Catherine Young's Linkedin Analytics

Catherine Young has more than 25 years professional, executive level experience as an African entrepreneur across several industries, including a successful corporate career, holding various senior positions in companies including Deloitte, Chevron and SAP, managing multi-million dollar budgets and large teams. She is a Partner at Knife Capital, Founder of SME consulting business, Thinkroom and Managing Partner of Grindstone and Grindstone Ventures. Her capabilities are underpinned by deep engagement and care for people across her work career, with an astute ability to build and grow businesses. Her corporate and franchise experience has been instrumental in shaping her journey as an entrepreneur and investor, enabling her to recognise and cultivate the qualities that lead to business success. As a Partner at Knife Capital, she plays a key role in growing portfolio companies for exit, with a focus on scaling businesses to maximise value. She is actively involved in deal flow, investment decisions, and portfolio support, ensuring strategic alignment and growth. She also contributes to networking and sourcing high-potential investments, sits on various Investment Committees, and supports Knife as a structured fund management business. Beyond investments, she leads initiatives to optimise portfolio performance, strengthen fund operations, and drive strategic partnerships to enhance the firm’s impact. As founder of Thinkroom, she is involved in entrepreneurial ecosystem development across Africa and have internationalised her businesses. Catherine is an SME ecosystem influencer in Africa and works with clients in the space of entrepreneurship development across the continent. As the Managing Partner of Grindstone, she plays a critical role in developing entrepreneurial ecosystems globally. With a keen understanding of the challenges faced by startups and SMEs. Catherine has co-authored various books, and as a renowned authority on entrepreneurship, start-up ecosystems, and ecosystem development, Catherine is also a public speaker and thought leader in the industry. She shares her insights with others through keynote presentations, workshop facilitation, and by chairing ecosystem events. Catherine has also been a speaker invitee to WEF. She holds a Bachelor Degree in Commerce, National Diploma in Procurement and a Venture Finance Certificate from Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. She recharges through reading, poetry, the ocean, walking, and birdwatching, and is content when solving problems and innovating new ways of doing things.