Kenza Lahlou – Founder & Managing Partner Outlierz Ventures

Kenza Lahlou is a Moroccan angel investor known for her role as founder and managing partner of Outlierz Ventures, an early-stage VC fund located in Morocco. Lahlou is passionate about technology and entrepreneurship and believes that this is what will change the world. She is dedicated to using these tools as powerful weapons to carve out a better future in which African economies and societies can thrive.

About Kenza Lahlou

Background

Kenza Lahlou began her secondary education at Institut national des Sciences appliquées de Rouen in France where she achieved a B.S./M.S. in Computer Science in 2010. From 2010 to 2011 Lahlou attended Nanyang Technological University in Singapore where she completed her MBA. During this time she also attended ESSEC Business School in Singapore. In 2016 Lahlou took part in the Venture Capital Unlocked (500 Startups) Executive Program at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business as well as the Goldman Sachs 10K Women Executive Leadership Program at Harvard Kennedy School.

Prior to launching Outlierz Ventures, Lahlou co-founded StartupYourLife, a startup initiative in Morocco which continues to remain a prominent player in the Moroccan startup ecosystem. Before entering into investment, Lahlou held roles in analysis and management consulting in the digital sector.

Location

Over the years Lahlou gained invaluable international experience working and studying in Europe, Asia and the United States. After spending several years abroad, Lahlou returned to Morocco, Africa where she founded Outlierz Ventures and continues to reside. Her current focus is working with tech companies throughout Africa including Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya and Egypt.

Investments

Lahlou has a strong interest in investing in Africa-based tech companies, and those in the diaspora, that contribute towards improving African economies. Some of the most significant investments she has been involved in through Outlierz Ventures are:
• WaystoCap – Located in Morocco, this B2B marketplace is focused on helping small companies in Africa to trade.
• Asoko Insight – A sub-Saharan data and market intelligence database of private companies in Africa used for business development.
• Sokowatch – Situated in Kenya, this retail and supply chain company is on a mission to reinvent informal retail in the African FMCG arena.
• Tousfacteurs – France-based B2B that offers optimized delivery solutions to merchants and transporters.
• MaxAB – An Egyptian retail and supply chain company with a goal of reengineering the food and grocery market by using technology.
• You Verify – A B2B digital identity check automation platform located in Nigeria.

In the News

An article about Kenza Lahlou was published in Challenge in May, 2020. The article featured Lahlou discussing reviving the economy after the downturn due to the pandemic. VOA News reported in May, 2019 on African Tech Startups moving forward. Lahlou featured as a panellist at the Francophone Africa convention and was quoted speaking about the importance of government funding for startups. In a Ventureburn article in March, 2019, the first five investments made by Lahlou’s company were featured as WaystoCap, Sokowatch, Asoko Insight, MaxAB and Tousfacteurs.