Edwin’s approach is grounded in execution. He has built companies from the ground up, scaled marketing teams across multiple markets, and led go-to-market strategies for some of Africa’s most ambitious fintech and enterprise brands. Today, he applies this experience to identify companies where targeted capital, modern growth strategy, and disciplined operational support can drive transformational outcomes.
At Lighthouse, Edwin leads deal sourcing, brand and market strategy, and portfolio growth planning. His unique edge lies in his ability to spot commercial potential others miss especially in businesses held back by legacy marketing or outdated operations. He pairs this with a rigorous capital allocation mindset focused on compounding returns and long-term value creation.
Professional Experience
At Moove, one of Africa’s fastest-scaling fintech and mobility platforms, Edwin served as Head of Marketing & Sales in South Africa. He built the entire growth engine from scratch, contributing to 1,500+ vehicle sales in just eight months, while cutting cost-per-lead by 69%. He designed the CRM, campaign, and attribution infrastructure that enabled the sales team to eliminate cold calling and focus on high-intent leads.
Previously, Edwin was Senior Strategist at VML South Africa, part of VML Global, the world’s largest advertising agency network with a presence in over 100 countries. At VML, he led strategic marketing transformation projects for enterprise clients including Old Mutual, Telkom, and BCX. Notably, he developed the GTM strategy for Alibaba Cloud’s entry into Africa, positioning him as a strategic voice at the intersection of brand, digital, and commercial growth.
Entrepreneurial Track Record
Scaling Through Strategy: EA Digital Republic
For over 8 years, Edwin led EA Digital Republic, a full-service marketing agency he founded to help companies drive real, measurable growth. The agency delivered over 15 successful campaigns across fintech, SaaS, professional services, and retail combining CRM automation, paid ads, SEO, and brand content to generate millions in client revenue.
🎥 Watch agency video • 🔗 Clutch profile
As founder, Edwin wore every hat strategist, operator, performance lead and developed the playbooks he now brings to Lighthouse’s portfolio companies to help them unlock growth without wasting capital.
In the Trenches: A Brick-and-Mortar Lesson in Discipline
In parallel, Edwin launched and operated a brick-and-mortar beauty business, investing over $6,000 of personal capital. He managed lease negotiations, built financial tracking systems, hired staff, and led customer acquisition. Within six months, the business had four employees and a growing customer base. But he quickly recognised that the unit economics required 12–18 months of runway to reach sustainability, something many founders overlook.
Instead of chasing growth blindly, Edwin sold the business to a group that continued operations. The experience reinforced his belief in capital efficiency, founder clarity, and knowing when to pivot, exit, or double down.
Accolades & Achievements
Grew revenue by R80m ($4.5m)in 12 Months.
Bookmark Awards Jury Member – Selected to judge Africa’s top-performing marketing campaigns
Built and Sold a B&M Business – Operational exit after rapid traction and capital reassessment
Education
MBA (Strategic Management) – University of East London (In Progress)
Strategic Communications – The London School of Economics
Certifications:
Google Ads & Analytics
Social Media Marketing
AI for Marketing (HubSpot)
Content Marketing Strategy
- Search Engine Optimisation
Thesis & Investment Focus
Edwin believes that many African businesses aren’t struggling from a lack of demand, but from underdeveloped growth systems, outdated marketing, and a failure to adapt to modern customer acquisition strategies. His investment focus at Lighthouse Capital is on companies with strong fundamentals that lack the infrastructure to scale particularly in sectors where digital transformation and brand clarity can unlock outsized value.
He targets businesses that are under-leveraged from a sales, CRM, or customer journey perspective. With a track record of building scalable demand generation machines, Edwin brings a commercial operator’s lens to private equity backing founders who have built resilient businesses and helping them accelerate toward exponential growth with sharper positioning, better systems, and a strategy for sustainable scale.
At Lighthouse, Edwin’s thesis is simple: “When the product is solid, but growth is stalling, the problem is usually not the market it’s the machine.” His mission is to fix that machine, one deal at a time.
