Grit, Gut & Growth Fuels Mia von Koschitzky-Kimani’s African VC Playbook

Mia von Koschitzky-Kimani isn’t your typical venture capitalist. She didn’t come up through Silicon Valley or Wall Street, and she doesn’t fit the mold of the perpetually pontificating, tweet-happy investor.

Instead, she built her career across continents, from Europe to Africa, combining strategic consulting with entrepreneurship before settling into the venture capital world.

Today, as Managing Partner at Future Africa; one of the continent’s prominent tech funders, she plays a crucial role in shaping the firm’s investment strategy, bringing a mix of analytical thinking, operational nous, and a pragmatic view on what it really takes to build great companies in Africa.

A Less-Travelled Road to VC

Born in Germany and educated in Switzerland and Harvard, Mia didn’t always know she wanted this path but figures being part of a tremendous growth story has always appealed to her.

“I wanted to be in a region where I could witness and contribute to real change,” she recalls. “Asia was already well on its way. Africa, on the other hand, still had so much potential that wasn’t being fully realised.”

That thinking led her to Nairobi in 2009, where she took an unconventional route: Working for a local entrepreneur instead of following her peers into corporate or banking.