Something is coming đź‘€
Top of Mind: Happy Sunday! We’re excited to announce that we’re working on a unique show that will air in November and December. We’re keeping the details under wraps for now, but we can tell you that it will be something truly special. To get you in the mood, we’re allowing you to guess what the […]
Husk Power raises $103 million to light up Africa
Top of Mind: Happy Sunday! Africa has 99 problems, and electricity is top 2. Governments and private sector interests have spent billions of dollars trying to rectify this problem – with bare luck. Now, companies and startups are raising money to replicate previous interventions. One of the leading companies in this space is Husk Power, and […]
Remittances are fueling African businesses
Top of Mind: Happy Sunday! In 2022, diasporans sent $100 billion back to Africa. While this powered economic growth, it presented an opportunity for asset managers and venture capital firms to turn remittances into investments for Africans in the diaspora. It’s a short dive this week. Let’s get into it. One big thing: The short: Remittances from […]
Africa’s big four are under threat from new players
Top of Mind: Happy Sunday! Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya and Egypt are dubbed the Big Four in Africa’s tech ecosystem – but new players are making a play for the title. This edition explores three countries building special cities to attract tech talent across Africa. One big thing: The short: It’s an all-out competition as African countries […]
IPOs are making a comeback
Top of Mind: Happy Sunday! It’s IPO season, and everyone’s eyes are peeled for the next big listing. ARM and Instacart blew open the IPO drought with a strong debut but a predictable flattening days later. In Africa, our stock markets are getting new blood with the latest listing on Nigeria’s stock exchange – NGX. Let’s […]
Nigeria’s tech founders back Nollywood’s movie of the year
Top of Mind: Happy Sunday! Nigeria’s tech ecosystem and Nollywood made a baby called The Black Book. For the first time in Nollywood’s history, Nigerian startup founders were the main backers of a Netflix original directed by Editi Effiong. The founders became executive producers on The Black Book, now streaming on Netflix. Here’s a recap of my conversation with Effiong […]
How a chargeback shockwave caused a fintech nightmare
Top of Mind: Happy Sunday! In 2022, chargeback and other kinds of fraud disrupted and nearly collapsed a substantial portion of Africa’s cross-border payments infrastructure. Millions of users could no longer pay for the world-class products and services they were used to. Today’s issue shows you exactly what happened: the not-so-out-there Zambian startup powering most […]
India’s Narendra Modi makes an Africa play
Top of Mind: Happy Sunday! Big news this week – India has its eyes on Africa. Black Ostrich Ventures launched a $20m fund to invest in pre-seed and seed stage startups outside the “Big Four” African markets, and Uganda’s Asaak is expanding into Latin America. Let’s get to it. 3 big things: India’s Narendra Modi makes […]
A startup founder’s masterclass on crisis comms
Top of Mind: Happy Sunday! We hit a technical snag last week and couldn’t make it to your inbox, but we’re glad to be back this week 🙂 Top stories – the CEO of one of Kenya’s most prominent startups gave a masterclass in crisis comms; Elon Musk gifted Twitter users thousands of dollars while still […]
Surviving winter: can African startups leverage no-code tools to raise pre-seed?
Top of mind: Happy Sunday! African startups are in the third year of a brutal winter, with foreign investors tightening their pre-seed purse strings. But, there’s hope – and it’s no-code. Plus, in shocking news, Kenya’s top logistics startup Sendy shuts down, and startups are raising less than they did in their heyday—big surprise. Let’s […]
