Heshan de Silva
“It is incredible that a kid who has no university degree can rise so quickly,” says Heshan de Silva. “What a great country Kenya is – there are so many opportunities.”
Nine years ago Heshan de Silva was a suicidal, alcoholic, drug-addicted dropout. Seven years ago he used US$116 to start a small insurance business. Today the 25-year-old Kenyan venture capitalist, founder of the De Silva Group, is worth over $10-million.
The De Silva Group is the holding company for DSGVenCap, a firm that makes seed investments in Kenyan entrepreneurs with innovative ideas for new businesses, with the specific aim of reducing poverty in the country. De Silva also mentors young Kenyans, sharing business success tips and personal advice.
One piece of advice is to “go for it”, not wait for a “golden ticket” to venture into business. “Don’t scratch your head saying there is no financing,” he says. “With what you have, what can you do to achieve your goal? Investors like people who have taken that initiative.”
De Silva graduated from high school at the age of 16, and immediately went on to university. He was young, undecided about his future, and hated lectures. Soon he was cutting class and sitting on the library steps, being paid to write essays for fellow students who preferred to party.
De Silva’s essay-writing venture was soon earning him up to $600 a day, and that’s when the wheels came off. He had money, and was spending it – mainly on alcohol, and soon on drugs as well.
Far from Kenya, failing all his classes and an addict, De Silva eventually tried to kill himself. His family fetched him home, and he slowly turned his life around. Today, De Silva is one of his country’s brightest young leaders, a dollar millionaire investing in people and new ideas.