Investment Insights from a $20M+ African Fundraising Journey: Who Matters and How to Approach Them | Business
About the Workshop
Most pitch advice is theoretical nonsense. Real investors evaluate businesses differently than founders assume, and the gap between conventional wisdom and actual decision-making processes costs African companies millions in missed funding opportunities.
This workshop features Kyle Schutter, CEO of Kuzana Investments, who brings a rare dual perspective: having raised significant capital as a founder and now steadily investing $20M+ across African businesses. Kyle will share unfiltered insights into what actually happens when investors evaluate your business - not what they tell you, but what they really think.
This session is designed for African founders who have been operating for 2+ years, have demonstrated traction, and are preparing to pitch serious investors in impact sectors including but not limited to Agriculture, AI and Machine Learning, Manufacturing, Fintech, Healthcare, etc.
You'll discover: ✓ Real vs vanity metrics that actually influence investment decisions ✓ Kyle's bottleneck identification methodology used across $20M+ of investments ✓ What investors discuss about your business after you leave the room ✓ Common founder blindspots that kill deals in African markets ✓ How the "forever" investment philosophy changes everything
Why This Matters
African founders waste months pitching the wrong things to the wrong people. Why?
❌ Focus on vanity metrics instead of business fundamentals ❌ Misunderstand what "scalable" means to serious investors ❌ Pitch solutions looking for problems instead of proven businesses ❌ Don't realize most investors want boring, profitable companies
Kyle's approach challenges the typical VC model. While others chase unicorns, he invests in businesses that are already working - then helps them scale sustainably.
Speaker Spotlight
Kyle Schutter founded biogas companies, ran a profitable Thai restaurant in Nairobi, and built Grant & Co (a capital-raising consultancy) before launching Kuzana Investments. His contrarian approach focuses on "boring businesses" with proven product-market fit rather than flashy startups burning venture capital.
Agenda (90 Minutes)
00:00–00:05 | Welcome & Workshop Objectives (SIC Team) 00:05–00:15 | Introductions & Community Building
00:15–00:22 | Research Brief: Current State of African Investor Relations
00:22–00:25 | Speaker Introduction: Kyle's Journey
00:25–00:55 | Core Workshop: Investment Reality Check with Kyle
What happens during investor evaluation (the real process)
Real metrics vs metrics that impress nobody
Bottleneck identification: finding what actually constrains growth
The "boring business" investment thesis
00:55–01:05 | Live Q&A: Direct Questions to Kyle
01:05–01:20 | Live Pitch Evaluations: 2 founder scenarios assessed by Kyle
01:20–01:30 | Key Takeaways & Office Hours Sign-up
About Smart Impact Consult
We are a boutique consulting enterprise advancing impact investment and investment readiness across Africa. We reinvest up to 15% of revenues into grassroots nonprofits and operate the Young Africans in Impact Investing (YAII) network.
Our Capital Ignition Workshop Series connects Africa's most promising ventures with the insights, networks, and tools needed to access growth capital effectively.
Supporting Partner
This workshop is supported by Kuzana Investments, whose practical approach to African business development represents exactly the kind of thinking founders need to understand about serious investors.
Registration
Limited to 40 participants - Register now to secure your spot in this exclusive session with one of Africa's most experienced investor-entrepreneurs.
Contact Smart Impact Consult
[email protected]
www.smartimpactconsult.comctconsult.com