Venture Building 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.
Ecosystem OP-ED: Funding Plus—Alesimo Mwanga on why strategic partnerships are the secret to scaling African innovation Ecosystem strategist Alesimo Mwanga explains how strategic partnerships unlock cross-border venture growth where funding alone falls short.
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.
Artificial Intelligence OP-ED: Meta’s AI Strategy—Smart investment or reckless high-stakes gamble? Following the Meta-verse misfire, will Meta’s AI ambitions prove to be a masterstroke or another costly detour? Tinashe Mukogo slides the abacus beads and analyses what they mean for Africa.
This Is Connectivity OP-ED: The New Rules of Influence—Ikpeme Neto on leveraging public persona for startup success Doctor-turned-founder Ikpeme Neto is building Wellahealth with substance over hype. His journey highlights the power of strategic visibility, public engagement, and sustainable execution in digital healthcare.
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.
Venture Capital OP-ED: African Tech’s Next Big Challenge—Matching venture capital to realistic outcomes Misaligned funding models are stalling wins in African tech. Venture builder-turned-founder Sona Mahendra offers astute insights on aligning venture capital with scalable, sustainable growth.
Digital Transformation OP-ED: Cameron John Walker Asks—Is Checkers sacrificing CX for efficiency? In Checkers’ aisles, online fulfilment staff hustle, but at what cost? Cameron John Walker unpacks South African retail’s commercial optimisation vs. customer experience dilemma.
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: Empathy-Driven Innovation—Design with me, not for me feat. Marcus Welby Rance 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.
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.
Climate OP-ED: Rethinking Africa’s climate finance future Nchedolisa Akuma tackles Africa's climate finance challenges, advocating for more assertive strategies to drive innovation and environmental resilience.
Fintech OP-ED: Philosophy to fintech for agro-processors feat. Ochich Magero Ochich Magero shares insights from his journey, evolving from philosopher to fintech founder, with a mission to transform financial inclusion for agro-processors across Africa.
Mobile OP-ED: Evaluating Sub-Saharan Africa's mobile gender gap feat. Claire Sibthorpe Claire Sibthorpe unpacks GSMA's latest report, revealing that the mobile internet gender gap in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) has decreased to 15%, with over 1.5 billion women now online.
Cybersecurity OP-ED: A little less propaganda, a little more cybersecurity science feat. Tswelopele Moshe 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: Reflecting on a decade in African fintech feat. Elizabeth Rossiello Elizabeth Rossiello, CEO of AZA Finance, reflects on her decade-long journey from founding BitPesa to steering a fintech scale-up in Africa, navigating industry changes and strategic growth.
Climate OP-ED: African climate tech money coming in hot feat. Abraham Augustine Abraham Augustine, a leading voice in African digital economies, shares insights on climate tech investment signals and trends. Learn from past failures, he advises.
Fintech OP-ED: Insights on Africa's fintech landscape amidst global 'funding winter' feat. Nicole Dunn Fresh from attending FT Partners' Fintech in Africa Event in New York, fintech founder Nicole Dunn offers a handy VC winter weather report.
Blockchain OP-ED: Blockchain Association of Kenya legislative lobby diaries feat. Michael Kimani Kenya's Blockchain Association advances digital asset regulation, spearheaded by director Michael Kimani. Kimani takes us behind the fray.
