Hirut Seyoum

Pioneering venture capitalist closing Africa's gender investment gap

Hirut Seyoum (b. 1985) disrupted venture capital norms by launching Alba Venture Capital in 2015 - Africa's first fund focused on women-led startups. By 2019, her $50M fund had invested in 68 female-founded businesses across 22 countries, achieving a 3x return on investment. Seyoum's SheVentures program provided seed funding and mentorship to 200+ startups, with 40% reaching Series A stage. Her partnership with UBS created Africa's first gender lens investing index. Named World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, her work increased female founder funding in Ethiopia from 2% to 18% in 4 years. Seyoum's keynote at Africa Tech Summit 2019 inspired similar funds in Kenya and Nigeria. Her recent book Breaking Barriers: Financing Africa's Women Entrepreneurs (2020) is required reading at Oxford's Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship.