Enygma Ventures, the only Venture Capital fund to focus on investing in women entrepreneurs in the SADC region is proud to announce its official launch, October 2019. The US-based fund is a unique purpose driven investment fund, founded by award-winning entrepreneurs Sarah & Jacob Dusek, aimed at empowering, mentoring and capitalizing outstanding female entrepreneurs in Southern Africa.
Women entrepreneurs have traditionally been woefully underfunded with only 2% of all Venture Capital in the US going to women. In Africa 47% of businesses are owned by women yet very few scale or have access to appropriate capital sources. Engyma Ventures plans to empower women to help level the playing field, by closing the gap for funding for women in Southern Africa. Unlike many African focused Venture Capital funds Engyma Ventures will have a wide sector focus so that businesses that are not primarily tech businesses will also have opportunities to be funded.
With an initial fund of over R100,000,000, Enygma Ventures is looking for outstanding female entrepreneurs whose businesses have the capability to grow and scale and who are interested to explore raising additional capital for their business.
Sarah Dusek said “I know how difficult it can be for women to think big because we have had so few role models to follow after. I also understand the unique struggles and challenges of building a big business, having been a founder and CEO myself. We want to help women think big and create flexible financial solutions for them with efficient & strategic deployment of capital whilst also providing helpful tailored support.”
Working in conjunction with local partner Lelemba Phiri at the Africa Trust Group, Engyma Ventures is excited to create a unique partnership adding on the ground holistic support, access to networks, accountability, and strategic direction through the Africa Trust Group.
Lelemba Phiri notes “We are so excited about this strategic partnership as it validates the enormous potential of female entrepreneurs in the region and the opportunities that exist to invest in them.” The Africa Trust Group will support successful applicants through an Investor-Ready program after a successful application to Enygma Ventures.
For more information, eligibility criteria and an application link can be found at www.engymaventures.com . Applications for Enygma Venture’s first funding round should be made before December 1st, 2019.
Engyma Ventures is located in Washington DC, USA with local partner The Africa Trust Group based in Cape Town, S Africa, and Lusaka, Zambia.
About the Founders
Sarah Dusek – Co-founder & General Partner
Sarah Dusek is Co-Founder of Under Canvas Inc,; the leading US adventure-hospitality company offering luxurious glamping accommodations just minutes from America’s most popular and iconic national parks. In 2017, under Sarah’s leadership Under Canvas received a spot on the coveted Inc. 5000 list and Sarah was named to the EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women list from Ernst & Young. In 2018, Sarah co-founded the American Glamping Association with a goal of bringing consumer clarity to the fast-growing industry by providing accreditation to U.S. glamping properties that meet a baseline standard.
Sarah believes passionately in empowering women to reach their full potential and enabling them to grow in their leadership. This commitment extends to her broader mission to help grow scalable, sustainable businesses that have the power to transform communities, cities, and nations. 2019 marks the launch of Enygma Ventures, a private investment fund focusing on investing in women-led businesses in Southern Africa. Having spent her early 20’s in Southern Africa working for an NGO, Sarah returned to Africa with the conviction to empower women to innovate and grow businesses that not only support imminent need to
local communities, but also serve to solve broader economic and social problems.
Jacob Dusek CoFounder & General Partner
Jacob Dusek is Co-Founder of Under Canvas Inc,; the leading US adventure-hospitality company offering luxurious glamping accommodations just minutes from America’s most popular and iconic national parks. Jacob’s award winning work on sustainability and design has elevated Under Canvas to be the US leader for pioneering hotels. In 2018 Jacob was awarded the Hospitality Design Award for most Sustainable Hotel design. Jacob’s commitment to pioneering water and power minimalization solutions in commercial settings has earned Under Canvas global recognition whilst creating a brand that was inspired by a love of nature and the outdoors. Under Canvas has set an unprecedented new standard in ecological development while also re-defining experiential hospitality in a
meaningful way.
Jacob believes passionately in disrupting traditional, outdated and hierarchical methods of financing businesses. Recognizing the need for a revolution Jacob was keen to lead the charge to create meaningful solutions for some of the world’s biggest problems. 2019 marks the launch of Enygma Ventures, a private investment fund focusing on investing in womenled businesses in Southern Africa.