Joyce-Ann Wainaina

IWA Team

March 25, 2026

Joyce-Ann Wainaina
Managing Partner, Chui Ventures, Nairobi, Kenya

Joyce-Ann Wainaina is a pan-African investor, board director, and institutional builder with a distinguished career spanning global banking and venture capital. She is the Managing Partner of Chui Ventures, a pan-African seed-stage venture capital firm backing African founders building scalable, mass-market solutions in fintech, B2B Software, digital commerce, and climate tech. Their growing team has over 60 years of combined experience in global corporate banking, private equity and wealth management across Africa, USA and the UK.

Under her leadership, Chui Ventures successfully raised and closed an oversubscribed Fund I, investing across multiple African markets with a strong emphasis on disciplined capital, gender equity, and long-term value creation. She is currently leading the launch of Chui Ventures Fund II.

Ever grateful for every progress made, she says “I am proud and deeply grateful to share the final close of Chui Ventures Fund I at US$17.3M, surpassing our original US$10M target. This milestone reflects the power of belief from our anchor LPs, Mastercard Foundation Africa Growth Fund and Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, and an extraordinary community of African family offices and HNWIs. 

I’m especially proud that 60% of our individual investors are African women leaders.This is what hashtag#ForAfricaByAfrica truly looks like in action.

As we celebrate this chapter, we are already building toward Chui Ventures Fund II, targeting $60M (with a $100M hard cap) scaling our impact and deepening our commitment to exceptional African founders shaping the next decade of Africa’s growth.” She stated.

Joyce-Ann was named Woman Investor of the Year 2023 by the East Africa Venture Capital Association (EAVCA).

Prior to venture capital, Joyce-Ann spent over three decades at Citibank, where she served as CEO in multiple African markets and held senior regional roles overseeing corporate banking and transactions services. Her background provides deep expertise in institutional leadership, governance, capital allocation, and risk management.

Joyce-Ann serves on boards where strategic oversight, strong governance, and sustainable growth are critical. She is increasingly focused on elevating African capital, strengthening institutions, and shaping boardroom conversations that drive durable economic impact across the continent.

She is a Senior Fellow at Yale University’s Jackson School of Global Affairs. She holds an MSc. in Financial Economics from SOAS, University of London, and a B.Sc. in Finance from Duquesne University, Pittsburgh.