Janade du Plessis

Janade is an entrepreneur, investment banker, venture capitalist and human behavioural researcher with 18 years’ investment bank, general management and development finance experience. He has held various positions in Corporate Finance / M&A, Development Finance, Marketing, Strategy Consulting and has worked in Johannesburg, Lagos, Abidjan, Tunis, London, New York and Paris. As a Chief Investment Officer at the African Development Bank (AfDB), Janade gained extensive experience having led numerous investments and project finance transactions in Africa. To date, Janade has travelled to 50 of the 54 African countries. Janade is the Founder and Managing Partner of an impact investment fund and two venture capital funds, underpinning his passion for entrepreneurship, development and uplifting communities throughout Africa. He is also the co-founder of a business advisory platform focused on supporting African female entrepreneurs to make their businesses investment ready. He is an Executive Coach with the International Coaching Federation (ICF), currently mentoring select entrepreneurs. Janade holds a Master’s degree in Finance, Economics and Business Administration and currently a PhD candidate in Business Science.