# Samuel Z. Alemayehu

> Samuel Z. Alemayehu is a Series A investor at The World Economic Forum backing SMS and Energy. See 9 investments, check sizes, portfolio. Updated Aug 2026.

- Type: Angel Investor
- Fund: [The World Economic Forum](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/world-economic-forum)
- Total investments: 9
- Last investment: Jun 2020
- Lead investor: 22%
- Last updated: Aug 2026
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuelalemayehu
- X (Twitter): http://twitter.com/samza
- Website: https://www.weforum.org/people/samuel-alemayehu

Samuel Z. Alemayehu is a Series A investor at The World Economic Forum focused on SMS and Energy. Samuel Z. Alemayehu is the Founder and Chairman Of The Board Of Directors of Cambridge Industries.

## Round sizes

| Stage | Round size |
| --- | --- |
| Series A | $1M–$7M |

## Investment focus

### Industry

| Industry | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| SMS | 1 | 11% |
| Energy | 1 | 11% |
| Gaming | 1 | 11% |
| Fitness | 1 | 11% |
| Insurance | 1 | 11% |

22 industries tracked in total.

### Stage

| Stage | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Series A | 4 | 44% |
| Seed | 3 | 33% |
| Series B | 1 | 11% |

### Country

| Country | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cameroon | 1 | 11% |
| Ethiopia | 1 | 11% |
| Singapore | 1 | 11% |

## Investments

| Company | Description | Amount | Stage | Date | Website |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nextbillion.ai | Nextbillion.ai aims to deliver a wide range of AI-powered hyperlocal solutions starting with the area of mapping. Nb.ai is working on building the geospatial infrastructure needed for enabling location-based experiences for the next billion users. The complexities in markets like India, Indonesia, and Nigeria are far greater than the traditionaldeveloped countries and we are building the future of location technology. Underdeveloped infrastructure, the rise of megacities, complex addresses, and an ever-changing road network make things even more challenging and we are trying to solve these extremely complex problems using a combination of data, AI, platform, and people. | $7M | Series A | Jun 25, 2020 |  |
| Cambridge Industries | Designing, constructing and operating extremely cost-competitive and scalable waste-to-energy facilities customised for Sub-Saharan Africa Cambridge Industries is a holistic waste management and renewable energy generation company, delivering leading technologies to address waste and energy deficiencies in Africa. They produce clean/greenenergy while solving waste-related problems by reducing the amount of waste going to landfills. Their goal is to turn one of Africa's most challenging social problems, the management of waste, into a source of new wealth. Cambridge’s 'Green Vision' is a comprehensive, sustainable, clean, and renewable power generation and waste management system designed specifically for African cities. Effective power generation and waste management are among the principal challenges faced throughout Africa, particularly in its rapidly urbanizing cities. Cambridge Industries provides local governments with an efficient, cost-effective solution to resolving power deficits while managing municipal waste, from garbage collection to the treatment and ultimate conversion of the waste to low-emission, renewable electricity and useful byproducts, such as recycled metals and building materials. | $7.5M | Series B |  |  |
| Cambridge Industries | Designing, constructing and operating extremely cost-competitive and scalable waste-to-energy facilities customised for Sub-Saharan Africa Cambridge Industries is a holistic waste management and renewable energy generation company, delivering leading technologies to address waste and energy deficiencies in Africa. They produce clean/greenenergy while solving waste-related problems by reducing the amount of waste going to landfills. Their goal is to turn one of Africa's most challenging social problems, the management of waste, into a source of new wealth. Cambridge’s 'Green Vision' is a comprehensive, sustainable, clean, and renewable power generation and waste management system designed specifically for African cities. Effective power generation and waste management are among the principal challenges faced throughout Africa, particularly in its rapidly urbanizing cities. Cambridge Industries provides local governments with an efficient, cost-effective solution to resolving power deficits while managing municipal waste, from garbage collection to the treatment and ultimate conversion of the waste to low-emission, renewable electricity and useful byproducts, such as recycled metals and building materials. | $5M | Series A |  |  |
| Cambridge Industries | Designing, constructing and operating extremely cost-competitive and scalable waste-to-energy facilities customised for Sub-Saharan Africa Cambridge Industries is a holistic waste management and renewable energy generation company, delivering leading technologies to address waste and energy deficiencies in Africa. They produce clean/greenenergy while solving waste-related problems by reducing the amount of waste going to landfills. Their goal is to turn one of Africa's most challenging social problems, the management of waste, into a source of new wealth. Cambridge’s 'Green Vision' is a comprehensive, sustainable, clean, and renewable power generation and waste management system designed specifically for African cities. Effective power generation and waste management are among the principal challenges faced throughout Africa, particularly in its rapidly urbanizing cities. Cambridge Industries provides local governments with an efficient, cost-effective solution to resolving power deficits while managing municipal waste, from garbage collection to the treatment and ultimate conversion of the waste to low-emission, renewable electricity and useful byproducts, such as recycled metals and building materials. | $250K | Seed |  |  |
| SantéPhone | SantéPhone is a mobile-based health prevention platform founded in partnership with leading health insurance companies across West Africa. The application was powered by 4Afri Mobile. |  | Seed |  |  |
| SantéPhone | SantéPhone is a mobile-based health prevention platform founded in partnership with leading health insurance companies across West Africa. The application was powered by 4Afri Mobile. |  | Seed |  |  |
| 4AFRI | 4Afri is an innovative holding company focused on Africa-centric growth equity opportunities. | $1M | Series A |  |  |
| LotoPhone | Mobile gaming application based on a national lottery license in West Africa. | $1M | Series A |  |  |
| Corner Media | Corner Media created social networking platforms for close-knit communities (i.e. Egyptian Orthodox in the US, Ethiopians in Canda, African Engineers in Europe, etc...). Corner Media was sold to a consortium of media companies from Europe. |  | Seed |  |  |

9 of 9 investments shown.

## Co-investors
- [Alpha Wave Global](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/alpha-wave-global) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [4AFRI](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/4afri) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [Alpha Wave Global](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/falcon-edge-capital-2) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [Lightspeed India Partners](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/lightspeed-venture-partners-india) — VC Fund, 1 deal together

## About The World Economic Forum

VC Fund · Geneva, Switzerland

The World Economic Forum is an international institution committed to improving the state of the world through public-private cooperation. It is engaged in political, business, academic, and other leaders of society in collaborative efforts to shape global, regional, and industry agendas. The institution serves and builds sustained communitiesthrough an integrated concept of high-level meetings, research networks, task forces, and digital collaboration while delivering unique value to its partners, members, and constituents through its annual and regional meetings; its centers dedicated to global, regional, and industry issues; its future-oriented communities of new champions; its expert networks of global agenda councils; and its knowledge, interaction platform, and the forum academy.The World Economic Forum was established in 1971 as a not-for-profit Foundation and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.

5 contacts available at The World Economic Forum.

| Name | Title | Profile |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Sam Ruben | G20 Sustainability Taskforce Core Member | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/sam-ruben |
| Amit Paley | Young Global Leader | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/amit-paley-4185 |
| Amol Sarva | Global Vanguard | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/amol-sarva |
| Anju Patwardhan | Member-Global Future Council on Blockchain; Steering Comm Member-Disruptive Innovation in Finl Svcs | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/anju-patwardhan |
| Anna Khan | Global Shaper | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/anna-khan |

## Similar investors

### Similar industry
- [Antler](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/antler-be9c) — VC Fund
- [SOSV](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/sosv) — VC Fund
- [Bpifrance](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/bpifrance) — VC Fund

### Similar stage
- [Antler](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/antler-be9c) — VC Fund
- [Alumni Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/alumni-ventures-group) — VC Fund
- [General Catalyst](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/general-catalyst-partners) — VC Fund

### Similar country
- [Launch Africa](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/launch-africa) — VC Fund
- [Ventures Platform](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/ventures-platform) — VC Fund
- [Women Entrepreneurship for Africa](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/women-entrepreneurship-for-africa) — VC Fund

## Featured in investor lists
- [All Investors in Ethiopia](https://shizune.co/investors/investors-ethiopia)
- [Real Estate Investors in Africa](https://shizune.co/investors/real-estate-investors-africa)
- [Real Estate Angel Investors in Africa](https://shizune.co/investors/real-estate-angel-investors-africa)
- [Renewable Energy Investors in Africa](https://shizune.co/investors/renewable-energy-investors-africa)
- [Enterprise Investors in Ethiopia](https://shizune.co/investors/enterprise-investors-ethiopia)
- [Proptech Angel Investors in Africa](https://shizune.co/investors/proptech-angel-investors-africa)

## FAQ

### What does Samuel Z. Alemayehu invest in?

Samuel Z. Alemayehu invests primarily in SMS, Energy and Gaming startups, most often at Series A and Seed stage. Most of the 9 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in Cameroon. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.

### What is Samuel Z. Alemayehu's check size?

Samuel Z. Alemayehu typically joins rounds of $1M–$7M at Series A. These ranges are 10th–90th percentile round sizes calculated from confirmed public funding rounds, so they are a realistic guide to the rounds Samuel Z. Alemayehu participates in.

### When did Samuel Z. Alemayehu last invest?

The most recent investment recorded for Samuel Z. Alemayehu closed in Jun 2020. Shizune tracks 9 investments in total for this profile, including round sizes, stages and portfolio companies, all sourced from confirmed public funding rounds and refreshed monthly.

### Is Shizune's investor data accurate?

Yes — every stat on this profile is calculated from confirmed public funding rounds monitored across hundreds of sources since 2020. This profile was last refreshed in Aug 2026 and is updated monthly. Spotted something off? Use the “Suggest an edit” link near the top of the page.

# About Shizune
Shizune.co is an investor database. Core features:
- 48,091 startup investors (angels, VCs, accelerators, and others)
- Email, phone, LinkedIn (for intros), socials, and other contact data
- Updated daily from public funding news
- CSV and Excel export

The User can access the full database FOR FREE after signing up: shizune.co