Welcome to INSIGHT54

AFRICA THROUGH A FOCUSED LENS

InSight54 delivers precise, data-driven support to
investors and donors, empowering
post-investment success for African innovators.

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What makes InSight54 different?

InSight54 is fueled by curiosity, constantly questioning “why” and digging deeper to uncover meaningful answers. Grounded in engineering principles, it operates as a no-nonsense advisory firm, delivering results that are both data-informed and insight-driven.

For example, we leverage a proprietary database enriched with exclusive insights from over 800 African founders and 150 investors, capturing the nuances of $15 billion in transactions.

This unparalleled resource provides a digitized lens into the heart of Africa’s operational entrepreneurial and investment ecosystem.

Investor Insight Articles

Africa’s Job Creation Dilemma: Chasing Trends, Missing Solutions

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African ventures should have generated $20.5 billion in exits, but haven’t. Now what?

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Entrepreneurship in Africa: the failed $1 billion employment solution?

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Gender Lens Investing: 15 years and $30 billion later…for a 1% improvement?

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Selling EdTech in Africa is hard: but is tech the problem?

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Is African venture capital funding horses disguised as unicorns?

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From Chalkboards to Change: Financing Africa’s Educational Future

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The 85% Shortfall: Why Africa’s Seed startups struggle to advance to Series A

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Managing director

Curiosity Driven Insights and Support


Karim Mohamed is an African-Canadian refugee who describes himself as a “recovering engineer.” Before turning to investing in African innovators, Karim spent nearly a decade building robots to inspect Canada’s nuclear power plants.

For nearly a decade, Karim has been investing in African businesses and innovators across East and West Africa. His direct deal transaction experience spans diverse sectors, including EdTech to Employment, Creative Sector, Agriculture, Energy, and FinTech.

Whether leveraging equity, quasi-equity, debt, or performance-based financing tools like impact bonds, Karim excels in utilizing blended finance approaches to drive growth and development.

Closing transactions in Africa is challenging, but adding value post-investment is what truly distinguishes Karim. Driven by curiosity, InSight54’s insight articles offer a window into how deeply Karim and his team think about supporting African innovations.

Our services

Pre-Investment and
Post-Investment Support

At InSight54, our approach is grounded in real-world experience. From evaluating thousands of companies to launching investment funds, crafting startup accelerator programs, and developing cutting-edge financing tools like Development Impact Bonds, we bring unparalleled expertise to the table. This hands-on track record enables us to provide tailored pre-investment and post-investment support, helping investors and entrepreneurs navigate challenges, unlock growth, and achieve lasting impact with precision and confidence.

Pre-Investment Diligence

We provide meticulous pre-investment evaluations, combining market insights, financial analysis, and operational assessments. Our approach ensures that investors make informed decisions, reducing risk and increasing the likelihood of success.

Governance and Investor Relations Audit

We assess businesses’ governance practices, meeting them where they are and crafting tailored roadmaps for improvement as they scale. For investor relations, we enhance monthly, quarterly, and annual reporting, aligning updates with tailored KPIs to ensure clear and effective communication with investors.

Post-Investment Portfolio Management

Our hands-on portfolio management support maximizes the potential of investments. We focus on operational improvements, performance tracking, and strategic interventions to help ventures scale effectively and achieve long-term impact.

Investment Fund Strategy Development

We craft tailored investment fund strategies, leveraging our experience in fund creation and management. From defining focus areas to structuring financing tools, we ensure funds are designed to deliver measurable outcomes for investors and beneficiaries.

Our Purpose

Empowering Africa’s Future Through Data-Driven Entrepreneurship

To rewrite the narrative of African entrepreneurship by equipping innovators and investors with the insights, strategies, and tools needed to successful.

Africa’s development challenges are immense, with the World Bank recently reporting that poverty in the region is rising, not falling. While entrepreneurship alone cannot solve these complex issues, effective entrepreneurship—grounded in data, actionable insights, and operational rigor—is essential to driving meaningful change. We believe that by breaking down barriers, uncovering opportunities, and empowering entrepreneurs with precise strategies, we can transform challenges into progress, fostering ventures that lead to lasting resilience and prosperity across the continent.

Current and Former Clients

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