Catherine Young

Partner at Knife Capital

Speaker

Catherine Young has more than twenty-five years professional experience as an African entrepreneur with executive level experience across several businesses, including a successful corporate career, holding various senior and executive positions in companies including Deloitte, Chevron and SAP, managing multi-million dollar budgets and large teams. She is a Partner at Knife Capital, the Founder of SME Consulting business, Thinkroom and Managing Partner of Grindstone and Grindstone Ventures. Her capabilities are underpinned by deep engagement and care for people across her work career, with an astute ability to build and grow businesses.

As a Partner at Knife Capital, Catherine Young plays a key role in growing portfolio companies for exit, with a key focus on scaling businesses to maximise value. She is actively involved in deal flow, investment decisions, and portfolio support, ensuring strategic alignment and growth. Catherine also contributes to networking and sourcing high-potential investments, sits on various Investment Committees, and supports Knife as a structured fund management business. Beyond investments, she leads initiatives to optimise portfolio performance, strengthen fund operations, and drive strategic partnerships to enhance the firm’s impact across Africa and beyond.

As the founder of Thinkroom, she is involved in entrepreneurial ecosystem development across Africa and have grown businesses into Southeast Asia and the UK. Catherine is an SME ecosystem influencer in Africa and works with clients in the space of entrepreneurship development across the continent. Catherine has co-authored various books, represents Africa on various panels and have been an invitee to WEF. She holds a Bachelor Degree in Commerce from the University of South Africa, National Diploma in Procurement from Nelson Mandela Bay University and a Venture Finance Certificate from Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.