Carisa Graf-Suleman

Managing Partner

Time commitment to Fund:100% 

Role in Fund: overseeing fundraising, investor relations, pipeline development and advising portfolio companies

Location: Washington, DC, with frequent travel to Africa as required by the Fund

Carisa Graf-Suleman is an experienced international executive with significant investment, operations and marketing experience across ICT, technology, consumer goods, automobile, beverage, hotel and aviation sectors. Carisa built one of the largest internet services companies in Kenya, capturing 30% of the corporate market.  As CEO of CallKey Networks, she drove growth and client satisfaction to earn multiple awards and a 97% client retention rate.  

While a resident of Kenya, Carisa founded and established the American Chamber of Commerce in Kenya, the largest professional business organization in the country, serving as the founding President. She cultivated and built relationships with CEOs representing top American companies as well as leading Kenyan companies with interests in fostering closer business ties with the US.

As Director of Strategic Planning for Lonrho Africa plc, an LSE/AIM listed conglomerate with operations across Africa, Carisa developed and implemented a broad strategic transformation plan that raised $ 150 M in 3 years and helped manage the transition to Alternative Investment Market listing in London. She counseled and advised executive management teams in the restructuring exercise and prepared companies for sale, in addition to coordinating due diligence, conducting commercial negotiations and finalizing transactions. 

Carisa successfully completed exits for Lonrho Africa plc in 20 countries covering retail, fast-moving consumer goods, breweries, distribution, hotels, agriculture, auto dealerships, and aviation.

Most recently, Carisa has served as a Senior Advisor to the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s (MCC) blended finance team where she designed the blended finance strategy to mobilize private and commercial finance in and around MCC compacts and projects with development impact,in addition to establishing the MCC Advisory Council.

Born and raised in South Dakota, Carisa is a graduate of the joint Coaching and Consulting for Change Executive Specialized Master’s (MSc) program at HEC and the University of Oxford. She holds an MA in International Economics from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and BA (hons) in Economics from Hamline University. 

Salim Suleman

General Partner 

Time commitment to Fund:100% 

Role in Fund: Deal origination and structuring, investee mentorship, management and monitoring, operations, strategy, finance, change management

Location: Nairobi, Kenya and Washington, DC, traveling across Africa as required by the Fund

Salim Suleman is an award winning telecommunications executive acknowledged internationally for launching one of the largest satellite telecommunications networks in Africa, iWay Africa. He is a serial entrepreneur with a strategic mindset and proven performance in leading organizations through change and building cohesive teams of talented professionals that consistently deliver exceptional growth and profits in extremely challenging operating environments. 

Salim ‘s success at iWay Africa was built on taking businesses across African borders in order to create the critical mass for growth. Operating in 26 countries through subsidiaries and distributorships,  iWayAfrica was one of the 20 most recognized brands in SSA. The company was acquired by the Naspers Group in 2007 resulting in returns to the shareholders, including an OPIC-guaranteed fund, of 7 x investment in five years.

A specialist in corporate strategy and change management, Salim is adept at scaling and growing companies while motivating culturally diverse teams. He has led and motivated multinational team of 1,800 employees and distributors spanning 26 countries to achieve phenomenal growth in sales and revenues. Salim’s 35 year career spans start ups in aviation, telecommunications, oil and gas, and agriculture sectors, including mergers and acquisitions and preparing mature businesses for sale.

He is a  Board Director of the Simba Corporation, a Kenyan conglomerate that operates car dealerships, 5 Star hotels and lodges, vehicle assembly plants, and real estate development. Salim is a member of the Partners Global board.  Previously, Salim served as a Board director of the National Oil Corporation of Kenya and was Chairman of the Finance and Strategy committee taking the parastatal from a 6  gas-station distribution to a 200+ gas-station distribution company from 2006-2009. 

Salim is a graduate  of HEC/University of Oxford joint program with an MSc in Consulting and Coaching for Change as well as the University of Oxford Advanced Management Program and Strategic Leadership Program.  He also attended the Private Equity / Venture Capital Program at the Wharton School of Business and Harvard Business School’s Private Equity Executive Education program. 

Amb. (ret) John Simon

Senior Advisor

Amb. (ret) John Simon is a Founding Partner of Total Impact Capital, an impact investment firm that creates large scale impact investment vehicles to attract capital from a broad spectrum of investors.  John has held a variety of posts in the US federal government, including serving as the United States Ambassador to the African Union and the Executive Vice President of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC). At OPIC, John championed the Agency’s involvement in the social impact investment marketplace. He led the Agency’s effort to develop a series of social development funds for Africa, creating four private equity funds focused on achieving extraordinary social results as well as strong financial performance. 

John served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Relief, Stabilization, and Development for the National Security Council (NSC) at the White House, the first to hold this post, where oversaw the implementation of groundbreaking development initiatives, including the Millennium Challenge Account, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative, and the President's Malaria Initiative.

John received his bachelor's degree from Princeton University and a master's degree in public policy from Harvard University. 

Dale Mathias

Senior Advisor

Dale Mathias has had a career in finance and private investments for 20+ years. She is an active investor in early stage technology companies both in the U.S. and sub-Saharan Africa.

Dale began her career in finance at J.P. Morgan, and later on served as assistant to the chairman of the venture firm Alan Patricof and Associates (now APAX Partners) and was vice president at Lazard Frères of two private equity funds.

On a pro bono basis, Dale has played a leadership role in designing and launching innovative approaches to private sector investment at the U.S. Government’s Agency for International Development (USAID), including the establishment of “Power Africa,” an initiative designed to dramatically increase the accessibility of power in sub-Saharan Africa.

Dale is a Life Member of the Council for Foreign Relations and has served on a number of boards including: Chairperson of USAID’s outside private sector advisory board; The Partners Forum; The Harvard Business School, Dean’s Board of Advisors; Gro-Intelligence, Advisory Board; Board of Directors, Johns Hopkins Lyme Disease Clinical Research Center; and Board Member, Tate Modern’s Africa Acquisition Committee.

Dale is a graduate of Harvard College and was a community development worker in Botswana which fostered a long-standing interest in Africa.