Building the economy
that includes everyone.

Vanessa Kisowile is an African entrepreneur, economic-development strategist, and thought leader working at the intersection of enterprise, inclusive economic development, and values-driven leadership. She is recognized for advancing the participation and economic leadership of the 50% in the enterprise and transformative economies, and for building the ventures, systems, and institutions that turn opportunity into lasting impact. Her work moves fluidly across pan-African corridors and reaches into continental conversations on how economies are built and led.

Vanessa’s path runs from founder to enabler. She began as an entrepreneur across technology, media, and enterprise, and went on to help strengthen Africa’s innovation and entrepreneurship landscape through mentorship, startup capacity-building, and ecosystem programs that widen access to markets, finance, and the future of work. That combination — the builder’s instinct and the enabler’s view of the whole system — shapes everything she now leads, including new ventures she is establishing under her own name.

She is the founder of SheFound, a venture equipping women entrepreneurs and women-led businesses with skills, market access, capital, and strategic networks. She is the founder of The School of Nobles, a formation institution raising principled, competent, and capable builders and leaders for every sphere of influence — business, government, education, and beyond. And through Nord and KPC, she convenes builders, financiers, and leaders committed to shaping economies that serve people and endure.

Beyond her ventures, Vanessa carries a distinct mandate in values-based economic development and diplomacy — integrating ethical conviction into enterprise, leadership, and policy. Her work reflects a belief that ethical clarity, service, and stewardship are essential to building economies that are just, inclusive, growing, and enduring.