{"id":"sam-sahmrip-kim","title":"Sam Sahmrip Kim","content":"**Sam “Sahmrip” Kim** is a South Korean entrepreneur, investor, and social venture capitalist with a focus on fintech, blockchain technology, and venture investments. He is a founding partner of the venture capital firm Sukuma Ventures and a co-founder of the Kenyan fintech startup GoChapaa. His work frequently centers on fostering technological development in Africa by leveraging Asia-to-Africa networks. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-5uO5hAjyiq1jqXQE)​\n\n## Education\n\nKim attended Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in South Korea, graduating in 2001 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Language and Literature. He subsequently moved to the United States for his postgraduate studies and earned a Master of Arts in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from New York University in 2004. [\\[3\\]](#cite-id-CuXnmmaO1TFZUBUU)​\n\n## Career\n\nKim’s career spans corporate operations, investment banking, private equity, and entrepreneurship across Asia, Europe, and Africa, with a long-running focus on emerging markets in Kenya and the broader continent. After graduating from New York University, he returned to Seoul and worked at Pfizer from 2004 to 2006 as a project manager, then moved into finance at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, where he spent six years as a vice president. He later added buy-side experience through roles in private equity and family office management, including Investment Director at Andbeyond Private Equity (2017–2018) and Managing Director at the Eljovi–Marhberg Family Office in Vaduz, Liechtenstein (2018–2020).\n\nIn 2012, Kim relocated to Nairobi and shifted into entrepreneurship, serving as CEO of Two Point Coffee & Co. through 2018, which deepened his operational experience in Kenya’s local market. Building on that foundation, he became a founding partner of Sukuma Ventures, a Singapore-based venture capital firm and accelerator that backs African startups using Asia-to-Africa networks and a thesis centered on inclusive innovation, sustainable business models, and long-term partnership. In 2022, he co-founded GoChapaa, a Nairobi-based [Web3](https://iq.wiki/wiki/web3) fintech platform designed to support Kenya’s informal cooperative savings groups (“chamas”) by offering digital wallet infrastructure, payments tools, and financial services access, including small-ticket [fiat](https://iq.wiki/wiki/fiat-money) on-ramps in Kenyan Shillings. Alongside his core roles, Kim has also worked as a mentor and advisor in the [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) sector, maintained a long-standing track record as an angel and private investor, and briefly served as an economic education advisor during South Korea’s 2022 election campaign period. [\\[2\\]](#cite-id-2dYXebsClRV9Qz48) [\\[4\\]](#cite-id-6Y7XH1Nw8BX65Ssl) ","summary":"Sam 'Sahmrip' Kim is a South Korean entrepreneur and investor focused on fintech, blockchain, and venture capital. He is the co-founder of GoChapaa, a Kenyan bl...","images":[{"id":"QmVNgiZ9xDsPzKE9T6CfccAUucLzQ33hHEhMhBTp1Mh6wQ","type":"image/jpeg, image/png"}],"categories":[{"id":"people","title":"People in crypto"}],"tags":[{"id":"Founders"},{"id":"PeopleInDeFi"},{"id":"Venture"},{"id":"Speakers"}],"media":[{"id":"QmVc3EWz4iw8Skr2oG4JDy1PwBx1JLs1TeaZ9wMXECTjTG","size":null,"name":null,"type":"GALLERY","source":"IPFS_IMG"},{"id":"QmcxVKH9SSuHr42HaX7k6tzKcBABbjzeL6oEHQCpBt1zCU","size":null,"name":null,"type":"GALLERY","source":"IPFS_IMG"},{"id":"QmTs95kK39wS8EKH2LDdawvTkX1bQFtkFCBkZd4ABmB9Gb","size":null,"name":null,"type":"GALLERY","source":"IPFS_IMG"},{"id":"QmYzp5iPYRQ5CyUxAbs97RXLPWmuH7ry4pA5Nwzawu9TLy","size":null,"name":null,"type":"GALLERY","source":"IPFS_IMG"}],"metadata":[{"id":"references","value":"[\n  {\n    \"id\": \"5uO5hAjyiq1jqXQE\",\n    \"url\": \"https://www.sukumaventures.com/\",\n    \"description\": \"Sam Kim's biography on Sukuma Ventures\",\n    \"timestamp\": 1769115595234\n  },\n  {\n    \"id\": \"2dYXebsClRV9Qz48\",\n    \"url\": \"https://consensus-hongkong.coindesk.com/agenda/speaker/-sam-sahmrip-kim\",\n    \"description\": \"Sam Kim's speaker profile for Consensus Hong Kong\",\n    \"timestamp\": 1769115595234\n  },\n  {\n    \"id\": \"CuXnmmaO1TFZUBUU\",\n    \"url\": \"https://www.linkedin.com/in/sahmrip-kim/?originalSubdomain=kr\",\n    \"description\": \"Sam Kim's LinkedIn profile\",\n    \"timestamp\": 1769115595234\n  },\n  {\n    \"id\": \"6Y7XH1Nw8BX65Ssl\",\n    \"url\": \"https://www.linkedin.com/in/sahmrip-kim/details/experience/\",\n    \"description\": \"Sam Kim's professional experience on LinkedIn\",\n    \"timestamp\": 1769115595234\n  },\n  {\n    \"id\": \"p9cMzkoisV0qlu5I\",\n    \"url\": \"https://x.com/SamKimGoChapaa\",\n    \"description\": \"Sam Kim's official X profile\",\n    \"timestamp\": 1769115595234\n  }\n]"},{"id":"twitter_profile","value":"https://x.com/SamKimGoChapaa"},{"id":"linkedin_profile","value":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/sahmrip-kim/"},{"id":"website","value":"https://www.sukumaventures.com/"},{"id":"references","value":"https://consensus-hongkong.coindesk.com/agenda/speaker/-sam-sahmrip-kim"},{"id":"previous_cid","value":"\"https://ipfs.everipedia.org/ipfs/QmNyih96xby5mpghLnMyYZT9zBLQa1TUv467TVvnxYpKVG\""},{"id":"commit-message","value":"\"Updated title and actions for 'People in crypto'\""},{"id":"previous_cid","value":"QmNyih96xby5mpghLnMyYZT9zBLQa1TUv467TVvnxYpKVG"}],"events":[{"id":"80bd8409-34fc-4301-95e3-dfadee47d207","date":"2022-05","title":"Co-founded GoChapaa","type":"DEFAULT","description":"Co-founded GoChapaa, a Nairobi-based blockchain startup focused on financial inclusion and building crypto infrastructure for Africa.","link":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/sahmrip-kim/details/experience/","multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"continent":null,"country":null,"action":"DELETE"},{"id":"1c54164c-059c-47c4-beea-1cf4540eb291","date":"2021-01","title":"Founded Sukuma Ventures","type":"DEFAULT","description":"Became a founding partner at Sukuma Ventures, a Singapore-based venture capital firm focused on fostering technological innovation in Africa.","link":"https://www.sukumaventures.com/","multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"continent":null,"country":null,"action":"DELETE"},{"id":"81bb28d6-caf6-4846-8f56-3336a7fd6f0f","date":"2018-01","title":"Spoke at World Economic Forum","type":"DEFAULT","description":"Was an invited guest speaker at the World Economic Forum, discussing innovations impacting the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).","link":"https://consensus-hongkong.coindesk.com/agenda/speaker/-sam-sahmrip-kim","multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"continent":null,"country":null,"action":"DELETE"},{"id":"ab1d667f-7457-4308-be3a-616cd2a8c29d","date":"2004-01","title":"Graduated from New York University","type":"DEFAULT","description":"Earned a Master of Arts (MA) in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from New York University.","link":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/sahmrip-kim/?originalSubdomain=kr","multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"continent":null,"country":null,"action":"DELETE"}],"user":{"id":"0x8af7a19a26d8fbc48defb35aefb15ec8c407f889"},"author":{"id":"0x8AF7a19a26d8FBC48dEfB35AEfb15Ec8c407f889"},"operator":{"id":"0x1E23b34d3106F0C1c74D17f2Cd0F65cdb039b138"},"language":"en","version":1,"linkedWikis":{"blockchains":[],"founders":[],"speakers":[]},"recentActivity":"{\"items\":[{\"id\":\"9fc66776-e38f-46b8-a92d-06b18f35b39a\",\"title\":\"Sam Sahmrip Kim\",\"description\":\"Sam 'Sahmrip' Kim is a South Korean entrepreneur and investor focused on fintech, blockchain, and venture capital. 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