist, pianist and vocalist, has been to over a hundred countries, holds a Stanford MBA and is a member of MENSA, meaning he has an IQ score at or above the 98th percentile.In Africa’s tech startup ecosystem, Zach is known as the managing founder of Launch Africa Ventures, one of the most prolific early-stage VC investment firms on the continent. He is also a prominent angel investor and was part of the formation of some of Africa’s revered accelerators, including Startup Bootcamp.The story of how he got into Africa’s tech ecosystem is as interesting as his profile. After concluding his career on Wall Street, which included a stint at Lehman Brothers, the first domino piece to fall in the 2008 financial crisis, he wanted to spend his life making a difference instead of just closing deals in Lower Manhattan.A trip to the 2010 World Cup proved to be the puzzle piece that would set Zach on a path to backing some of Africa’s most innovative startups. Realising that Africa’s ecosystem had the potential to undergo a growth spurt similar to that in India and Latin America, he packed his bags and headed south, settling in Cape Town.The rest, as they say, is history. In this episode, Zach reflects on the early days of VC in Africa, including the important role of accelerators and support from corporates, his investment strategy across his angel investments and at Launch Africa, the current state of early stage VC in Africa and what the future holds! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit techaways.substack.com