Amanda Cotterman
Founder & Managing Partner, Equalife
Value-Creation Specialist, International Finance Corporation
Biography
Amanda Cotterman is the Founder and Managing Partner of Equalife and a Value-Creation Specialist at the International Finance Corporation. Amanda is an entrepreneur and investor who has been living in Kenya since 2012 building, operating, advising, and now investing in businesses in East Africa.
Before striking out on her own, she was part of the Asia-Pacific Investment Banking Technology team and Equity Capital Markets team at Morgan Stanley in Hong Kong focused on China, Southeast Asia, and other Asian markets. She has taken on a variety of independent consulting projects for governments and multinational companies in Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America and worked at McKinsey and Co. in Dubai helping companies expand their capabilities within the region and explore a variety of financing opportunities.
Amanda received her Master in Business Administration from the Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Chinese Studies from Wellesley College. She was a Luce Scholar and Fulbright Fellow in Shanghai, China, and speaks Mandarin Chinese.
About Equalife
Since its inception in 2012, EquaLife Group has played two distinct roles in the East African region starting as a developer and operator of businesses and now evolving into EquaLife Capital, Africa's first venture debt fund, and EquaLife Advisory Services, hands-on strategic and financial management support to start-ups and SMEs throughout the region.
While we see local markets as an extension of a global business environment, we strive to support companies in developing businesses that can ‘acclimate’ to the distinct cultural and economic realities present in each market. As successful operators in the region, we firmly believe in providing an active management presence in the regions where we invest in and develop opportunities. We ensure that our work creates jobs, training, and career development for local employees, who we see as the driving force behind companies' growth potential.
Learn more about Equalife at equalifegroup.com