“Backing founders leveraging technology to build the economic infrastructure of Africa and for Africans, from pre-seed through Series A.”
HoaQ started in April 2020 in Dublin as a community of African and diaspora investors, co-founded by Joe Kinvi and Nubi Kay. By 2021 it had formalised into an angel syndicate (HoaQ Club), and in 2025 it evolved into a full VC firm with the launch of the HoaQ Fund, led by Managing Partner Yewande Odumosu. Kinvi now runs Borderless (an investment technology platform), while Folakemi Osho manages the angel syndicate.
The HoaQ Club syndicate has backed 100+ startups through a network of 750+ investors and 100+ ecosystem stakeholders, making it one of the largest African diaspora angel networks globally. The HoaQ Fund writes $25K to $50K cheques into pre-seed and Series A founders with technical expertise pursuing markets exceeding $1 billion, with capital reserved for follow-on investments. The fund has backed 17 startups so far and targets 30 across its deployment period.
The firm has produced notable exits: Raenest (600% net returns to investors) and Baselime (acquired by Cloudflare, a Fortune 500 company). These exits, combined with the 100+ company syndicate portfolio, demonstrate that the community-to-fund pipeline works, and that African diaspora angel capital can generate real returns alongside impact.
| Name | Role | X/Twitter | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yewande Odumosu | Managing Partner, HoaQ Fund | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Joe Kinvi | Co-founder (now at Borderless) | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Folakemi Osho | Head of HoaQ Club (syndicate) | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| Nubi Kay | Co-founder | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |