Laura Davis is Co-CEO of Renew Capital with over 20 years' experience working and investing in Africa. She co-founded Renew Capital Angels, a global network of investors from the US, UK and Canada committed to backing African SMEs. Having lived in East Africa for 12 years, Laura splits her time between Ethiopia and Rwanda while cultivating extensive networks with foundations and investors interested in Africa's private sector development.

In your view, what is the most pressing challenge facing the VC ecosystem right now?

Investment-ready pipeline. At Renew Capital, we’re investing heavily in building the infrastructure and deal flow to support early-stage entrepreneurship across the continent. But great deals remain too rare—because not enough capital is flowing into the sector to convince a broad and capable cohort of entrepreneurs to endure the pain and risk of building truly great companies. Until we fix that, scale will remain elusive.

How should the African private capital industry maintain momentum on gender equity in the face of fluctuating commitment?

At Renew Capital, gender equity is both a moral imperative and a strategic priority. We embed gender-smart policies in our team and across our portfolio because we believe diverse leadership leads to better outcomes—and long-term economic growth. The key to momentum? Treat it not as a program, but as a core part of how you invest and operate.

Which bold move have you taken in your career that created unexpected opportunities for you or others in the industry?

Making bets beyond Lagos, Nairobi, Cairo and Cape Town. At Renew Capital, we’re not afraid to enter overlooked markets and back founders who are outliers. That willingness to go where others don’t has opened doors, surfaced extraordinary talent, and we hope will help shape ecosystems from the ground up.