Direct investment into tech-enabled and impact-driven startups has been part of Blue Haven’s approach for over a decade. We like to enter markets early and partner with entrepreneurs building companies poised to make a difference in their communities. What’s ahead? Co-Founder and Principal Liesel Pritzker Simmons chatted with Director of Investments Hari Joy about our in-house portfolio as he steps into a new leadership role. 

 

Liesel: Welcome back to Blue Haven, Hari! We’re thrilled to have you back on the team after pursuing an MBA at The Wharton School. As you know, we’ve had incredible investors managing our portfolio over the years: Lauren Cochran introduced us to fintech in emerging markets, and Jonathan Kirschner sharpened our thesis on climate. What are your priorities in 2025?   

 

Hari: It’s great to be back! I’m excited to build on the strong foundation laid out by Lauren and Jonathan. I was lucky to work with and learn from these two great investors.  

 

Let’s start with what hasn’t changed. Our team remains as rigorous and data-driven as ever—committed to being investors who prioritize strong social outcomes and market-rate returns. We continue to double down on themes where we've actively deployed capital, such as climate and fintech, while maintaining our flexible approach to asset allocation and structuring. This balance of discipline and adaptability is central to how we operate and drive impact. 

 

At the same time, our investment focus is crystallizing around three strategic pillars: climate, fintech, and mental health. These pillars reflect our belief that addressing global challenges requires a holistic and interconnected approach. In climate, we are focused on scalable solutions that drive decarbonization and build resilience. Our fintech investments aim to promote financial inclusion and improve economic stability. And with mental health, we are supporting innovative approaches that enhance access, affordability, and outcomes, recognizing the profound connection between mental well-being and broader social and economic stability. 

 

Liesel: Makes sense. Much of the in-house portfolio is invested in sub-Saharan Africa, where I’ve been engaged since volunteering at a microfinance organization in Tanzania years ago. When Blue Haven started investing in the continent, we hoped to be a change-maker and help bring capital from around the world to frontier markets. We’ve been pleased to see investments flow from international investors to some of our partners, including M-KOPA and Kopo Kopo. And we’ve started supporting a new crop of emerging local fund managers through different parts of our portfolio. How do you see our geographic focus changing? 

 

Hari: I’m proud of our existing portfolio in sub-Saharan Africa. A few of our portfolio successes in climate and fintech there include:  

CrossBoundary Energy, which offers fully financed clean-energy solutions for businesses

 

M-KOPA is a digital financing platform that pioneered the pay-as-you-go model for home solar systems and now smart devices

 

Paystack, which was acquired by Stripe, helps over 200,000 businesses accept secure payments

 

Kopo Kopo is a platform that offers small business tools, as well as ensures that companies can accept digital payments and access critical credit

 

We’ll continue to provide our portfolio companies with operational and strategic support, always seeking new ways to be value-add investors. As we grow and learn, we’re also looking ahead to new opportunities closer to home in North America. 

 

Liesel: Let’s talk about a newer area of focus: mental health. Can you share your early thoughts on this theme we’re adding to our investment strategy?  

 

Hari: We know there’s an urgent need to deploy capital toward mental health solutions that increase access and affordability to care. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in five U.S. adults experiences mental illness. Symptoms of anxiety and depression in adults increased during the pandemic. Our goal is to support companies that improve access to health resources, especially for underserved communities. We’re interested in enhancing efficiency, improving patient outcomes, and reducing costs. 

 

Mental health challenges are deeply intertwined with broader societal issues, including housing, economic instability, and environmental resilience. For example, our investment in ICON, an Austin-based company using 3D printing technology to build homes in the U.S. and Mexico, illustrates how innovative solutions in housing can have a profound ripple effect. Not only does ICON address homelessness and disaster relief, but its approach also reduces construction waste and promotes sustainable building practices, aligning with our climate-focused strategy. 

 

We believe that stable, sustainable housing provides a critical foundation for mental well-being while contributing to climate resilience. By investing in solutions that bridge multiple themes, we hope to drive positive change across interconnected challenges. 

 

 

By investing in solutions that bridge multiple themes, we hope to drive positive change across interconnected challenges.

 

 

Liesel: That’s so important. I’ve always been passionate about creating synergies across our family office to ensure our investing, philanthropy, and policy efforts are aligned. For example, on climate, our Initiatives team works with Third Derivative, a climate tech accelerator for startups, and Energy for Growth Hub, a think tank focused on data-driven solutions for global energy poverty. What other steps are we taking to strengthen connections between our team and tools?  

 

Hari: One of the things I’m most excited about is how our investment strategy is becoming more integrated across Blue Haven. We’ve been incubating a new policy-enhanced investing approach to leverage our team’s expertise in navigating the regulatory and structural frameworks that enable success for the sectors we care about. As you know, all our investment themes like climate, fintech, and mental health have significant policy implications.  

 

Liesel: With a strong foundation in place, it sounds like our next chapter is about evolution, collaboration, and alignment across teams. That’s exciting. Thanks for leading the charge! 

Recruiting, training, and retaining top talent is a major challenge in Africa, particularly for startups where the HR function and human-capital strategies are often undervalued. Recognizing this need, the Blue Haven Initiatives team, responsible for strategic philanthropic commitments, incubated the RIKA Leadership Programme to help HR executives and senior capital leaders refine their skills in this rapidly growing region. 

 

Launched in 2021 with Blue Haven as the sole funder, the Rika program is an innovative executive training program that bridges the gap between traditional human capital management and modern holistic leadership, emphasizing emotional intelligence. It was developed in collaboration with a group of passionate local experts, including Susan Githuku, a former HR Director of Coca-Cola who founded and now runs Human Performance Dynamics Africa.  

 

The hybrid 20-week program offers training from global and local HR experts. Rika fellows engage in live online classes, receive individualized coaching, guidance on personal branding, and networking opportunities. A final thesis is required for graduation. 

 

 

Investing in human capital in many African countries is critical, even as startup funding slows.

 

 

Investing in human capital in many African countries is critical, even as startup funding slows. The World Bank Group projects the continent’s working-age population will grow by 740 million people by 2050. Blue Haven’s Daniel Wanjira says: “A lot of talent is emerging from these markets, so there’s a unique opportunity for companies to harness this talent for good.”  

 

Since its inception, 108 fellows from 15 countries, including Kenya, Ghana and South Africa, have completed the program. Most fellows credit the program with improving their performance and helping them build stronger continent-wide communities, and 27% of fellows received promotions or increased responsibilities after graduation. So far, 65 organizations, including Equity Bank, Safaricom, One Acre Fund, Mastercard Foundation, and Bank of Zambia, with a total of about 60,000 employees, have been represented.  

 

Program graduates, with an average of 8 to 15 years of work experience, say Rika has strengthened their decision-making, problem-solving, and communications skills. For example, Emily Kamunde-Osoro, an HR director and Founder of Rise & Learn Global in Nairobi, says Rika challenged her “to think differently, look ‘outside-in,’ and apply both local and global contexts in solving human capital challenges” at her organization. 

 

For impact investors, successfully addressing a market pain point is incredibly rewarding. Our hope is that Rika, through its impact on fellows, will ultimately benefit tens of thousands of employees and, more importantly, demonstrate the value of having strong human capital leaders who can position organizations for success. 

 

If you’re interested in accelerating human-capital development in Africa, reach out to our team to learn more. If you’re an executive who wants to participate in an upcoming cohort, apply here.  You can also read more about the program in this Stanford Social Innovation Review article. 

During a recent retreat in New York City, some members of our team enjoyed a walk through Central Park on the way to The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

We love to hear from readers – what topics or questions are you grappling with? For more information or to connect on any items in this newsletter, reach out to megan@bluehaveninitiative.com.