Anthony William Catt

Founder & Director at Ventures 54

Judge

With over a decade of experience building startup ecosystems and driving investment across EMEA and Asia, Anthony has been active in the African startup ecosystem since 2015. He is the founder of Ventures 54, a Pan-African advisory firm that operates across the venture capital stack - mobilizing capital, facilitating investments, and supporting exits. Ventures 54 connects global investors, corporates, and DFIs with opportunities in Africa, building bridges between Africa’s tech ecosystems and markets in Europe the Middle East and Asia.

Anthony is also the co-founder of the London Africa Network, the largest UK-based community of leaders working at the intersection of UK-Africa tech, startups, and investment. Currently based between South Africa and the UK, he contributes to policy initiatives aimed at developing startup and investor ecosystems, including his current role as a member of the South Africa Startup Act Steering Committee.

Previously, he served as the Investor in Residence at Google for Startups EMEA, where he helped launch its first European-African startup investment program and later became an Investor Relations Advisor for the Google Black Founders Fund Africa. Before his Africa-focused work, Anthony facilitated venture capital deals between Southeast Asia and Europe, including Monese’s Series A, co-led by Korea Investment Partners, where he served as an observer on the company’s board on behalf of the fund.

In addition to his work, Anthony actively shares insights on African tech, startups, and investment opportunities through content on LinkedIn and Twitter. He can also be found to regularly supporting ecosystems events as a host and facilitator.