About The Baobab Network

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Building Baobab businesses

Our name, brand and identity are inspired by the Baobab tree, an iconic symbol of life and growth in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Baobab Team

We are a team of entrepreneurs, passionate about driving innovation and investment across Africa.

NIAMA El BASSUNIE
Managing Partner

Niama joined our team as Partner in October 2022. Previous to joining TBN, Niama founded, built and exited Waystocap, a Moroccan B2B distribution startup (that went through YC in 2017). Ex PWC and a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer.

ARTHUR CHUPEAU
Head of Ventures

Art is in charge of selecting and scaling Baobab's portfolio companies. He has worked across five continents and brings with him deep experience in investment banking, PE, and start-ups. Passionate about everything Africa, he’s also a Manchester United fan and amateur DJ. He loves dancing, do not dare challenge him for an Afrobeat battle!

TOM FAIRBURN
Co-Founder

Tom’s family have lived in Kenya since 1993 and he spent eleven years at school in Nairobi. After graduating from The University of Bath, Tom worked at an FMCG in brand strategy and commodity buying roles before setting up TBN.

TOBY HANINGTON
Co-Founder

Toby met Tom at the University of Bath, and they also spent some time studying in Vancouver. Toby joined the world of investment banking after university, and set up TBN after a brief stint coaching the Swaziland National Rugby team.

MARIA INZIANI
Venture Partner

Maria specialises in data science and market intelligence for the African tech ecosystem. With her deep experience at Baobab Insights, she helps start-ups leverage on data to increase business efficiency and drive growth. She is an intrepid traveller. She takes the road less travelled for food and cultural experience.

WANJIKU KIMANI
Venture Partner

A graduate of the LSE and Stellenbosch University, Wanjiku leads on the growth of our portfolio companies. She is also the founder of a networking platform for young women in business in Kenya. Before joining Baobab, Wanjiku was working in an analytics and growth role at Sokowatch, a Kenyan supply chain logistics start-up.

SHAMSA MOHAMED
Junior Venture Partner

Shamsa drives forward our portfolio growth, focusing on marketing and communications strategies. Prior to joining The Baobab Network, she has worked with both Media and Pan-African tech startups in Africa to drive impact communications, product adoptions and Go-to-Market strategies across 18 markets in Africa.

MIMI MUNDIA
Marketing and Brand Manager

Mimi is a marketing grad with a passion for developing brand stories and strategy. Before joining The Baobab Network, Mimi worked on a variety of campaigns mainly for FMCGs and media. She loves working with start-ups and leads on our marketing and branding.

CHRISTINE NAMARA
Venture Partner

Namara joined us from Kenyan logistics start-up Sendy in January 2021 as a Venture Partner to lead on product and growth support for our portfolio. Namara has a wealth of experience across multiple business functions and also previously worked at Africa’s Talking, one of East Africa’s most successful tech companies.

RUTH NYAKIO
Data Scientist

A Computer Science graduate from Ashesi University in Ghana and a passionate mathematician, Ruth leads on the research and analytics behind Baobab Insights, reporting on trends and analysing key data sets.

RON ONYONKA
Full Stack Developer

One of Kenya’s hottest young tech talents, Ron joined us from Upande to lead on the development of the Baobab Insights data platform. Ron is a Biochemistry grad from Egerton University and an alumnus of Moringa School, where he completed an immersive software engineering course, specialising in Full Stack Python.

AMBAR van der WATH
Investor Relations Associate

Ambar builds and curates our global co-investor community. Ambar previously worked at Investec and EY in South Africa and more recently for a venture-backed start-up in London.