Impact investor, builder, and writer on the inner work behind both.

Partner at Impact Amplifier. Twenty years financing purpose-driven ventures across Africa. Essays on Substack.

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News

Reinvention Fest line-up card featuring Max Pichulik

28 to 29 September 2026

Speaking at The Reinvention Fest, Boschendal

A curated room at Boschendal Estate, Franschhoek, gathering on one question: how do we build organisations that thrive in volatility? I will speak on early-stage impact investing in Africa and the shift to decentralised public/private systems led by entrepreneurs and innovators, alongside Dr Nadya Zhexembayeva, Gary Graham and Magda Wierzycka.

Read the post on LinkedIn Register for the Fest

August 2026

Lecturing on social entrepreneurship and impact investing in Africa

International cohorts of universities come to Cape Town on immersion modules, and I lecture on: social entrepreneurship and impact investing in Africa, how to build entrepreneurial ecosystems, and on capital allocation strategies with regards to impact.

Hosted by the UCT Graduate School of Business, I generally lecture for these three cohorts three times per year.

A lecturer leading a discussion with a group of students

Warwick Business School

Postgraduate and MSc Management cohorts on a Cape Town immersion built around innovation, sustainable finance and social entrepreneurship.

Zeppelin University

EMBA and MBA students in Cape Town on study tours and GNAM-style exchange weeks, touring local businesses and taking classes on site.

University of Toronto

The Summer Abroad South Africa programme anchors in Cape Town, pairing lectures with consulting missions alongside township micro-entrepreneurs.

November 2021

Guest editing The Big Issue on social innovation

Many of my friends and family struggle to understand the nature of my work. For the October/November edition of The Big Issue in South Africa, my team and I were asked to guest edit the entire magazine, which is about the clearest answer I have given.

The themes: the emergence of social innovation and its ecosystem, the future of work, online safety in Africa, and the tech-enabled ventures we back.

Spread from The Big Issue, guest edited by Max Pichulik and team

Read the full magazine (PDF)

Speaking

Impact investing in Africa and purpose-driven entrepreneurship are my key topics of expertise. Places I have spoken or lectured:

World Economic Forum on Africa Yale School of Management Columbia Business School Duke University Stellenbosch Business School World Bank XL Africa Zeppelin University Warwick Business School University of Toronto Google Impact Challenge MIT Sloan School of Management UCT Graduate School of Business Nedbank The Reinvention Fest

Earlier

April 2026 Conference Joining Cleantech Days in Vienna with South Africa’s delegation Max joined Cleantech Days in Vienna with South Africa’s delegation, working alongside the Technology Innovation Agency and the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation. The week connected GCIP innovators with the International Vienna Energy and Climate Forum.

September 2025 Launch Launching Nedbank ReNEW for youth-led circular ventures With Nedbank, DSTI and Circular South Africa, Max helped launch Nedbank ReNEW, a programme built to move beyond grants toward transformative finance for youth-led circular ventures.

September 2025 Speaking Addressing the Nedbank Green Economy Indaba at the ReNEW launch At the Nedbank Green Economy Indaba, Max addressed the room on shifting from dig-dump-destroy to reuse-repurpose-regenerate as Nedbank ReNEW went live.

August 2025 Launch Selected to help launch a R150m cleantech debt fund for SA SMEs Impact Amplifier was selected as an executing entity alongside TIA for GCIP South Africa, to help launch a R150 million cleantech debt fund for high-impact SMEs.

May 2025 Conference On the EmpowaEntrepreneurs Funding Summit panel Max joined Lebo Raolane and Ndumiso Zulu on the panel “Impact Capital Is Rising: Are You Aligned, Ready, and Fundable?”

November 2024 Speaking Keynote and panel with the Water Research Commission on World Toilet Day Max was a keynote speaker and panellist with the Water Research Commission on World Toilet Day, linking South Africa’s water and sanitation crisis to financing innovative technologies and business models.

July 2024 Launch Preparing Impact Amplifier’s climate venture-debt funds Max shared how Impact Amplifier was preparing a dedicated impact asset manager and climate-tech and circular-economy venture debt funds, pairing capital with capacity for growing ventures.

July 2024 Milestone Featured on the Africa Scotland Business Network podcast Max was featured in Africa Scotland Business Network episodes recorded at Innovation City Cape Town, talking about Impact Amplifier’s work.

May 2024 Milestone Named a fellow at MIT’s Kuo Sharper Center Max was named a fellow of MIT’s Kuo Sharper Center for Prosperity and Entrepreneurship, continuing a journey with MIT on Africa’s role in global prosperity through entrepreneurship.

February 2024 Conference In Nairobi for an entrepreneurship ecosystem dialogue with MIT fellows In Nairobi, Max joined local entrepreneurs and MIT Legatum and Foundry Fellows to discuss Africa’s investor landscape, from unicorn myths to wiser fundraising choices.

January 2024 Milestone Selected for the MIT Foundry Fellowship Max was selected for the Foundry Fellowship at MIT’s Kuo Sharper Center for Prosperity and Entrepreneurship.

April 2023 Speaking Sharing insights at a LEAP Africa webinar on scaling African innovators Max joined the LEAP Africa team to share experience on scaling and supporting young African innovators.

April 2023 Speaking On the Talking UP Africa panel on investing across the continent Max joined a Talking UP Africa panel on the realities of investing in Africa and how to approach key markets across the continent.

October 2022 Launch Launching Impact-OS for African impact investors Max introduced Impact-OS, a digital toolset for public funders, impact investors and enterprise-support organisations working across Africa.

March 2022 Launch Irish Tech Challenge South Africa goes live The Irish Tech Challenge South Africa launch went live, connecting South African impact-focused tech entrepreneurs with the Irish ecosystem.

February 2022 Launch Preparing a R40m Inclusive Housing Fund with Lead Impact Capital Impact Amplifier and Lead Impact Capital announced a R40 million Inclusive Housing Fund for innovative solutions serving low-income South African families.

November 2021 Podcast A podcast on impact and inequality with Mike Stopforth A short, focused conversation with Mike Stopforth on impact and inequality in the global South: childhood, universal basic income, capital and deal flow, and the geographical handicaps some markets carry.

September 2019 Speaking Moderating a resilience session at ANDE 2019 At ANDE 2019, Max moderated a session on resilience, a missing piece in the global entrepreneurial ecosystem.

March 2019 Milestone Google Impact Challenge: $2m committed to 12 South African social ventures With Google, Impact Amplifier committed $2 million to 12 South African social ventures after months of selection, plus acceleration and global support.

Writing on Substack

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The AI workflow which persistently tracks my drafts Desert power: echoes of Frank Herbert's Dune

Work

Building a new capital structure for social and environmental ventures in Africa. I left London and asset management in 2005 to work in South African townships on business answers to inequality, then climate. Twenty years later that is still the job.

Mail & Guardian Top 200 Young South Africans, 2010. Endeavor South Africa Venture Corps. Founder of the South African ANDE chapter.

Impact Amplifier

Co-founder and Partner since 2011. Acceleration, impact strategy and catalytic finance for African ventures. Runs the Africa Online Safety Fund with Google.org.