My name is Adesuwa Okunbo Rhodes, I am the Founder of Aruwa Capital Management, a growth equity fund investing in businesses for women and by women. We are passionate about showcasing the untapped potential of investing in women on the continent. It’s my pleasure to share my GAIA Africa Impact story.
I heard about the GAIA AFRICA dinners in Lagos and the awesome space that GAIA AFRICA had created for professional women in Nigeria to network and collaborate. I sent the CEO of GAIA AFRICA, whom we fondly call TCJ, a cold LinkedIn message in January 2020 telling her how I loved the fact she had created a space for women to do business together, something men have been doing for centuries. We immediately hit it off and I officially became a member of GAIA AFRICA, thinking it would be just another means to network and be inspired by other women in Nigeria, not knowing the significant impact GAIA AFRICA would have on me and my business in the months that followed.
I found the Mastermind group to be incredibly valuable, it helped me to successfully pivot my fundraising strategy in a way that was more adapted to the current realities in our markets
Fast forward to April 2020, I got a call from TCJ in the midst of the lockdown, just checking in to see how I was, and I mentioned to her that a lot of my plans regarding my business had been put on hold due to the pandemic and that I was also struggling with childcare for my then 5 month old son. TCJ immediately came to my rescue on several fronts. Not only did she suggest several very helpful childcare options, she also put together a GAIA Mastermind group of 5 incredible senior women in a similar industry to mine, solely to help me brainstorm how to overcome challenges surrounding my business.
GAIA AFRICA organized a pitch session for me where I was able to share my vision with fellow GAIA AFRICA members and raise a significant portion of Aruwa’s recent fund commitments.
I found the Mastermind group to be incredibly valuable, it helped me to successfully pivot my fundraising strategy in a way that was more adapted to the current realities in our markets and also helped me to consider various options for the different tasks I had ahead for the year including hiring new team members.
In addition, being part of GAIA AFRICA and the platform that TCJ created and provided, GAIA AFRICA organized a pitch session for me where I was able to share my vision with fellow GAIA AFRICA members and raise a significant portion of Aruwa’s recent fund commitments. Importantly these commitments came from senior professional women who are successful in their own right and truly want to support each other and see other women thrive.
Unlike other women’s clubs, we are here to do business too and truly elevate each other, just like men have been doing for centuries.
I truly feel that being part of GAIA AFRICA has been one of the best decisions I made in February 2020 TCJ and all the members of GAIA AFRICA are the true definition of “women supporting women”, there are tangible results from being part of this tribe in addition to the awesome networking opportunities. Unlike other women’s clubs, we are here to do business too and truly elevate each other, just like men have been doing for centuries.
