Startups POD - Prince Nwadeyi of SAG Ventures: building solutions corporates commission but won't execute themselves Prince Nwadeyi unpacks how aligning incentives across value chains turns corporate muscle and founder execution into profitable innovation, and why Mustard Finance Group's reported 99.9% repayment rate proves the model works.
Impact Investing OP-ED - M-KOPA’s decade of discovery: when patient capital buys time to pivot M-KOPA’s lengthy path to profitability shows how patient capital can buy the time (and permission) to pivot until the real business emerges.
Digital Transformation OP-ED - What can standing in an iPhone 17 queue in Tokyo reveal about digital power and control? Plenty. Scarcity and sovereignty play out differently in Tokyo and Nairobi, but the underlying lessons for Africa’s tech builders are strikingly similar.
Market Intelligence OP-ED - Who controls the narrative? First-party data, truth and power in Africa’s digital economy As powerful actors spin persuasive stories, the challenge is documenting reality with first-party evidence, resisting myths, and shaping narratives that serve more than self-interest.
Health Economics OP-ED - A son's grief and gratitude in a world of unequal healthcare Dr Leonard Masuku's death within Zimbabwe's constrained hospital system serves as a stark reminder of healthcare's global inequities.
Market Intelligence OP-ED - How routine township shopping in South Africa now buys you 'invisible' funeral cover through embedded insurance SAG Ventures’ Purchase Pal, underwritten by Sanlam, tucks funeral insurance into everyday grocery purchases. No forms, no intermediaries, no premiums. Prince Nwadeyi shows what happens when deep consumer research drives product design.
Digital Transformation OP-ED - Can fibre optic manufacturing joint ventures like YOA Cable drive Africa’s next industrial wave? Pieter E. Viljoen, a physicist-turned-optic cable manufacturing boss, is betting that rethinking fibre from first principles could help restart Africa’s stalled industrial ambitions.
Venture Building POD - Funema's vision for venture building, AI and scaling impact in Africa David Ogundeko unpacks Funema's contrarian venture development philosophy, long-term investment sensibilities, and lessons from nearly a decade of building startups in Nigeria, South Africa, and the US.
Banking OP-ED - Africa isn’t India, but Capitec Bank’s success shows the value of local insight South Africa’s largest retail bank, Capitec, shows how aligning with real consumer behaviour—not imported models—can unlock value in Africa’s fragmented, stratified, and misunderstood markets.
Infrastructure OP-ED - As Starlink disrupts broadband incumbents in urban Africa, is carrier neutrality the answer? Beyond monopolies and satellite hype, carrier-neutral infrastructure offers the continent a potential third path amid global internet connectivity upheavals and geopolitical uncertainties.
Infrastructure #ThrowbackPOD - Alan Knott-Craig Jr in 2016, riding waves of setbacks and success From inheriting a famous surname to losing Africa's largest social network, Alan Knott-Craig Jr pivoted to revolutionising rural and township internet access.
Entrepreneurship OP-ED - Moving beyond the 'genius founder' myth: African Tech needs a new entrepreneurship narrative Oversimplification is the true enemy as Andile Masuku examines the complexities underlying popular myths in African tech entrepreneurship.
Venture Capital OP-ED - Secha Capital’s operator-investor model: an African VC alternative breaking the tech-first mould Amid Janngo Capital's oversubscribed final close and Techstars’ abrupt exit from Lagos, Secha Capital champions South Africa’s traditional industries with a slow-burn, hands-on investment model—reshaping venture capital norms.
Digital Transformation OP-ED - "Design with me, not for me": Marcus Welby Rance on empathy-driven innovation Digital transformation specialist Marcus Welby Rance advocates for African governments to embrace citizen-centric design, emphasising empathy and co-creation to meet genuine needs and foster trust.
Health Economics OP-ED - How health economics research is improving breast cancer care in South Africa Actuarial analyst turned health economist Sithabiso Masuku’s data-led research is driving more effective policy-making and the development of more efficient breast cancer care interventions in South Africa.
Venture Capital OP-ED - Melvyn Lubega parlays edtech unicorn success into venture capital play Melvyn Lubega, co-founder of edtech unicorn GO1, is now spearheading African innovation through Breega's $75 million fund, aiming to create 100,000 sustainable jobs across the continent.
Cybersecurity OP-ED - A little less propaganda, a little more cybersecurity science The drive of young mathematician Tswelopele Moshe to bridge theory with practical consulting solutions reflects a deeper quest for a more scientific approach to cybersecurity, challenging industry norms.
Fintech OP-ED - Is traction a la TymeBank the new standard for fintechs looking to raise VC? Fintech leaders are facing up to the realities of plummeting global VC funding. TymeBank's trajectory exemplifies the evolving landscape for securing venture capital.
Opinion Editorial OP-ED: Africa's biotech industry can deliver social and economic returns Although biotech is a growth phenomenon that is set to take flight around the world, South Africa is not taking advantage of its vast potential to be a key global player in the space and grow the economy, writes Sona Mahendra, Associate Programme Manager at Founders Factory Africa.
African Contemplating COVID-19's Impact on Africa's Economic Outlook with Landry Signé and Iginio Gagliardone Landry Signé and Iginio Gagliardone explain why they are optimistic about Africa's socio-economic prospects despite the havoc being wreaked by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Africa Ozow's Mitchan Adams On COVID-19: Well-positioned South African digital payments players are coining it right now South African Mitchan Adams, Ozow Co-founder & Head of R&D, explains why the COVID-19 pandemic is yielding some rather lucrative business opportunities for some fintech startups operating on his home turf.
Volkswagen 25: Volkswagen Up In Smoke As The South African Government Investigates Subscribe on iTunes [http://bit.ly/2cl7ISa] | Subscribe on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3Z3LxMD9ilV0cMYc9c9MMe] In what is arguably the largest cybercrime scandal affecting cars to date, Volkswagen has admitted to installing software in some of their diesel-powered cars to give out false emission data results during tests. This
Apple 24: What's The Big Fuss About Apple Ad Blockers? Subscribe on iTunes [http://bit.ly/2cl7ISa] | Subscribe on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3Z3LxMD9ilV0cMYc9c9MMe] As avid consumers of new media, it’s hard not to love the ad blocking features Apple has worked into iOS9 [http://www.forbes.com/sites/billrosenblatt/2015/09/21/apples-ios-9-ad-blocking-new-piracy/] , and the clever
Jason Njoku 22: "Cashflow Rules Everything Around Me" Alludes iROKOtv's Jason Njoku Subscribe on iTunes [http://bit.ly/2cl7ISa] | Subscribe on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3Z3LxMD9ilV0cMYc9c9MMe] Launching a start-up in Africa is not for the faint-hearted. Very few promising ventures - even those that achieve solid traction, can expect to land Silicon Valley type investment offers that might allow a
Mark Essien 20: What Defines An African Startup? Subscribe on iTunes [http://bit.ly/2cl7ISa] | Subscribe on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3Z3LxMD9ilV0cMYc9c9MMe] Back in Episode 3 of the African Tech Round-up [https://www.africantechroundup.com/what-is-a-startup-african-tech-round-up/] we asked the question: “What is a startup?” A lively discussion ensued— inspired by an eloquent piece written by David
