Katapult Africa welcomes Philip to the team

Philip Gasaatura

Katapult is pleased to announce its latest addition to the team; introducing Philip Gasaatura, Katapult Africa’s Country Director Rwanda.

Philip has an impressive background having worked both in the investment banking sector in London and within the startup scenes of Uganda and Rwanda. Most recently he has worked with the Rwandan government on the structuring of governmental funds and establishing the Rwandan Innovation Fund.

For Philip, the launch of Katapult Africa comes at a really exciting time: “Over recent years, Africa has experienced a significant economic transition. There has been a shift away from aid and donor-based economies and a growing movement towards investment in the private sector. Katapult’s model of investment, helping build and scale profitable tech companies with a positive impact on society and environment, is ideally positioned to enter the early stages of this transition.”

Philip also notes the growing focus around the Agri-tech scene in Africa: “Over the last 10 years or so, Africa has not played a significant role in the global food value chain. As the world is getting smaller, this is set to change. From small-scale farming to commercial agriculture, there is now space to see how Africa will feed tomorrow’s society and the vital role agri-tech will play.”

There is similar excitement surrounding the continent’s climate tech scene. Philip says: “Following the recently concluded COP26, there has been a tremendous commitment to invest in cooling our planet. A recent IFC report, shows that the historic and global agreement on climate change adopted in Paris helped open up nearly $23 Trillion in opportunities for climate smart investments in emerging markets between now and 2030. I do believe there are a number of these projects to be developed on the African continent, however, it is the climate tech startups that will shape the technology and infrastructure that lies behind these opportunities in Africa.”

Katapult is delighted to have Philip on board and we look forward to making an impact together.

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