Rob Eloff grew up in apartheid-era South Africa and credits voting alongside his family's Black caregiver in 1994 with shaping his belief that talent is evenly distributed but opportunity is not, which drives his focus on emerging markets over developed ones. He designed Lateral as lifecycle capital that flexibly provides equity, revenue-based financing, and debt to African founders, and deliberately focuses on foundational technology in essential sectors like fintech rails and energy transition rather than consumer apps, arguing that African startups are naturally more profitable and resilient than their Western counterparts. Rob Eloff grew up in apartheid-era South Africa and credits voting alongside his family's Black caregiver in 1994 with shaping his belief that talent is evenly distributed but opportunity is not, which drives his focus on emerging markets over developed ones. He designed Lateral as lifecycle capital that flexibly provides equity, revenue-based financing, and debt to African founders, and deliberately focuses on foundational technology in essential sectors like fintech rails and energy transition rather than consumer apps, arguing that African startups are naturally more profitable and resilient than their Western counterparts.