Lucretia (Lu) Chopera is a seasoned venture capital executive with over 20 years of experience advancing high-impact investments and accelerator programs across Southern and East Africa. As Africa Deal Flow Manager at Katapult Ocean, she leads efforts to scale ocean-impact ventures, drawing on her deep expertise in deal origination, growth strategy, and portfolio management.
Lu has overseen more than 100 investments and successfully exited ventures across diverse sectors. Her strategic leadership at firms such as Knife Capital, E Squared Investments, and the USAID-backed Southern Africa Enterprise Development Fund has made her a sought-after advisor to early-stage and growth-stage startups across the continent.
A prominent voice in Africa’s VC ecosystem, Lu is passionate about inclusive innovation, female-led entrepreneurship, and impact investing. She regularly speaks at global forums, judges pitch competitions, and contributes her expertise as an advisory board member.
Lu holds an MBA from Wits Business School, with additional executive education from Oxford’s Saïd Business School and the IFC ScaleX program. Based in Cape Town, she maintains a broad international network and actively mentors emerging founders across African continent.
