Rooted in diverse backgrounds and lived experiences, our team shares a deep, personal commitment to advancing sustainable development in emerging and frontier markets. Together, we work to unlock systemic levers that close persistent development gaps and help bridge the USD 4 trillion SDG investment gap in developing countries.
The Sequoia Tree Mindset
We support businesses in embedding sustainability across their operations, ensuring they can safeguard and enhance value while driving positive environmental and social impact.
We partner with innovative solution providers to unlock pathways for scaling their impact, including matching them with the right actors for effective integration.
We believe in empowering stakeholders
with knowledge and tools to drive sustainable finance adoption. Our initiatives include boot camps and workshops; sector-specific training; as well as insights and research dissemination.
Where urgency meets opportunity for transformative change.
Our Founder’s Message
My journey began in Kinshasa in the early 1970s, where I was born into a world rich with culture and complexity. At a very young age, I was adopted by a white Belgian family living in Kinshasa, and my adoptive father, Robert Defise, was a close friend of my biological father, Nsiona Kuzubula Ignace. This unique relationship gave me a dual cultural heritage, instilling in me an ability to bridge perspectives and embrace diversity from an early age.
Alain Nsiona Defise, Founder
