QED Investors has hired two new executives to boost its presence in Africa. QED is one of the most prolific Fintech investors in the world. Founded by Nigel Morris and Frank Rotman in 2007, QED’s timing was just about perfect enabling it to benefit from the rapid transition from analog to digital finance. More recent investments have targeted the red-hot Latin America Fintech market. It appears that QED is poised to replicate its Latam success by buttressing its Africa team.
QED has hired Chidinma (Chid) Iwueke who will have a dual focus on U.S. and international investments. QED notes that prior to joining their team, she was a partner at Microtraction, a pre-seed investment firm with depth in Fintech headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. She participated in more than 30 startups, expanding the company’s reach across Africa.
Originally from Nigeria, Chid holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s Degree in nuclear engineering from the University of Tennessee.
QED has also hired Gbenga Ajayi who joins QED as a partner, is the company’s first hire focused solely on fintech investments in Africa.
According to QED, Ajayi has spent his career working across Fintech and Africa in a variety of roles from product development and growth to marketing and partnerships. Prior to joining QED, he was co-founder of Kanza Ventures, a boutique seed investment, and advisory firm focused on Fintech in Africa.
Ajayi was also a product director for SMB growth at Wise (formerly TransferWise) and the head of Strategic Partnerships at Revolut, Europe’s biggest neobank.
Notable QED investments include AvidXchange, Bitso, Current, Creditas, Credit Karma, Kavak, Klarna, Konfio, Loft, Nubank, QuintoAndar, Remitly and SoFi.