Hauke Dahl
Hauke Dahl is an economist whose work examines how capital flows, innovation models, and firm-level decision-making shape the growth trajectories of agrifoodtech ventures across Africa. His research focuses on the mechanisms through which different types of capital affect startup performance and the ability of firms to scale climate-smart and digitally enabled agricultural solutions
As part of the Food Systems Economics and Policy Group at ETH Zurich and the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, Hauke works on a portfolio of research and ecosystem-building initiatives at the intersection of private-sector development, innovation acceleration, and applied behavioral insights. His work bridges firm-level analytics with system-level coordination challenges, helping donors, investors, and implementing agencies better understand how support instruments shape startup behavior, market formation, and long-term investment readiness.
He currently co-develops the Global Agtech Innovation Facility with the World Bank, an initiative designed to improve alignment between public and private capital, strengthen ecosystem diplomacy, and coordinate large-scale support to agrifoodtech enterprises in East Africa. Through this work, he contributes to building integrated investment pipelines, enhancing risk analytics, and improving the effectiveness of public–private partnerships aimed at advancing agricultural innovation.
Hauke also works on the the AICCRA portfolio digital advisory scaling, designing evidence-generation approaches, anonymized case study frameworks, and rapid-learning mechanisms that help partners refine delivery models and support emerging agribusinesses. He has worked extensively with accelerator programs across East and Southern Africa and the Middle East, supporting founders on operational bottlenecks, investment strategy, and the design of adaptive, data-driven business models.
Before joining the Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT, Hauke was deployed as an Integrated Expert by the German Ministry of Development's Center for International Migration (CIM) at CGIAR’s International Water Management Institute (IWMI) as a member of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH’s “Task Force on Scaling”. He has also held various roles in the startup and consulting sectors.
His ongoing doctoral research with ETH Zurich centers on investment patterns, strategic adaptations and policy interventions in Africa’s agrifoodtech sector. This work aims to close major evidence gaps around how startups navigate fragmented support ecosystems. Hauke also holds a MSc in International Sustainability Management from ESCP Business School.