Top 50 Rising Stars 2022 (in alphabetical order by CVC unit): Margaret Sheyindemi, investor relations manager, Wayra UK
Margaret Sheyindemi is an investor relations manager at Wayra UK, a corporate venture capital and innovation hub of Spain-based telecommunications company Telefónica, where she works in sourcing dealflow for commercial opportunities with Telefonica and supporting Wayra UK’s portfolio in fundraising.
Telefónica formed Wayra’s first hub in 2011 in Colombia before expanding the programme across Latin America and later in Europe. It now has a presence in 10 countries having invested more than 800 companies globally.
Some of the companies in Wayra UK’s portfolio include Quit Genius, a digital clinic for treating nicotine, alcohol and opioid addictions. Hiya, a caller identification application software; Yac, an asynchronous voice messaging platform for remote teams; and Matsuko, a holographic communication software company, are also among the portfolio.
Before joining Wayra, Sheyindemi discovered the world of venture capital during a stint in Ghana working as a business development officer at social enterprise Balloon Ventures. Prior to that, she spent time improving business processes at the NHS and interned as a property consultant at Midas Property Group and worked for over two years as a marketing and strategy adviser at SafePlan.
She holds a bachelor of science in biochemistry and molecular medicine from University of Nottingham and took part in London Business School’s Newton Venture Program in 2021, also currently sits on the advisory board of Future VC, a Diversity VC internship programme.
Fernando Moncada Rivera
Fernando Moncada Rivera is a reporter at Global Corporate Venturing and also host of the CVC Unplugged podcast.
