About Us
Nature’s Pitch pioneers microfinance options, seed funding, new philanthropic pathways and skills development opportunities for African-led grassroots green and blue enterprises and innovations to accelerate growth and foster women and youth leadership in natural resource protection.
Our Focus
Our guiding purpose is protecting Africa’s natural capital through strategic investments in emerging small-scale, grassroots ventures that sustainably utilise and preserve natural resources. We aim to do this by identifying and removing barriers for underrepresented voices of women and youth, leading to long-lasting and transformative change within communities and society at grassroots level, driven by STEMM.
African-led nature entrepreneurship
African women in STEMM
Gender-responsive and youth-inclusive green and blue transformation
Expected Impact
Lives impacted through our programs
African Enterprises Funded
Entrepreneurs trained in business strategy and growth
Nature's Pitch Team
The Board
Dr Irene Amoke
Dr Irene Amoke is a landscape ecologist with over twenty years of practical experience in conservation. Her work focuses on developing and implementing strategies for sustainable coexistence between humans and wildlife, particularly in ecologically fragile ecosystems. With a background spanning conservation science and policy, strategic leadership, and programme management, she has worked across academia, government, and the private sector in Kenya, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.
As Founder of ConserveAbility Pathways Ltd, a Kenyan-based consultancy, Irene partners with conservation organisations to turn broad goals into measurable outcomes, bridging the gap between strategic vision and effective implementation. She advises on programme design, organisational development, and sustainable financing. Irene also serves as a Strategic Advisor to the Kenya Wildlife Trust (KWT), supporting efforts to strengthen conservation impact and institutional sustainability. As former Executive Director of KWT, she led strategy development, deepened partnerships and stakeholder engagement, and oversaw fundraising efforts.
Irene holds a PhD in Landscape Ecology, an MSc in Environmental Assessment & Management, and a BSc in Zoology. She is a Senior Associate of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), an Eisenhower Fellow (2022, Africa Climate Change Programme), and a Women in Environment Africa Fellow (2023). Passionate about natural capital and nature-based solutions, Irene sits on several national and international boards and is also a mentor and facilitator, supporting conservation leadership across Africa.
Jay Karia
Jay Karia is a strategy leader and advisor focused on Africa’s finance ecosystems. Over the past 15 years, he has worked with governments, insurance companies, development banks, and innovation institutions to reimagine how capital, technology, and institutions can drive inclusive and resilient economic growth across the continent. His expertise encompasses corporate strategy, organisational reform, investment structuring, and large-scale
transformation programmes.
Jay’s career demonstrates a commitment to strengthening African financial systems that can unlock entrepreneurship, provide risk protection, create jobs, and foster sustainable development. He has played a key role in some of East Africa’s most significant strategic shifts, enhancing institutional capacity, market systems resilience, and the role of finance in promoting equitable growth. His advisory work has included restructuring insurance markets in Kenya, Uganda, and Ethiopia; facilitating the creation of new investment vehicles across East and West Africa; and bolstering the capacity of emerging innovation ecosystems to support small and growing enterprises.
Jay began his career in Deloitte’s Strategy practice in the United Kingdom and has since worked across Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, advising CEOs, boards, and senior public-sector leaders. He is currently an Associate Director at Deloitte East Africa. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Business, Finance, and Economics from the University of
Manchester.
Kipkorir Koskei
Kipkorir Koskei is the Director of Strategic Partnerships and Policy at the Insurance Development Forum (IDF). The IDF is a public-private partnership led by the insurance industry and supported by the World Bank and the United Nations, dedicated to enhancing the use of insurance to build greater resilience against disasters.
Kipkorir brings over 15 years of extensive experience in financial and disaster risk management, debt underwriting, and country risk assessment. His career has spanned a range of global and regional financial institutions, with professional posts in Nairobi, Johannesburg, London, and Tokyo.
He has a proven track record of working with governments, the private sector, and multilateral agencies to analyze, structure, and underwrite financing solutions and derivative transactions. His clients include insurance companies, government entities, supra-nationals, and banks. Kipkorir holds an LLM (Master of Laws) with a Finance Concentration from University College London (UCL) and an undergraduate Law degree from the University of Warwick. He is also a graduate of the University of Oxford’s Climate-Related Financial course.
Dr. Fiona Moejes
Fiona Wanjiku Moejes (PhD) is a marine biotechnologist passionate about African-led innovation and inclusive development. With more than 12 years of experience across academia, research, nonprofit leadership, policy, and ocean-based enterprise, she works at the intersection of science and impact.
She is the CEO of the Mawazo Institute, a pan-African nonprofit that partners with women researchers at universities and research institutions across the continent. Through skills training, resources, and networks, Mawazo helps African women researchers thrive in academia, shape policy, and turn their ideas into solutions that create real change. Fiona is also
the co-founder of Mawimbi Ocean Innovations, a social enterprise pioneering climate-smart, inclusive, and traceable seaweed farming in tropical regions.
Grounded in a people-centered approach to leadership, Fiona is committed to advancing women in research and driving sustainable development for Africa and beyond. She is a 2025 Archbishop Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellow, a Women for the Environment Africa Fellow, a Prometheus X Awardee, a 2025 Women’s Top 40 Under 40 winner, and she serves on several Boards.
Hakeem-belo Osagie
Hakeem Belo-Osagie is a prominent figure in the Nigerian business landscape, boasting a diverse career spanning sectors, including financial services, energy, telecoms, and real estate. He is the chair and main stakeholder of Metis Capital Partners, focused on delivering large ticket transactions in Africa to international investment partners. Duval Properties Ltd, engaged in real estate development, and FSDH Holding Company, a financial services holding company.
He currently lectures at both Stanford Business School and Harvard Business School, where he co-designed the first course on Africa within the MBA programme. Internationally, Mr. Belo-Osagie advises prestigious institutions including Brookings Institute, Harvard University’s Global Advisory Board, and the International Institute for Strategic Studies. He chairs the Advisory Board of SEED at Stanford University. He is also a member of Yale University President’s Council on International Activities and serves as Chair of the Nigerian National Committee for the United World Colleges (UWC).
Mr. Belo-Osagie’s career began as a civil servant, serving as a special assistant to the Minister of Petroleum. He founded CTIC, an energy consultancy firm that became a leader in Nigeria’s energy markets, working with clients including Itochu, Marobeni, Chiyoda, Bechtel, and Chevron. He served as Chairman and majority shareholder of the United Bank for Africa Plc, one of the largest commercial banks in Nigeria as well as the local partner for Etisalat, bringing the global telecoms company to Nigeria and serving as its local chairman for seven years.
Previously, Mr. Belo-Osagie has been a member of the global board of advisers for the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), the board of Andela Inc., the New York University President’s Global Council, the International Advisory Group of Equinor, and the board of Alfanar. He chaired Vitol Nigeria and was the founding chairman of Junior Achievement Nigeria. He was Chairman of the board of trustees of Harvard’s Centre for African Studies, where he and his wife have endowed the Hakeem and Myma Belo-Osagie Distinguished African Entrepreneurship Lecture series.
Mr. Belo-Osagie holds an MA in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics from Balliol College, Oxford University, a law degree from King’s College, Cambridge University, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Beatrice Karanja
Beatrice is a seasoned communications specialist and a conservation philanthropist, boasting over 25 years’ experience in African development communications. She is a former journalist with BBC and Reuters, and has contributed to international NGOs like the African Wildlife Foundation and UNICEF.
Beatrice Karanja is the founder and director of Nature’s Pitch Africa, a social enterprise that is creating the blueprint for a sustainable African philanthropic ecosystem. Nature’s Pitch has funded 7 initiatives, supporting grassroots nature-aligned innovations and uplifting African women in STEMM.
Committed to African-led innovation and nature-based solutions, Beatrice serves on the boards of Mara Elephant Project and Natural State. As a Tusk Trust Conservation Awards judge, she advocates for diversity, inclusivity, and green and blue transformation in African conservation, aiming to accelerate growth for sustainable and balanced development.
Meet The Team
The Nature’s Pitch team is passionate and committed to empowering entrepreneurs around Sub-Saharan Africa and connecting them with growth and funding opportunities. We are primarily a women-led organisation, leading by example as we support innovation and encourage participation of African women in leadership and STEMM fields.
Beatrice Karanja
Dr Irene Amoke
Juliah Kang'ara
Sharlyne Anyango
Eda Were