Market Intelligence OP-ED - Boring is beautiful, but can $50 million pyrethrum flower power fuel a natural insecticide industry revival in Kenya? When development finance meets agricultural nostalgia, the unit economics must be interrogated.
Digital Transformation OP-ED - Lessons from 25 Years of Africa’s internet story: a preview of Russell Southwood’s reflections Drawing from an upcoming African Tech Roundup podcast, this op-ed unpacks Russell Southwood’s reflections on lessons, blind spots and enduring questions.
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.
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.
Fintech POD - Inside Verto's fintech strategy for cracking Africa's $286 billion 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.
Ecosystem OP-ED - Alesimo Mwanga on why strategic partnerships are the secret to scaling African innovation beyond funding Ecosystem strategist Alesimo Mwanga explains how strategic partnerships unlock cross-border venture growth where funding alone falls short.
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.
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.
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.
Infrastructure POD - Carrier neutrality: Rob Bergman on Unicorn Factory's vision for digital infrastructure investment Dutch investor Rob Bergman and his partners at Unicorn Factory are driving a carrier-neutral strategy to deploy capital and scale digital infrastructure across Africa.
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.
Market Intelligence OP-ED - Awkward investment realities: the case for backing 'boring' business in Africa As African tech investments plateau, Balloon Ventures' $14 million SME portfolio reveals an uncomfortable truth: 'boring' traditional businesses might be outperforming venture-backed startups in real economic impact.
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.
Venture Capital #ThrowbackPOD - Maya Horgan Famodu in 2017, before founding Ingressive Capital Catch Maya Horgan Famodu at a pivotal moment—still running investor tours between Silicon Valley and Africa—just before launching her groundbreaking venture capital fund.
Ecosystem OP-ED - Systematic strategies and 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.
This Is Connectivity POD - This Is Connectivity a la VC with Accion Venture Lab's Jasiel Martin-Odoom Discover how Accion Venture Lab's Africa Investment Officer blends digital savvy with authentic relationship-building to find and fund some of the continent's most promising fintech startups.
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.
Venture Building OP-ED - Abderrahmane Chaoui unpacks the challenges of asset-light models in Africa 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.
