#ThrowbackPOD: Maya Horgan Famodu in 2017, before founding Ingressive Capital
Catch Maya Horgan Famodu at a pivotal moment—still running investor tours between Silicon Valley and Africa—just before launching her groundbreaking venture capital fund.
Episode overview
This early 2017 archive dialogue captures Maya Horgan Famodu (Founder and Partner, Ingressive Capital) before she became known for straight-talking LinkedIn posts sharing practical founder advice, investment insights and personal growth updates. Fresh from investment banking, she was forging new pathways between Silicon Valley capital and African startup innovation via carefully-curated investor tours—laying the groundwork for Ingressive Capital's investment thesis.
Listening back, you can hear how the same independence that helped a "small girl from a trailer park" believe she could launch a VC fund was already shaping her vision.
Critical points
- The early signs of the independent thinking that would later become Horgan Famodu's trademark
- How her unconventional background shaped her approach to investment
- Why bridging Silicon Valley and African tech required a translator's insight
- The unexpected ways growing up between worlds prepared her for building cross-cultural understanding
What we know now
Looking back from 2024, this conversation reveals both professional and personal threads that would define Horgan Famodu's impact:
- The evolution from curating entrées to African tech startup opportunities for foreign investors to leading investments
- The shift from understated confidence to singular public voice
- How her own origin story and resourceful entrepreneurship experience would later resonate with founders
Questions we're pondering
- How is Horgan Famodu's public sharing of her personal journey influencing African tech discourse?
- What role does authentic leadership play in venture capital today?
- How is the relationship between personal story and professional impact evolving in African tech?