I am humbled by such an opinion. I have worked hard to be where I am and I am a living testimony that with God, focus, vision and determination, one can reach the skies. At 25, I am the CEO of VenCap Kenya.
Where did you grow up and how was your childhood?
I grew up in Nairobi. We are two children in my family and I am the firstborn. What I remember about my childhood most is that my parents always wanted the best for us. They made sure they took us to the best schools so that we could get the best education.
You attended top-notch private schools in Kenya. Share that experience.
I went to Banda School and Rosslyn Academy, both in Nairobi. I was an average kid at school, nothing extraordinary. By the way, from the affluent schools I went to, one can assume that I am from a rich family and I had everything on a silver platter. Far from it. My parents worked really hard to take us to good schools.
At 17, in 2005, I left Kenya for the US to study International Relations at a small private University in Miami.
Tell us about your experience studying abroad.
It was a huge culture shock and I was overwhelmed. I was in school with kids who were driving Ferraris and Aston Martins. I kept trying to fit in and peer pressure got the better of me.
What do you mean by that?
I started drinking and got into hard drugs. I was doing badly in class and was getting straight Fs. When my parents called, I would pretend that everything was okay. Things got so bad one time that I even attempted to commit suicide.
That must have been an experience…
Yes, it was a very trying moment for me. I came back to Kenya after a failed suicide attempt in 2006, with nothing to show for my time away. Being home only made me realize how I had wasted myself. I was ashamed of what I had become.
How did you get clean?
My family tried getting local help, but I was in a severely dysfunctional state. They eventually sent me to rehab in South Africa. That is when I realized I had sunk so low and it was causing a lot of stress to my parents. I was touched by how they were trying to get me back on track. I was ashamed because of the pain I was causing them.
Was that your turning point?
My breakthrough moment was when I got born again while at the rehab. My family have always been devout Christians and during that time, they preached to me about Christ. Thanks to Christ, I have been drug free for seven years.
What happened after that episode?
I returned to Kenya free of drugs and ready to take over the world. I always wanted to be in the hotel industry and at the time, I figured that the best way to get in was through any job I could get and then to slowly climb up the ranks. I applied for a job as a kitchen boy everywhere I could think of from K1 to Sankara, but no one would hire me, as I was not qualified enough.
What happened next?
When that did not work out, my dad gave me his small tea exporting business to run around 2008. At the time I was only 21, but I had watched my father run it. It was challenging at the beginning because many clients and competitors viewed me as too young and immature.
When did you finally make a breakthrough in business?
I visited Ahadi Trust children’s home in 2011 where I met three young guys who had a brilliant idea, and that was the turning point in my life.
They had an idea on insurance, which they shared with me. All they needed was for someone to invest in their idea. They trusted me with their idea and asked me to help them push it. Because I did not have any capital of my own, I partnered with big organizations. I did not know anyone but I believed in their idea and so we got into a partnership where I got 20 per cent and they 80 per cent. I then knocked on many more doors and sent emails to anyone I thought could help. After many rejections, closed doors, and months of trying, someone listened. That was the real deal I badly needed. From then on, I became a business connector and started VenCap Kenya.
My job is to get ideas from people then I turn them into viable companies.
What has been you biggest success so far?
There was a university student who came to us with a device he invented that can be played into any vehicle like a radio. It will be launched in New York for the yellow cabs. We are able to control the music and provide a platform for advertisements through the device, while paying ‘rent’ for each radio per month as well as providing a few other value addition prospects to the vehicle operators.
What else do you do?
Last year while visiting Maasai Mara with my family, we noticed a man who was sitting alone, and because my mother loves to make everyone feel welcome, she asked me to talk to him. As we talked, I learnt that he ran a hedge fund in New York worth 18 billion dollars and that it was his first time in Africa. We got talking and I told him about what I was doing — financing ideas for people who cannot afford it. He liked my idea so much that he agreed to become part of my project. Early this year, we packed our trucks in Kibera and Dagoretti and asked people to pitch their ideas to us and if it was viable we would fund it.
How does that work?
If we think an idea is viable, my team comes in to do all the groundwork to create a company. We also work with the idea owner and he gets to sit down in board meetings, which provide valuable experience. Our intention is to empower and not to own the company.
How many partnerships are you in?
As of December last year, I had gotten into unique investment partnerships with just short of 22,000 Kenyans, grouped into 15 sectors. It is, however, not a charity, but a company whose goal is to empower.
What type of ideas do you look for?
It does not have to be a billion-dollar idea. We consider it as long as it has a strong social impact. Our aim is to reduce poverty. A small company that can employ five people decently and scale from there is gold to us.
How do you manage to run these businesses all over Kenya?
I work for 18 hours every day. I am motivated by the fact that I am trying to inspire something bigger. I have an amazing team behind me, all aged below 23. We share the same goal. When everyone is on the same page, 18 hours a day is too little. We are motivated by one special clause — to honour our God with our actions.
A lot of times, people’s ideas get stolen when they try to sell them to investors. Any advice?
You have to be careful with your idea. Have a non-disclosure agreement from a lawyer that requires those you show your idea to sign so they cannot take it without your permission. The truth is you do not need an investor to turn your dream into reality.
What is your highest career moment?
It was in April this year when I signed a deal with two hedge funds, one worth 17 billion dollars and another for 18 billion dollars. That was an incredible blessing. They believed in a kid without a Finance background. That truly is God, nothing else.
How do you keep yourself grounded?
I look at everything as a gift from God. We are all stewards at the end of the day. God took an alcoholic, drug addict, suicidal, dropout and turned him into what I am today. It does not matter where you are born or grew up, God can do anything. I give Him all the glory.