Roo Rogers is a British-American entrepreneur, business designer and author based out of London. He sits at the intersection of investment and frontier markets, and invests with a unique blend of capital and capacity at scale - with investments in over 120 seed-stage businesses in countries including Nigeria, Uganda, Ghana, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Kenya, Rwanda and South Africa. Roo is currently the CEO of Johannesburg-based venture development company , which aims to build and scale 140 tech-enabled businesses across all 54 countries in Africa over the next 5 years.
In 2013, Rogers was a partner at the award-winning design and innovation firm, fuseproject, where he held strategic partnerships with hundreds of major tech organisations and corporates such as Google, Facebook, Paypal, Intel, Samsung, 3M and Johnson & Johnson, as well as investment firms and PE funds. While at fuseproject, Rogers launched SPRING - a business accelerator which has scaled over 75 growth-stage ventures across 9 countries in Africa and South Asia. Rogers partnered with globally renowned drivers of economic and innovation development such as Growth Africa, the African Enterprise Collective, LUMS Centre for Entrepreneurship and the Pakistan National Incubation Center to lead the delivery across all stages. From the selection of grass-roots entrepreneurs and start-ups, such as Dot & Line, SABAQ, EdKASA and EarthEnable, to the design of new methodology and content that he and his team used to accelerate the ventures. Rogers and his team also trained HCD moderators and researchers in countries across Africa and Asia to enable rapid testing with users and prototyping. In 2007, Rogers co-founded OZOLab, a venture company that invests in ecological-minded businesses and patented products such as OZOwater. In 2005, the first OZOLab venture, OZOcar, was launched. Operating as a kinder, gentler car service option, OZOcar used environmentally-conscious vehicles and was sold in 2014 to FCS. Rogers was also president of RedScout Ventures from 2009 until June 2012. As of October 2018, Rogers is the CEO of venture development company . Locally rooted and globally connected, Founders Factory Africa aims to be the best innovation partner for startups across the African continent. With £20m raised in funding from corporate partners, Standard Bank Group and Netcare, are able to successfully support tech-enabled businesses through an aggressive growth strategy across product development, UX/UI, data science, engineering, business development and growth marketing, strategic partnerships, as well as an additional financial cash injection. Through this exceptional and bespoke approach, the venture development company aims to build and scale 140 startups across all 54 countries in Africa over the next 5 years.
Media
Rogers is also an active writer and commentator on the sharing economy. He co-authored What's Mine Is Yours: The Rise of Collaborative Consumption in 2010 with Rachel Botsman, which analyzes the rise of the collaborative consumption movement and explores the impact of the movement on individuals, communities and business models. In 2004, he founded we:nited magazine, a non-profit magazine and blog targeted towards young people in conjunction with the 2004 US Presidential Elections. Rogers co-founded Drive Thru Pictures and Drive Thru Films in 2000, with the companies producing documentaries about political and social issues aimed at youth audiences. In the early 2000s, Drive Thru Pictures was one of the largest television companies in the UK, with clients such as BBC, MTV and The Rolling Stones. Rogers was the executive producer of the 2006 documentary Office Tigers and 2008's The Biggest Chinese Restaurant in the World. In 2009, he also starred in a Metamucil advertisement for which he won an award.
Personal life
Rogers lives in London with his wife Bernie, and their three children. He is well-known for his colourful wardrobe, and has only worn bright red socks since he was 11. In 2009, Rogers was nominated for the Vanity Fair International Best-Dressed List. As a volunteer for Médecins du Monde, Rogers worked for humanitarian efforts in areas including South Sudan, Kenya and Rwanda, and later co-founded Médecins du Monde UK. He is also on the board of The Bronx Community Charter School.
