Kiara Suttner-Tromp Promoted To Partner At HAVAÍC

Cape Town-headquartered Venture Capital (VC) firm HAVAÍC has announced the promotion of Kiara-Suttner Tromp to Partner. Effective immediately, she joins Managing Partner Ian Lessem and Partners Grant Rock and Rob Heath on HAVAÍC’s management team.

Suttner-Tromp first joined HAVAÍC as a Senior Associate in 2019. During her tenure, Suttner-Tromp’s financial and analytical acumen has been instrumental in building out HAVAÍC’s decision-making, risk management, and reporting functions. She also spearheaded the due diligence and negotiations for bringing breakdown management platform RNR App and AI chatbot developer Rather.Chat into HAVAÍC’s 20-strong portfolio of African-born tech startups.

In her new role, Suttner-Tromp will continue applying critical thinking and a diverse lens to source high-growth, technology-enabled businesses as investment opportunities. Post-investment, she will be key in helping portfolio companies scale and achieve sustainable growth.

Suttner-Tromp earned her Bachelor of Business Science and a postgraduate diploma in accounting from the University of Cape Town before obtaining her CFA designation. She completed her articles at KPMG South Africa before joining RisCura as a Senior Private Equity Analyst. Suttner-Tromp stepped into Venture Capital five years ago, and her positive impact at HAVAÍC and on the greater sector continues to gain momentum.

At the time, Venture Capital in Africa was an emerging industry on the cusp of achieving phenomenal growth. Today, the maturing ecosystem is increasingly supported by leading institutional investors offering compelling opportunities to diversify portfolios and generate higher returns over longer periods.

“I feel extremely grateful to be in this space where I get to work with inspiring entrepreneurs who believe they can change the world, and they do,” said Suttner-Tromp. “It’s an industry that will always keep you humble and leave you hungry to learn and grow at the same rate as the disruptions we see in this space, making it ever more rewarding.”

“As a financial professional who has honed her skills and experience to become a leader in African VC, Kiara not only excels at identifying potential but also has the business mind, entrepreneurial spirit, and passion for bringing out the best in our portfolio companies and working with founders to achieve sustainable, inclusive, and impactful growth,” said Lessem. “We are delighted to have her join us as a Partner and, together, continue our journey to unlock growth in Africa and beyond,” he added.

A passionate advocate for the role of entrepreneurship in fuelling economic development and local job creation, Suttner-Tromp is a keen contributor to industry publications and a regular panellist at leading industry events. Most recently, she joined the line-up at the 2024 Africa Family Office Investment Summit and the launch of SAVCA’s 2023 VC Survey.

Suttner-Tromp’s promotion coincides with the first close of HAVAÍC’s third African-focussed fund announced last week. The $50 million African Innovation Fund 3 is earmarking 15 investments in early-stage, high-growth, post-revenue investments born in Africa with global potential.

The announcement follows the release of HAVAÍC’s 2023 results, marking a 400 per cent increase in total annual revenue and a landmark fifth exit. During the reporting period, the VC delivered 193 per cent in realised exited returns and 120 per cent in unrealised carrying returns. Most recently, HAVAÍC completed an investment in sports data and analytics company Sportable, plus follow-on investments in RNR, RapidDeploy, hearX Group, and AURA.