Babacar Seck is the founder and Managing Partner of Askya Investment Partners, an investment firm dedicated to building a new generation of technology and artificial intelligence champions from Africa.

An experienced investor and operator, he has backed close to twenty startups, including two of Africa’s earliest unicorns. Since 2015, he has contributed to the development of Africa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, first as a founding member of Proparco’s $300 million venture capital program — the private-sector arm of the French Development Agency Group — and subsequently as Chief Executive Officer of Digital Africa. In these capacities, he supported the financing of landmark startups including Moniepoint, Jumia, Gomycode and Maad, and anchored the first generation of institutional venture capital fund managers on the continent.

Prior to dedicating himself to investment, Babacar Seck served as Advisor to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of AXA, where he contributed to the Group’s digital transformation, strategic partnerships and emerging markets expansion, leading several major initiatives.

He previously served as a board director of leading institutions and associations, including Bank of Africa, Sciences Po Alumni and Africa 2.0. He currently co-chairs the Investment Steering Committee of the Smart Africa AI Council and the Fintech Steering Committee of the Africa Financial Industry Summit.

A graduate of Sciences Po, with further studies at Tsinghua University and Renmin University, Mr. Seck began his career in international affairs and investment banking — at Lazard, the Carnegie Endowment and the OECD.

Babacar Seck today devotes his time to the building of a thriving Africa, driven by a new generation of visionary and responsible entrepreneurs.