I was born in Pretoria, South Africa and am proudly African. Although I am a public figure, I share the same types of concerns, hopes, dreams, goals and challenges that people around the world experience. With all people, understanding, respect and kindness go a long way. I am a person who values family, friends, community, learning, conversation and laughter. I am grateful for the fundamental good things I have and for knowing who I am and what I enjoy. I became an entrepreneur and investor by necessity and because I enjoy both. Being an investor is who I am and is tied to my intrinsic interests. I have always focused on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)-- my training is in mathematics, statistics, actuarial sciences, data science and investing. I love learning and learn what I need to in order to succeed. When I was developing a property portfolio, and I needed to secure the outcome of my deals, this included learning how to scientifically source opportunities, drive a commercial truck, acquire materials, manage a building site and the ins-and-outs of law. I was determined to be equipped to succeed so I studied law while managing properties and building an enterprise software business. I am a lifelong educator, having taught mathematics and statistics early on. Helping others is a big part of being a good entrepreneur and investor. I also know that education, learning, entrepreneurship and capital acquisition create freedom. In my role as a UN Women Empower Women Global Champion for Women’s Empowerment and Entrepreneurship, I created various ways of sharing knowhow regarding entrepreneurship, investing, economic development and empowerment with a wide audience -- from students, to entrepreneurs, to corporate leaders, to government ministers and leaders, to cultural influencers and more. This involved media, speaking, communities, engagement with capital sources, engagement with leaders & policy makers, traveling to technology hubs and gaining the involvement of a wide range of people. I have traveled to over 48 countries, and I enjoy learning from a diverse group of people. For me, business and culture go hand in hand. The arts and culture on the connections those realms afford have always been another important part of my life. These are the pillars of our work -entrepreneurship, investing, people, learning, educating and bridge building.
2) What fuels Alysia?
I know that entrepreneurship and capital acquisition are sources of freedom. Getting capital into the hands of diverse and underrepresented people creates freedom. It is also good for our economies and societies. There is no limit to human ingenuity. The more people we have applying their ingenuity, the better we are. With opportunity, there is hope, and there is economic development and a decrease in social problems. I also just love what I do. It is amazing to get to do the work I enjoy, the specific type of work I do with all of its dimensions and to work with the people I get to work with.
3) Who is your role model?
Michelle Obama, Condoleeza Rice and Oprah Winfrey stand out as role models. I like to learn from as many people as possible and also admire artists who stood for themselves, designers who make us think, sports heroes who endured, musicians who broke boundaries, investors who stand for truth and transparency, hard working entrepreneurs around the globe, people fighting for human rights and more. Many of the founders I work with through my investing work are role models. I learn something from each of them.
4) Where do you see yourself in the next five years?
As the leader of a global investment firm that addresses a full range of founder needs, works across a range of investment stages, serves its investing stakeholders (the limited partners who entrust venture firms with capital to invest) as a trusted steward of this capital, showcases diversity as a performance driver, showcases governance as performance driver, looks globally for opportunity, bridges Silicon Valley and the world, is a voice for freedom and change, is a voice for economic development and empowerment and is a trusted advisor to governments and public figures.
5) What are the challenges of a smart, result oriented and phenomenal IT wizard like yourself?
Well, first of all, thank you for the generous and kind words. Thank you also for giving me this wonderful opportunity to share my thoughts. My challenges are the typical challenges - navigating and dealing with chauvinism and bias in an industry (finance) and other realms (technology and public service) that tend to have legacies of chauvinism and bias; finding people that are ready to entrust women with capital (many people and organizations are still getting comfortable with the notion of entrusting women with capital); not letting work eclipse the other important aspects of life; prioritizing health and learning; staying balanced; and making room for pure fun.
6) How do you relax yourself ?
It varies based on what I need. I enjoy exercise and yoga. I enjoy mindfulness. I enjoy learning. I enjoy being with my family, friends and community. And, I enjoy entertainment and culture. Laughter helps too.
7) What is your ICE vision?
Well, I just really like the concept -- Inspire, Celebrate and Empower. Each of these elements is so important. We must inspire ourselves, inspire those closest to us through our daily actions and inspire others by sharing knowledge. We must not forget to celebrate. It is so easy to forget to celebrate. Yet, celebration is a form of recognition and energy creation. Celebration can create new opportunities by bringing people together. Empowerment goes beyond support and infrastructure. Empowerment means giving people the ability to work towards and manage their own goals, the resources to achieve their goals, the resources to create and a way to share their opinions about future investment towards empowerment and development objectives.
On a personal level, I try to bring these concepts alive in my work and our strategy. We founded Street Global because we wanted to create a venture firm that looked both inside and outside Silicon Valley for opportunities. We want to build a bridge between Silicon Valley and the World because we believe entrepreneurship is global and many future-defining, startups will originate outside the US. We knew that if we embraced diversity, we could increase our performance. And, objective performance is our source of sustainable empowerment as a firm in a financial services market where thematic preferences often change.
That said, we know that performance-focused investing can also yield social impact because many important opportunities in the world — empowering women and other underrepresented people, providing young people with affordable goods and services, improving health, increasing financial access and improving infrastructure — are also very large markets. And, a very large market is one of the essential things a venture-funded startup needs to succeed on a large scale.
There is also the practical, competitive advantage a purpose-driven company has in inspiring others and attracting talent and resources. A positive mission is a game-changer for everyone, including us. It helps us forge alliances with corporations working on innovation via startups and work with governments on their empowerment, technology and development objectives.
We believe that by doing things well and in a way that is inspired, we can have a broader influence and help women and many others in the realms of finance, technology and entrepreneurship.
8) Any plans for the UN?
My plan is to keep fulfilling my role to empower women, entrepreneurs and diverse peoples; to keep raising awareness about the incredible talent and opportunity in Africa and the Emerging Markets; to keep discussing the importance of investing in and entrusting women with capital; to keep talking about the importance of a global community; and then to do more and more as my firm grows.
9) What are some of the things young girls and women do that put you off?
Women face so many challenges that we forget about how extensive those challenges are. I always try to understand why people are doing what they are doing. I ask what is the underlying reason. So I will talk instead about things I believe can help all women - learning about oneself; making informed choices; participating in public forums; voicing opinions; helping other women; investing in oneself; investing in other women; participating in government; participating in business, science and capital markets; doing so safely and with support; and changing our conversations globally to encourage, welcome and include women.
10) What are your first steps to right wrongs, should you be named Minister of Women's Empowerment and the Family in Cameroon today?
I would first learn by talking to people about what they need and where they see new opportunities. I would talk to a wide range of people and become informed. Then I would develop a provisional strategy. I would likely prioritize things such as health, investment, economic development, entrepreneurship, continued infrastructure investment and community development, but I would wait until I heard from people and learned from them. It is often when we listen and observe that we find the most important set of priorities. For implementing a strategy, I would set goals, milestones and engage in reporting and a regular dialogue with all stakeholders. I would try to create an inclusive effort.
11) What is your greatest influence?
My family, hard working people everywhere and also the great thinkers, investors, innovators and public service leaders of the world.
12) Any advice to the African, European, Asian, American Woman ?
I want the African, Asian, European, Middle East, American and Australian Woman to know that she has a community. You most Know that things are indeed more challenging for women; Know that your ability to navigate these things also gives you advantages in being an entrepreneur, investor, leader, good member of your community and good friend. If possible, know who you are and invest in yourself for the long-term to achieve your goals and help those you care about. Participate as much as safely possible in alignment with your own interests. Above all, stay connected to supportive communities and seek help from trusted people as you navigate challenges and work on opportunities.
