Team and governance
A lean investment team with backgrounds in venture capital, valuation, audit and operations, overseen by a five-member Board and, for Seed Fund II, an Investment Committee that includes independent members.
Management and investment team
Audrey Verhaeghe
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
An ecosystem builder and angel and venture investor focused on Southern and East Africa. Audrey leads strategy, fundraising and the firm’s external relationships.
She founded the SA Innovation Summit, the Research Institute for Innovation and Sustainability (RIIS) and the TechTribe Accelerator, and co-founded Dazzle Angels, an angel network backing women-led technology start-ups.
QUALIFICATIONS
- PhD, Sustainability of Technology Enterprises
- MBA, Innovation Ecosystems
- SAVCA and RisCura fund management courses
- AVCA fundraising masterclass
- CAT II fund manager’s licence
Saskia Nysschens
Chief Operating Officer and Partner
Leads fund operations, deal execution, portfolio support and regulatory compliance, and is a Key Individual under the firm’s FSCA licence.
Before joining Anza in 2022 she was Chief Operating Officer of the SA Innovation Summit, where she ran investment-readiness programmes across the SADC region. Earlier, at Lodox Systems, a South African medical device company, she managed stakeholder relations, marketing and product, and supported its expansion into the United States.
QUALIFICATIONS
- BCompt (Accounting), UNISA
- BCom (Corporate Communication), NWU
- SAVCA Emerging Fund Manager Programme
- AVCA venture capital courses
Meriam Kekana CA(SA)
Executive Director and Fractional CFO
A chartered accountant with more than 20 years in audit, risk, governance and financial leadership. Meriam is seconded to Anza Fund Manager from Blueprint Group.
Her career includes twelve years at EY, rising to Senior Manager in Assurance; four years at BP Southern Africa as Combined Assurance, Risk and Control Manager; Chief Financial Officer of Bliss Holdings; and more than six years at the South African Reserve Bank. She sits on the Audit Committee of SAIPA.
QUALIFICATIONS
- CA(SA)
- MSc Finance and Financial Law, SOAS, University of London
- BCom Honours (Accounting), University of Johannesburg
Gilbert Anyetei CA(SA)
Head of Portfolio and Executive Director
Leads portfolio growth strategy, exit planning, valuations and fundraising support for portfolio companies. He joined Anza in 2025 and is an executive director of Anza Fund Manager.
He was previously Investment Principal at Innovation Edge, managing due diligence, deal structuring and impact measurement, and a Senior Associate at RisCura, where he valued more than 80 companies across Sub-Saharan Africa and was principal author of the Bright Africa publication. He began his career at PwC.
QUALIFICATIONS
- CA(SA)
- Passed CFA Levels I and II
- BBusSc (Finance and Accounting) and PGDip Accounting, University of Cape Town
- AVPA Impact Investing Fellow
Touseef Banderker CA(SA)
Associate
A chartered accountant based in Cape Town, specialising in valuations of unlisted assets across African and international markets. He joined Anza in July 2026 through the SA SME Fund emerging manager programme.
He qualified as a chartered accountant after completing his articles at RisCura, where he built expertise in valuations and investment analysis for private equity clients.
QUALIFICATIONS
- CA(SA)
- Business Science degree
- Postgraduate qualifications in Accounting and Investment Management
Board of Directors
The Board of Anza Fund Manager (Pty) Ltd oversees strategy, risk and compliance with the FAIS Act.
Audrey Verhaeghe
Founder and Chief Executive Officer; Executive Director
Meriam Kekana
Executive Director and Fractional Chief Financial Officer; CA(SA)
Gilbert Anyetei
Executive Director; Head of Portfolio
Coretta Mohale
Independent Non-Executive Director
A scientist and board leader with more than 25 years across private equity, energy, infrastructure, engineering and sustainability. She is CEO of Viedecore Holdings and founder of Viedecore/GuCor Oil, a circular-economy business in waste-oil and tyre recycling and biofuels. She holds an MBA from the UCT Graduate School of Business and began her career as a scientist at Sasol, the CSIR, the Medical Research Council and Rand Water.
Robert E. Williams
Non-Executive Director
Head of Global Channels at SandboxAQ, with two decades of go-to-market leadership at Amazon Web Services, Palo Alto Networks and AT&T. Based in the United States, he holds an MBA from the University of Cincinnati and focuses on supporting founders from under-represented groups.
Seed Fund II Investment Committee
Approves every investment the fund makes. It has five members: two independent members, a shareholder of Anza Holdings, a key person and a second-tier key person.
Llewellyn Fredericks
Independent member. CEO of a private equity fund manager and SAVCA board member; CA(SA)
Michelle Bholosha
Independent member. Private equity investment professional
Roby Stancel
Member, not independent as a shareholder of Anza Holdings. Partner, VCI and Innovation Architects
Saskia Nysschens
Key person. Chief Operating Officer and Partner
Meriam Kekana
Second-tier key person. Executive Director and Fractional CFO; CA(SA)
Advisory network
Advisers and mentors in Africa, Europe and the United States, matched to portfolio companies by expertise.
FILTER BY EXPERTISE
Showing 10 advisers
Emma FitzGerald
Independent committee chair and non-executive director; former CEO, Puma Energy
Energy transition, commercialising emerging technology
Kuda Mukova
CEO, RIIS; formerly Head of Impact and Sustainability, Norsad Capital
Impact and ESG investing, sustainable finance
Davis Cook
Chairperson, RIIS; co-founder and non-executive director, Anza Holdings and Anza Capital
Development economics, innovation strategy
Dr Lynette Moretlo Molefi
Founder and Managing Director, Telemedicine Africa
Telemedicine and eHealth
Benjamin Shaw
Investment Associate, EXEO Capital; co-founder, Xhanti Venture Fund
Venture finance, fintech, founder experience
Kendrall Felder
Co-founder and CEO, Cyber Alliance Consortium; formerly Cisco Systems
Cybersecurity, US-Africa investment
Larry D. Yon II
Co-founder and President, Cyber Alliance Consortium; founder, B-Direct
US-Africa business development, partnerships
Patricia Norris
Founder, Commuter Transport Engineering and the Business Advisory Clinic
Manufacturing, mentoring women entrepreneurs
David Haigh
Advisor, PEAK Consulting
Operations, customer experience
David Walker
Senior Advisor, Asper Investment Management; former Head of Infrastructure Funds, European Investment Bank
Impact and climate investment, fund design and fundraising