Market Intelligence POD - Bridging Africa and Tokyo, Bernard Laurendeau explains why Africa needs strategic global partnerships over patient capital Bernard Laurendeau argues that telling investors to "think long-term" about Africa is the wrong message. The managing partner at Laurendeau & Associates shares how he's building bridges between Japanese corporations and African markets from his new base in Tokyo.
Digital Transformation OP-ED - Zero human error? What AI’s financial wins might be hiding AI promises fewer mistakes, leaner teams and more cost efficient businesses. But do these wins blind us to deeper ethical, societal, and economic trade-offs we must confront?
Career POD - From Maputo to Shopify and why Guidione Machava says 'African Designer' is a career-limiting label Guidione Machava argues that leading with geographic identity in a global market can unconsciously devalue your talent. He shares how he's built a cross-continental product design career, from founding Mozambique’s top dev community to working at Shopify and 23point5.
Sona's Field Notes Sona's Field Notes #04: Strong Founder or Wrong Founder? After three Field Notes on external challenges, Sona Mahendra turns inward: exploring founder archetypes, market timing, and the uncomfortable truth about what constitutes winning.
Fintech POD - Inside Verto's fintech strategy for cracking Africa's $286B trade puzzle Ola Oyetayo shares how Verto is tackling cross-border payment challenges, exploring stablecoin potential, and scaling a profitable fintech serving businesses across key African markets.
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.
Venture Building Sona's Field Notes #03: Principles Over Playbooks Sona Mahendra challenges the African tech ecosystem's reliance on startup playbooks and frameworks, arguing instead for first principles approaches to venture building.
Venture Capital OP-ED - Why ‘venture capital’ in Africa is a misnomer, and what to do about it Africa’s startup funding landscape is often mislabelled as venture capital, but the reality is starkly different. It’s time for honest, context-driven investment models that truly fit.
Venture Building Sona's Field Notes #02: The Market Size Misconception Sona Mahendra unpacks the pervasive founder habit of prematurely abandoning promising ideas due to perceived market size limitations.
Ecosystem OP-ED - Edge of the matrix: Bankole Oluwafemi on levelling up in a world of unequal passport access For Nigerians, global mobility isn't just travel—it's a game rigged at birth. "Full-stack creative" and TechCabal founder Bankole Oluwafemi reveals how to hack the system and rewrite your sovereignty stats.
Founders OP-ED - African logistics reality check: Gugulethu Siso shares hard-earned insights on avoiding startup failure Thumeza founder Gugulethu Siso reveals the brutal survival cycle of African logistics startups and shares practical wisdom for navigating relationship-driven markets where technology alone cannot ensure success.
Venture Building Sona's Field Notes #01: The VC Question That Won't Let Founders in Africa Rest In the opening installment of her four-part email capsule series, venture builder-turned-founder Sona Mahendra confronts a common VC question African founders dread.
Ecosystem OP-ED - 'If weekend go sweet': Fatu Ogwuche's reading of African Tech's 2024 'Wednesday' signals Through the lens of a street-smart Nigerian saying, Big Tech This Week founder Fatu Ogwuche unpacks a year of tense realities in African tech and why 2024's closing signals are fueling high hopes for 2025.
Media POD - Tinashe Mukogo of Money & Moves on building independent media that balances commercial success and public interest Former Deloitte consultant and Siemens executive, Tinashe Mukogo, discusses how his professional experience and corporate background are shaping his live, real-time approach to building a sustainable, independent financial media property.
Startups OP-ED - AI and the rise of the tech solopreneur: hype or reality? AI’s efficiency revolution is reshaping tech entrepreneurship. From US insurtech Jerry’s profit flip to Postman’s automated API tools, Africa’s solopreneurs could thrive with lean, AI-driven models over capital-intensive scaling.
Talent #ThrowbackPOD: Revisiting a 2018 chat with Gebeya's Amadou Daffe & AltSchool Africa's Adewale Yusuf A candid throwback exchange unpacking Ethiopia's quiet rise as a tech talent powerhouse against Nigeria's developer compensation evolution.
Banking OP-ED: Banking Evolution—Building digital banks that balance scale and sustainability Global shifts and regional demands are transforming neobanking, as African digital banks redefine success through delivering market-relevant financial services profitably and sustainably.
Fintech POD: Beyond Free Banking—Chijioke Dozie on Carbon's journey to profitable digital banking in Nigeria Chijioke Dozie, co-founder and CEO of Carbon, shares insights on building a sustainable digital bank in Nigeria and the evolving neobanking landscape across Africa.
Ecosystem OP-ED: Systematic Strategies & DIY Innovation—Shaking up market education in Africa’s startup investment scene A new generation of African VC professionals is reshaping ecosystem education through institutional strategy and individual innovation.
Venture Capital POD: No Seven-Year Wait—How Baobab Network is offering tentative investors a taste of Africa’s tech potential Ambar van der Wath explains how Baobab Network, a tech venture accelerator, is helping investors test the waters in Africa's tech venture capital scene.
Entrepreneurship OP-ED: African Tech Needs a New Entrepreneurship Narrative—Moving beyond the 'genius founder' myth Oversimplification is the true enemy as Andile Masuku examines the complexities underlying popular myths in African tech entrepreneurship.
Sponsored POD: Victor Mapunga on building from first principles in Africa's 'tech graveyard' Victor Mapunga, founder of FlexID and Shona Prince Technologies, reveals the raw truth of building from scratch in Zimbabwe—rejecting hero labels and embracing the grit of progress.
Venture Building OP-ED: Unpacking the challenges of asset-light models in Africa feat. Abderrahmane Chaoui Discover why popular "asset-light" business models, celebrated for their scalability, often falter in Africa's unique landscape, as Abderrahmane Chaoui shares his insightful analysis.
Venture Building OP-ED: Inside Morocco’s startup ecosystem with Salma Kabbaj Moroccan tech accelerator co-founder and CEO, Salma Kabbaj, offers a glimpse into the evolving startup landscape in Africa's fifth-largest economy.
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.
