I’m joining the ChanceMaker Foundation board because it fuses everything I care about — radical (re-)imagination, rigorous execution, and real-world impact. The ChanceMaker Foundation isn’t just writing grants; it’s underwriting bold ideas and turning them into on-the-ground projects that change lives. My journey has been about redesigning finance so capital rewards long-term value; working with the ChanceMaker Foundation gives me a laboratory to prove those models at scale, alongside a community of doers and dreamers that shares my appetite for audacious bets for good. I want to bring my ethics-driven valuation tools, venture networks, and policy know-how to help the foundation back ChanceMakers and their inspiring solutions for a better world. Most of all, I’m here because I believe money should feel like momentum for the people closest to the problems, and the ChanceMaker Foundation is where that momentum starts for those of us building a Utopia for realists.

The challenges of my youth in Cameroon taught me early that education is the key to real change. At 18, I came to Germany, where I worked as a garbage collector, warehouse worker, and bouncer alongside my studies to survive. After earning my PhD in Economics and a professorship at the Sorbonne, I felt that my knowledge was needed where opportunities are most unequally distributed. In 2018, I returned to West Africa and founded the Kabakoo Academies, where we combine traditional knowledge with digital innovation to open new perspectives for young people in West Africa. As Chief Learning Officer, I develop evidence-based educational approaches that solve local problems through local talent. In the ChanceMaker Foundation, I see a valuable partner to carry forward what I deeply believe: that every person has the right to a self-determined life, regardless of where they were born.

After many years in the financial industry, I felt the desire to use my skills not ‘for profit’ but ‘for impact’ to make the world every day a little bit better. Since it’s notoriously impossible to save the world on a volunteer basis while others destroy it professionally, I switched careers to development cooperation and led two development organisations before starting my own foundation in the environmental sector. I’m excited to contribute my expertise and network to help the ChanceMaker Foundation support innovative pioneering projects that sustainably improve the lives of many people and our environment.

After high school, I felt drawn to explore the world—first as a traveler, and later both professionally and with my family. Living abroad didn’t just teach me in theory, but showed me firsthand the real impact my lifestyle has on people and the environment. For me, social justice isn’t some abstract concept—it’s been central to my professional and volunteer work for years. Based on these personal experiences and my deep conviction, I’m thrilled to support the ChanceMaker Foundation and work together toward building a fairer future.

After my traditional career with degrees in economics, I worked in various industries, from sports and gastronomy to property and events. My backpacking trips around the world increasingly challenged my established world view.
In addition to the personal consequences as a consumer, I made the decision to also work professionally for a better world. Setting up a charitable foundation was a logical step, followed by the establishment of INNOVATION for IMPACT GmbH. Both organisations are essentially working to preserve a sustainable world for people by providing capital to people who are working on the necessary solutions to the problems of our time.

Early on in my teenage years, I was given the opportunity to hand over donations in a favela in Brazil through cultural projects. Later on, the establishment of a prevention project in a township in South Africa showed me how important direct contact is in influencing the impact. When I met Patrick, it was soon obvious that his conviction and commitment enable a foundation where funds actually go where they are most needed. I am grateful to be able to shape the accompanying processes online and therefore the vision of the ChanceMaker Foundation through the very same vision of its founder.