Top Third Ventures was founded on 9 November 2011, by Lucas Belenky and Björn Hammar in Nairobi, Kenya. Björn Hammar, a Finnish national, met Lucas Belenky, a United States national, several months before during a professional hiatus while traveling through sub-Saharan Africa. A chance meeting with an efficient cook stove designer led to an introduction to Lucas who was a senior associate with KPMG East Africa's Sustainability Advisory Services at the time. Björn and Lucas had their first meeting at the Westgate shopping mall.
