Ik Kanu

Ik graduated from Penn State University with a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering and a master's in management science. He also has an MBA from the Stern School of Business at New York University. 

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Born in Nigeria, Ik has a global perspective gained from living and working across multiple continents. While not working, Ik enjoys movies, mentoring, Muay Thai, CrossFit, and BBQs.

Ik has over a decade of experience in various roles including engineering, consulting, corporate development, private equity, and angel investing.Ik is a Founding Partner of Atlantica Ventures. An early stage VC firm with a goal to invest in the next generation of impact driven tech and tech-enabled startups in Africa. Atlantica Ventures invests from the Seed and Series A stages, and follows through to Series B. Our fund invests with a keen focus on returns and impact.Ik was a Principal at Convergence Partners (CP), an investment firm focused on the technology sector in Africa. CP brings its skills, experience, and capital to accelerate development of infrastructure, enabling the digital economies in Africa. He sits on the board of Venture Garden Nigeria, a leading Nigerian FinTech solutions provider.Prior to Convergence, Ik was a Vice-President at Helios Investment Partners, managing the investments in Interswitch (the largest e-payment company in Nigeria) and Helios Towers Nigeria (the first independent tower operator in Nigeria).Ik started his career as product engineer and then a business analyst at Lucent Technologies, Bell Labs. He managed production in Bydgoszcz (Poland) and Qingdao (China) and built next-generations solutions for US operators. After Lucent, he joined PA Consulting, focused on the technology sector, advising clients such as the Associated Press and Cox Communications. Ik later joined Arthur D. Little as a consultant, advising companies and PE funds in the US

Ik is a member of Class 23, serving his fellowship under the mentorship of Tope Lawani, Founder of Helios Investment Partners.