Hi, I am Alexander. Welcome to Robavo Expeditions!

My Path to Startup and Venture Capital

I have always been passionate about using the power of technology to improve the quality of people’s lives. To achieve this goal, I completed a degree in cybersecurity and enrolled in a computer science program (with a track in cyber operations and a minor in entrepreneurship).

After I graduated from college, I participated in Future VC — Virtual Masterclasses, which taught me how to raise funds and evaluate pitches for various projects. During these classes, I was paired with Rohit, a cybersecurity investor at Plug and Play, who shared my passion for all aspects of cybersecurity and venture capital.

After the program, I immediately put my training to work as a VentureCorps Analyst at Alumni Ventures Group and as an Operations Associate/Chief of Staff at Roundtrip. I am eternally thankful to the Future VC team, including Rohit, Hillary, Timi, Olu, and Gigi for giving me the opportunity to learn about venture building and venture investing with them.

Inspired by these experiences, I took a bold step in early 2021: I started RobavoX, which is a lab that doubles as an early-stage fund and venture studio focused on civic and deep tech projects. Through this venture, I have launched innovative projects with some of the most fascinating people in tech and design, which utilize my strengths as a security researcher and developer. Specifically:

• I excel at finding security vulnerabilities, developing exploits, and fixing functional bugs
• I have four years of experience developing software for embedded systems and web applications
• In the past two years, I have focused on low-level programming, such as Rust, C/C++, real-time operating systems (RTOS), firmware development, and systems security engineering.
• I am a self-taught spacecraft engineer
• Currently, I am assembling and programming a tiny spacecraft that will be launched into low Earth orbit in 2022. Looking ahead, I am excited to explore additional opportunities in the aerospace industry through my own venture capital and venture studio firm.

Announcing RobavoX: an early-stage venture fund and studio

I launched RobavoX with two projects, eQuipfy and SpaceSec, which I personally built and funded. A year later, I now have five projects under development, which I have built with some of the smartest and most accomplished practitioners in tech and design:

• eQuipfy is a marketplace for construction equipment in sub-Saharan Africa
• SpaceSec is a space cybersecurity project
• 3WSec is a SaaS security project in stealth
• Robavo Space is an aerospace research and development project

By design, these projects leverage my engineering and product expertise and my connections with established engineers and designers in deep tech verticals. However, they are really just the start of what I plan to accomplish through RobavoX. Today, I want to share where we’re going, what we stand for, and why we exist.

Our Name

I chose the name RobavoX because it reflects the scope of our goals: to create and fund civic and deep tech projects as well as nonprofit and research organizations that focus on science, STEM research, education, health, criminal justice, medical research, human rights, poverty alleviation, election integrity, arts and culture, youth and pro-democracy causes, and tribal, gender, and economic inequality.

The name is also practical in nature. Robavo is my first name (Ovabor) in reverse, while X is the first letter of my shortened first name (Alex) in reverse. The letter X also stands for Expeditions.

For now, I run RobavoX with my sisters, one a software engineer, and the other a business operator, together they help me with engineering, design, and operations. I also partner with experts in different areas on various projects.

Our Structure

We’re structured as a venture studio: a new model for entrepreneurship that combines company building with venture funding to save time, iterate quickly, and scale faster.

In the past year, a venture studio and venture fund has proven to be the fastest and most efficient way for me to create and fund projects on my own or in partnerships with engineers and entrepreneurs. For example, I partnered with Eyitemi and Muyiwa to build Project Dinta, which is a responsible vulnerability disclosure brokerage service for Africa. I am involved in our projects at every stage of development, from ideation through exit. Looking ahead, I believe that venture studios are the best structure because they help us think differently about entrepreneurship and use that insight to solve real-world problems.

We’re incorporated as an LLC in Wyoming and will be opening an office space in Kigali, Rwanda.

As we grow, we continually seek new ways to improve our business and processes. With that in mind, we are planning to start the construction on more than 25,000 sq/ft of office, lab, and industrial space, which is slated to open in the summer of 2024. This space will work differently from anything else that already exists in Africa. It will also give us the freedom to evolve and meet the needs of engineers and designers on the continent. Get the details here.

How do we decide what project to create?

Inspired by Google’s Moonshot Thinking,

we look for the intersection of a big problem, a radical solution, and breakthrough technology. We start by considering a large problem in the world which, if solved, could improve the lives of millions of people. Then, we propose a radical solution that sounds impossible today, almost like science fiction. Finally, we look for a technology breakthrough today, which shows us that a long-term solution is possible, even if it is a decade away. We tackle ideas that have the riskiness and ambition of early-stage research and approach them with the focus and speed of a startup. Our goal is to develop these early-stage ideas, minimize their risks, and turn them into proven technologies that make a real impact in the world.

A Focus on Deep Tech Projects

Currently, we focus on “deep tech” projects: ambitious undertakings in advanced computing, advanced engineering, advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, blockchain technology, cybersecurity, data science, energy, machine learning, robotics, space, and the internet of things (IoTs). These are all areas in which technical innovation and scientific breakthroughs can have an outsized social impact.

Future Project Areas

Simultaneously, we are seeking partnerships with experts in other areas, who share our desire to use innovation to improve the quality of people’s lives.

Civic Projects: We believe that there are many opportunities for entrepreneurs to make an impact in the world by creating a more equitable society and improving access to education and healthcare. However, they often lack the funding and resources that are necessary for success. At RobavoX, we will build both the companies and funding to achieve these objectives.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a framework for our thinking, to ensure that we create a better future for everyone on earth and that no one is left behind. All of our projects align with one or more SDGs, which means they have the potential to create billion-dollar businesses and solve some of humanity’s biggest challenges.

Currently, RobavoX operates across six vectors:

• RobavoX Capital
• RobavoX Studio
• RobavoX Academic Innovation Fund
• RobavoX Collective
• RobavoX Labs
• RobavoX Core

Through RobavoX Capital, I invest in projects created through RobavoX Studio. I also invest in the pre-seed and seed rounds of other founders we admire by writing checks between $5000 — $25,000 SAFE (Simple Agreement for Future Equity). I mostly focus on African, Indian, and North American-based startups (must have one African founder), which have a live product or existing customer traction. Although I am sector agnostic with my angel investing, I strongly prefer civic and deep tech projects. In rare cases, I have given $1000 grants to founders with projects in the idea phase that are not a mutual fit for long-term collaboration. In addition to this $1000 grant, I also provide 30 free hours of engineering, product, and design consultation.

Through RobavoX Studio, I create civic and deep tech projects on my own or in partnership with engineers and entrepreneurs. RobavoX Studio also supports some of the projects that I invest in through RobavoX Capital. We assist with company formation, VC introductions, go-to-market strategy, market research, concept validation, engineering, data science, and product management, design, and marketing as part of our strategic value add.

Through the RobavoX Academic Innovation Fund, I invest in graduate students, postdocs, research scientists, faculty members, and undergraduate students across Africa who are doing basic and applied research in areas that interest me. I also fund and co-create scientific and engineering research projects led by graduate students, postdocs, research scientists, and faculty members. If you are an African researcher who wants to collaborate with foreign researchers, I can probably introduce you to professors (and potential partners) at North American universities who specialize in your area of research.

Through RobavoX Collective, we create and fund nonprofit and research organizations focused on science, STEM research, education, health, criminal justice, medical research, human rights, poverty alleviation, election integrity, arts and culture, youth and pro-democracy causes, and tribal, gender, and economic inequality. If an organization doesn’t exist, we will create it from scratch. We also fund existing projects that align strongly with our values. All RobavoX Collective endeavors are impact-focused. We believe in the effective altruism philosophy: using careful analysis and evidence to determine how we can use our resources (time, money, skills, and knowledge) to help others the most.

Through RobavoX Labs, we plan to provide access to the specialized labs, equipment, tools, and space necessary to experiment and launch “moonshot” technologies. To achieve this goal, we will build more than 25,000 sq/ft of office, lab, and industrial space tailored to African deep tech founders, engineers, and designers. Once constructed, we will have labs dedicated to chemistry, biology, fabrication, and engineering.

Finally, RobavoX Core is our Africa-based engineering, design, product, and operations initiative that supports our incubations by partnering with top-quality engineering, design, product, and operations talent in Africa.

When I consider how far we have come in such a short period of time, I am proud of our accomplishments and excited about the future. I am also eager to build the team that we will need to continue our explosive growth.

If you are a venture capitalist who invests in emerging fund managers, likes the mission of RobavoX, and wants to join our journey, please contact us. We are selectively looking for fund managers. We are also actively hiring for operations and product roles. Please send us a note and tell us about yourself. It is amazing to consider what we can accomplish by working together.

To the future & beyond,

— Alexander C. Ovabor
Founder & Managing Partner, RobavoX

Thanks to Mohammed Khalid and Nancy for reviewing drafts of this.