Bio

Tokunboh Ishmael is co-founder and Managing Director of Alitheia Capital, a female-led private equity firm, and co-founder of Alitheia IDF, through which she raised over $100 million to invest in female-led businesses across Africa. With more than two decades of experience, she is a pioneer of impact and socially responsible investing on the continent, with early focus areas including fintech-driven financial inclusion and gender-lens investing. Her investment philosophy centres on backing businesses that address the accessibility, affordability, and inclusion needs of underserved markets, creating both financial returns and social transformation. Several of her portfolio companies have already redefined their sectors.

Beyond investing, Tokunboh is an active ecosystem builder. She mentors SME entrepreneurs, advises African and European governments on access to essential services, and sits on boards spanning fintech, FMCG, and the Earthshot Prize where she champions diversity, ethical governance, and responsible investing. She also created Yellow Cowries, a gamified financial literacy platform for children and entrepreneurs.

A Yale World Fellow and inaugural Aspen Institute Finance Leaders Fellow, she is a globally recognised speaker on private equity, venture capital, ESG, gender-lens investing, and the SDGs.

Recent engagements include Harvard Business School’s Africa Business Conference, the International Women Leadership Conference, and the Association of the Luxembourg Fund Industry (ALFI). Tokunboh’s work is anchored in a single, consistent conviction: that capital deployed with intention towards equity, inclusion, and essential services can simultaneously generate wealth and transform lives.