← All stories

Climate Finance

Duval Van Zijl

Co-founder of Holocene, investing in early-stage climate tech across Africa

Holocene

LinkedIn
Duval Van Zijl
LFA Fellow

Duval Van Zijl co-founded Holocene, an early-stage climate investment firm focused on Africa, where he has analyzed hundreds of climate tech ventures, closed 14 investments, and worked directly with founders navigating early-stage growth. Before that, he built a career as a corporate finance advisor and growth-stage technology investor, acting on $300M+ deals across M&A, stock exchange listings, and private market fundraising, and advising 10+ startups with cumulative transactions exceeding $15M. He is a qualified Chartered Accountant (CA(SA)) and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).

"LFA gave me the frameworks and connections to see climate as a systems problem - and more importantly, the pathways for meaningful intervention. It sharpened my ability to align investment, strategy, and entrepreneurship in ways that move African climate solutions forward."

Reflecting on his 2022 LFA Fellowship, Duval shares: "LFA gave me the frameworks and connections to see climate as a systems problem — and more importantly, the pathways for meaningful intervention. It sharpened my thinking about where capital can actually move the needle, not just where it's easy to deploy."

Duval is building the kind of climate investment infrastructure Africa needs: rigorous, grounded in local realities, and run by people who understand both the finance and the ecosystems they're investing in.

Ready to make the leap?

Learning for Action Fellowship

A 12-week climate fellowship for working professionals ready to transition into climate. Build skills, join a global community, and launch your climate career.

Join alumni from leading companies and universities