by: Seif Belhani, Partner, Amplify Capital
It is rare for me to take the pen – be it digital – to share about the unfolding of my life. I felt this time is special enough to do so. I am truly excited to announce that I am joining Amplify Capital as its newest member and partner!
The journey that led me to that decision is not necessarily the most traditional but certainly one of growing inner conviction around sustainability.
Like many good plots, that journey started on the “dark side of the force”. As a young graduate, I spent the first seven years of my career travelling the world for one of the oil and gas majors and working on some of the most complex - and in their own fashion fascinating - projects in the domain. That led me to spend some time in the United Arab Emirates where I got to establish the energy market research desk for one of the largest sovereign wealth funds globally.
This part of my career taught two fundamental lessons that deeply shaped my current perception of things. First, a concrete understanding of why the old and dirty ways of producing energy are so sticky from an economic and societal point of view and hence difficult to displace. As an important corollary, I came to recognize that those who have a practical knowledge of it also have a responsibility to do something about it.
Those realizations prompted me to endure a fourteen-hour flight from Dubai to Boston and go back to the school benches to pursue a degree in sustainability that further opened my eyes to the scale and urgency of the issues we are striving to solve at Amplify Capital.
A mix of serendipity and personal initiative led me to start the Canadian chapter of my career as an LP with a mandate centred around ecosystem building. I learned a tremendous deal from my colleagues and peers to whom I am sincerely grateful and got to discover our great Canadian VC ecosystem.
The birth of my daughter, a few months ago, brought me back to the inner reflection that incited me to leave the gilded shores of the Arabian Gulf. Am I doing enough to leave her and her generation a more liveable and just society?
Reaching the conclusion that there is no such thing as ‘enough’ in that regard, it became a personal commitment to contribute, as much as I can, to shifting the capital allocation, and conversation, to technologies solving for the most pressing challenges of our times.
Anchored in that intention, my conversations with Amplify Capital stood out among a very select group of authentic impact players I reached out to. With Kathryn Wortsman and Daniel Armali, we share the same resolute vision for shaping a better future. Even more importantly, we share the same values to act on that vision.
While the depth and sophistication of Amplify Capital’s impact methodology was no surprise nor discovery to me, I was genuinely impressed by the robust performance of its portfolio despite its young age. A further proof - I am afraid we still need - that the enhanced outcomes generated by impact investing’s “double bottom line” are more than vain words.
Those early signs of success rest in great part on Amplify Capital’s unwavering and dedicated support to exceptional innovators boldly addressing the heart of the matter in Education, Health and the Environment. They are also a tangible testament to the solid foundation that Kathryn has been establishing for the firm; one that lays the ground for exciting potentialities I am thrilled to be part of going forward.
One other element was crucial in cementing my decision: the fantastic group of people – each one bringing a wealth of professional and personal experience – I am proud to call my colleagues today. Being born in North Africa and having lived on three other continents, I came to appreciate to which extent diversity, under its true form, can be a powerful asset for success. I remember in particular leaving our offices in Toronto, after a day spent meeting the whole team, and saying to myself “If this bunch is in, I also want in!”
As impact investing is gradually taking center stage, I believe Amplify Capital holds the right skills and passion to lead the charge in North America. That said, no single fund, no matter how successful, can tackle the daunting challenge ahead of us on its own. As such, I’m looking forward to collaborating with all those who are determined to leave the world a better place than it is today!
- Seif