The frontier, witnessed first‑hand.
True conviction is built on the ground.
An expedition in diligence
Last Mile takes a small, vetted group of principals into a single frontier market for four immersive days. You walk the assets, sit across from founders and expert speakers, and pressure-test a live investment thesis alongside seasoned practitioners.
On-the-ground access
Undertake a guided due diligence on local impact funds, covering both the financial and impact aspects in depth.
A live thesis
Visit investee companies and projects on-the-ground.
A curated cohort
Six to ten principals (family offices, UHNW investors, and allocators), vetted for fit and intent.
A durable network
Develop networks with both investor peers and trusted local partners who can be leveraged by participants in future investment activities.
Five days on the ground in East Africa.
DETAILED PROGRAM BELOW:
Arrival
- Airport pick-up & hotel check-in
- Decompression
- Welcome dinner with fellow participants
Safari & Kick-off
- Open-air breakfast & expert panel in Nairobi National Park: African venture & PE investing
- Fund I - manager session
- Cocktails with the local investment ecosystem
Fund I
- Flight to Mt Elgon in Cessna 208 Caravan
- Visit two hydro projects
- "Kick the tires": participant-led IC
- Spend the night in Uganda
Fund II
- Fly back to Nairobi in the morning
- Fund II - manager session
- Optional: dinner at game meat restaurant
Conviction & Close
- Fund II portfolio company visit
- Participant-led IC discussion
- Wrap-up: take-aways, next steps, and peer commitments
- Closing Kenyan tasting-menu dinner
Two live funds: one holistic DD experience
For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics
A binary test
Decide whether deeper diligence is warranted at all.
Testing the pitch
Engage in a live manager session: probe the data room, challenge assumptions, identify red flags...
Diligence beyond the data room
Verify claims on-site with founders and operators.
Testing impact with discipline
Apply a structured impact framework.
Macro factors
Translate macro context (political economy, currency...) into the investment case.
Sitting the investment committee (IC)
Defend a conviction in a participant-led investment committee, without the GP.
Who should participate
The Family Principal
Next-generation and senior family-office decision-makers stewarding multi-generational capital toward frontier opportunity and seeking the judgment to do it directly.
The Private Investor
UHNW individuals with the appetite and patience for frontier and emerging markets, who want to see the ground for themselves before committing meaningful capital.
The Allocator
Foundations, endowments, and institutional allocators building an emerging-market mandate who need first-hand diligence to underwrite and defend their thesis.
Led by two of the field's most credible practitioners.
.png&w=640&q=75)
Fund DD expert with 15+ years across institutions including SIFEM (Switzerland's DFI), the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (via Triple Jump), and NXT-ALT - over 40 DDs led across Africa and other frontier markets, from sustainable forestry in Tanzania to tech in Bangalore.
Advisor to government, Fortune 500 foundations & global family offices; teaches impact fund diligence at MIT/St Gallen.
Founding architect of the UN PRI, scaled to 5,000+ signatories representing USD 100+ trillion in AUM. Former Head of Sustainable & Impact Advisory at UBS and Credit Suisse, where he led impact due diligence for dozens of funds over 20+ years in the field.
PhD in sustainable investing; part of the team at the UN that coined the term 'ESG' in 2004; founder of UNPRI; lecturer at CSP
Analyst at Additionality; previously at a single family office; advises AMLD Africa, one of Africa's largest AI platforms.
Voices from inside the market.
Local operators and experts who join the cohort in Nairobi. Full speaker roster confirmed ahead of each cohort.
A number of expert speakers were selected for the Nairobi pilot. Speakers will be announced closer to the date.
From Nairobi outward.
The Nairobi pilot cohort is limited to 8-10 participants, admitted by application. If successful, future programs will be planned for Mumbai (H1, 2027), Lagos (H2, 2027), and Ho Chi Minh City (H1, 2028).
Nairobi
Mumbai
Lagos
Ho Chi Minh City
Conviction is earned on the ground.
The Nairobi pilot cohort is limited to ten principals and admitted by application. Register your interest to receive the full program brief and begin the conversation.