Dr. Morgan DeFoort has a background in technology development and entrepreneurship with over two decades of experience working in emerging markets – predominantly India and East Africa. Before starting Factor[e], Morgan was a Co-Director of the Energy Institute at Colorado State University, supporting over 200 interdisciplinary faculty, teaching, and leading R&D programs in a wide range of technology areas including engine systems, biofuels, and cookstoves. In addition, Morgan was a director at CSU STRATA, supporting university cleantech spinouts during formation and launch. Morgan holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Colorado State University and a BA in Physics from Hastings College. 

Tenbite Ermias has over 20 years of development finance and management consulting experience, during which he has invested, established international practices, built high-performing teams, and advised business and public sector leaders across Africa, the Middle East and the US. He is from Ethiopia and is passionate about the role of technology in economic development, impact investing in emerging markets and mentoring African entrepreneurs.

Previously, Tenbite was the Head of Africa at British International Investment (BII) where he was a member of the Executive and Investment Committees, and led a team responsible for deal origination, due diligence support and stakeholder management across Africa. Prior to that, he was a Partner with the Boston Consulting Group and McKinsey & Company for 17 years, most recently based in Nairobi, Kenya.

Tenbite holds MSc and BSc degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University where he had a dual focus on Mechatronics and Management Science.

Jamie Doyen has been working in finance for over a decade. Before joining Factor[e], Jamie was the Director of Finance for a technology startup, was the Associate Director of Finance for a communications conglomerate, and an Audit Associate at Deloitte & Touche.  Jamie holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Accounting from the University of Southern California as well as an MBA from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. She is also a Certified Public Accountant in California. 

Kiette has built teams and led operations in Africa for 15 years, working across different sectors including healthcare, education and agriculture. Most of that time was spent as the CEO of One Acre Fund Kenya, where Kiette led the team through its formative scaling years, growing their agricultural input loan program from 100,000 clients to half a million. More recently, Kiette has worked in a regional leadership capacity managing One Acre Fund programs in expansion markets including Burundi, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. Prior to joining One Acre Fund, Kiette was Director of Operations at Abaarso Tech, a secondary boarding school in Somaliland, and worked to build the school from inception to reality. Kiette has a Bachelor of Science in International Business from Northeastern University.

Bankole brings over a decade of experience delivering strategic leadership across multiple growth stage organizations in Africa including at The Jumia Group, and as the pioneer Managing Director of ENGIE Energy Access Nigeria where he led the mini grid and solar home system operations.  He previously worked with the financial inclusion and impact investment firm, Quona Capital and began his career at PWC and The Carlyle Group.   

Bankole has a BSc from Boston College and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Jessica Alderman serves as the Marketing & Communications Director at Factor[e] Ventures, where she spearheads the implementation of marketing strategies to accelerate global venture capital initiatives that drive climate innovation.

With nearly two decades working in the social enterprise sector, Jessica’s driving force is her fervent commitment to leverage marketing as a catalyst for sustainable impact. Having held pivotal roles at Climate Impact Partners, Nest360, and Envirofit, Jessica has been instrumental in nurturing startup growth in emerging markets, orchestrating global and local marketing campaigns, and advancing development conversations that engage a diverse audience.

Jessica holds a Master’s degree in public health from Johns Hopkins University, with a focus on Social and Behavioral Health.

Shiro brings 8+ years of experience as an operator in social impact businesses primarily across sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to joining the team at Factor E, Shiro was an early-stage founder and operations’ consultant in the agri-food sector. Before exploring entrepreneurship, she supported strategic operations and C-level priorities with sector-leading impact organizations, GiveDirectly and One Acre Fund. Shiro also serves as the Portfolio Services Senior Manager for our sister-fund, Equator VC.

Shiro holds an MA in environmental policy from Stanford University, and a BA in philosophy with Phi Beta Kappa honors from the University of Chicago.

Michael Emmerson was a product manager in the Solar Home System sector, validating new products and taking them to market across East and West Africa prior to joining the Factor[e] team. He holds a First Class Honours BEng degree in Mechanical Engineering from Southampton University and an MEng degree in Geological Engineering from the University of British Columbia. 

Ginika brings over 7 years of experience in investments and operations across renewable energy, agriculture, and healthcare sectors. Prior to joining Factor[e], Ginika worked at Daystar Power Group, a leading renewable energy company in Nigeria, and co-led the development and implementation of Project-She, the first female-only solar engineering training program in Nigeria.  She subsequently joined Aruwa Capital Management, a gender lensed growth equity fund based in Lagos as an investment professional and portfolio manager.  She also worked at FBN Quest capital with a focus on financial analysis and portfolio management.

Ginika holds a BSc in Economics and Management from Aston University, UK, and is currently a CFA level III candidate.

Jayson Rai brings 5 years of experience in technology startups and venture capital in Africa. Prior to joining Factor[e] Ventures, Jayson worked as an Investment Analyst at Bankable Frontier Associates (BFA) Global where he supported the Catalyst Fund and Jobtech Alliance teams in the investment of 22 early-stage climate-tech and jobtech startups across Africa. During that time, he also worked with the broader BFA Global venture building team to support BFA’s portfolio companies in financial modelling, market research and fundraising. He also worked at Enza Capital as a Venture Fellow where he co-led the investment in 2 early-stage startups in the education and construction sectors.

Jayson holds a First Class Honors BEng degree in Electrical and Power Systems from the Glasgow Caledonian University offered at the African Leadership University.”

Nick Goddard is a Chartered status engineer and scientist. Starting in technology development roles, he migrated into strategic planning, then techno-economic analysis and business development before transitioning into investment banking and investment consultation. Most of this work focused on environmental technologies (typically low carbon energy) and sustainable technologies for deployment in the developing world. Nick has a Master of the Arts in Physics from Cambridge University and a Ph.D. in Engineering from Imperial College London.

Sam Schiff has three years of experience supporting early-stage entrepreneurs. Prior to joining Factor[e], Sam worked in economic development, an angel investor syndicate, and university technology commercialization. Sam holds a BA in Neuroscience and Philosophy from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Mark Loch has nearly four decades of experience launching and building new businesses and social enterprises in North America, Latin America, Africa, and Asia, including 26 years of growing international practice groups as a Senior Partner at McKinsey and Company. Mark is also an operating partner at Blackhorn Ventures and a Director in Residence at Redstone Strategy Group. Mark holds both a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Ada Osakwe’s professional career spans the public sector; from Senior Advisor on Investments to Dr. Akin Adesina (Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture) to Senior Investment Officer of the African Development Bank and private sector. She is also the Founder of Agrolay Ventures and Nuli. Ada has an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, an MSc in Economics and Finance from the University of Warwick, and a BSc in Economics (First Class Honours) from the University of Hull.

Orli Arav has been a development finance and impact investing specialist for over 20 years. Her specific areas of leadership include development finance, project, and structured finance within funds, financial institutions, and advisory firms, and impact investing with a focus on frontier and emerging markets. Orli holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Economics from The Eitan Berglas School for Economics and pursued her Ph.D. in Economics from the London School of Economics (LSE).

​​Jonathan Berman is the CEO of Shell Foundation. Formerly, he was the Managing Partner of AIP, a private investment partnership that invests in early-stage technology companies focused on emerging markets. He serves on several boards of directors including Asoko Insight, an information services company delivering superior data and analysis on emerging market corporations to customers worldwide, and Technovation, an NGO empowering young women through entrepreneurship and technology training. He previously served as partner and director of the global corporate practice at Dalberg, a mission-driven advisory firm focused on frontier markets with twenty-one offices worldwide. Jonathan holds a BA in East Asian Studies from Yale and an MA in Political Economy from UC Berkeley.

Seth Silverman has cultivated leadership experience in climate change policy and as an international development practitioner and impact investor in energy access and agriculture development in East Africa, South Asia, and Central America, such as managing Kenya operations for the One Acre Fund. Seth has a J.D. from NYU School of Law, an M.Sc. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Stanford University, and a B.A. from Stanford University.

Meera Shah is Head of the Smallholder Farmer Portfolio at SF, where she is responsible for identifying and scaling solutions that enable smallholder farmers in Africa and South Asia to earn a sustainable living income. Previously Meera headed SF’s Household Energy and Off Grid Utilities Portfolio.

Meera currently serves on the board of Persistent (African Climate Venture Builder) and is an Advisory Board Member of Factor[e] (Venture Builder of decarbonised solutions for emerging markets). Meera has 10+ years’ experience in seeding and scaling pioneering social enterprises in Africa and India; providing them with strategic advisory and hands on operational support. She has co-created two social enterprises, served as a Board Observer for SunCulture (IoT enabled solar irrigation equipment), as an Advisory Council Member for Dharma Life (last mile distributor in rural India) and has served on the SF investment committee for three years. Meera led much of SF’s strategic work in last mile distribution and co-authored Last Mile Solutions for Low Income Consumers.

Prior to this, Meera worked for the Shell Group across a range of strategic and commercial roles in London, Milan and Istanbul. She holds a BSc in Economics Politics and International Studies from the University of Warwick. Meera is an alumni of London Business School (LBS) and has been a mentor on the LBS Entrepreneurial Edge Programme.

Dr. Bryan Willson is a professor of mechanical engineering and Director of Colorado State University’s Energy Institute. Bryan is the founder of CSU’s Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory (EECL) and is the founder and board member of Envirofit International Ltd. In 2009, Bryan was recognized by Scientific American, joining President Barack Obama, Bill Gates, and Michael Bloomberg, in its inaugural list of the “Scientific American 10” — ten individuals who have made significant contributions to guiding science to serve humanity on a global basis.