Fortnightly podcast on all the happenings in Africa's tech startup ecosystem put together by the team at Disrupt Africa.
DP #71: The month in VC - episode 19
“The month in VC” is a regular deep-dive into the Africa’s investment space. Produced in partnership with Atlantica Ventures, each episode wraps up the latest news in African VC, profiles a leading investor, and digs into a key theme or trend in conversation with partner VCs.
The latest episode sees us speak to Mareme Dieng, Africa lead at 500 Global, and we’ll also be looking at the positives - and indeed negatives - of Africa-focused investors having previously been entrepreneurs or operators themselves.
10/13/2024 • 29 minutes, 57 seconds
DP #70: The month in fintech - episode 1
DP #70: The month in fintech - episode 1 - Produced in partnership with Africhange and Onafriq, “The month in fintech” is Disrupt Africa’s new podcast on the African fintech space. This episode sees us speak to Rachel Balsham, managing director for Southern and East Africa at omni-channel digital payments platform Onafriq, and Tega Ogigirigi, head of growth at Africhange, for a discussion around cross-border payments and remittances on the continent.
10/6/2024 • 33 minutes, 52 seconds
DP #69: The month in VC - episode 18
“The month in VC” is a regular deep-dive into the Africa’s investment space. Produced in partnership with Atlantica Ventures, and Goodwell Investments, each episode wraps up the latest news in African VC, profiles a leading investor, and digs into a key theme or trend in conversation with partner VCs.
The latest episode sees us speak to Tosin Faniro-Dada, partner at Breega Capital, about her career and her firm’s new Africa-focused fund, while we also dig into how a startup changes once it has secured venture capital with the help of Goodwell’s Wim van der Beek.
9/8/2024 • 23 minutes, 34 seconds
DP #68: The month in VC - episode 17
“The month in VC” is a regular deep-dive into the Africa’s investment space. Produced in partnership with Atlantica Ventures, and Goodwell Investments, each episode wraps up the latest news in African VC, profiles a leading investor, and digs into a key theme or trend in conversation with partner VCs.
The latest episode sees us speak to Lexi Novitske of Norrsken22, and dig into the findings of Disrupt Africa's recent research publication "Diversity Dividend".
8/7/2024 • 28 minutes, 46 seconds
DP #67: The month in VC - episode 16
“The month in VC” is a regular deep-dive into the Africa’s investment space. Produced in partnership with Atlantica Ventures, and Goodwell Investments, each episode wraps up the latest news in African VC, profiles a leading investor, and digs into a key theme or trend in conversation with partner VCs.
The latest episode sees us speak to Lavenya Anand from pan-African PE and VC firm AfricInvest, and dig deep into the current "funding winter" and when we can finally expect it to end.
7/13/2024 • 20 minutes, 40 seconds
DP #66: The month in VC - episode 15
“The month in VC” is a regular deep-dive into the Africa’s investment space. Produced in partnership with Atlantica Ventures, and Goodwell Investments, each episode wraps up the latest news in African VC, profiles a leading investor, and digs into a key theme or trend in conversation with partner VCs.
The latest episode sees us speak to Justin Stanford from the Cape Town-based 4Di Capital about his career, company, and investment ethos, while we also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of specialisation within the African venture capital landscape.
6/2/2024 • 31 minutes, 6 seconds
DP #65: The month in VC - episode 14
“The month in VC” is a regular deep-dive into the Africa’s investment space. Produced in partnership with Atlantica Ventures, and Goodwell Investments, each episode wraps up the latest news in African VC, profiles a leading investor, and digs into a key theme or trend in conversation with partner VCs.
The latest episode sees us speak to Emmanuel Adegboye, head of Madica, a sector-agnostic investment programme that has just made its first investments, about his career, company, and investment ethos, while we also discuss the relevance of "impact" within the African venture capital landscape.
5/5/2024 • 34 minutes, 41 seconds
DP #64: The month in VC - episode 13
“The month in VC” is a regular deep-dive into the Africa’s investment space. Produced in partnership with Hlayisani Capital, Atlantica Ventures, and Goodwell Investments, each episode wraps up the latest news in African VC, profiles a leading investor, and digs into a key theme or trend in conversation with partner VCs.
The latest episode sees us speak to Wim van der Beek from Goodwell Investments about his career, company, and investment ethos, while we also discuss the importance of being "founder-friendly", or whether indeed that is just a marketing phrase.
4/7/2024 • 31 minutes, 55 seconds
DP #63: The month in VC - episode 12
“The month in VC” is a regular deep-dive into the Africa’s investment space. Produced in partnership with Katapult Africa, Hlayisani Capital, Atlantica Ventures, and Endeavor South Africa, each episode wraps up the latest news in African VC, profiles a leading investor, and digs into a key theme or trend in conversation with partner VCs.
The latest episode sees us speak to Antonia Bothner from Endeavor South Africa about her career and investment ethos, while we also discuss with importance of due diligence, and how different investors go about conducting it.
3/3/2024 • 32 minutes, 24 seconds
DP #62: The month in VC - episode 11
“The month in VC” is a regular deep-dive into the Africa’s investment space. Produced in partnership with Katapult Africa, Hlayisani Capital, Atlantica Ventures, and Endeavor South Africa, each episode wraps up the latest news in African VC, profiles a leading investor, and digs into a key theme or trend in conversation with partner VCs.
The latest episode sees us speak to Ameya Upadhyay from fintech-focused VC Flourish Ventures about his career and investment ethos, while we also discuss with investors the findings of Disrupt Africa's recent funding report, which tracked a difficult 2023 investment-wise as the global "funding winter" began to bite.
2/4/2024 • 20 minutes, 53 seconds
DP #61: Learning digitally - how ed-tech is boosting accessibility of education in Africa, episode 3
Disrupt Africa has teamed up with eLearn Africa to release a three-part deep-dive into the African ed-tech startup space.
In episode three, we're analysing the funding and support ecosystem that is helping ed-tech startups scale, and whether more needs to be done to help the space fulfil its potential.
1/21/2024 • 12 minutes, 16 seconds
DP #60: Learning digitally - how ed-tech is boosting accessibility of education in Africa, episode 2
Disrupt Africa has teamed up with eLearn Africa to release a three-part deep-dive into the African ed-tech startup space.
In episode two, we're digging into the potential of ed-tech, and discovering how COVID-19 was not such a bad thing for online learning on the continent.
1/14/2024 • 11 minutes, 16 seconds
DP #59: Learning digitally - how ed-tech is boosting accessibility of education in Africa, episode 1
Disrupt Africa has teamed up with eLearn Africa to release a three-part deep-dive into the African ed-tech startup space.
In episode one, we're digging into the scope of Africa’s educational challenges, and how ed-tech startups are working to address them.
1/7/2024 • 9 minutes, 37 seconds
DP #58: Finnovating for Africa - how African fintechs are solving for inclusion, episode 2
Disrupt Africa has teamed up with AZA Finance, Revio, EMURGO Middle East & Africa, and MoneyHash to release a two-part deep-dive into to African fintech startup space.
In episode one, we delve into the support available for fintechs on the continent - from investors, from incumbents, from governments - and look at the future potential of fintech in Africa.
12/19/2023 • 35 minutes, 8 seconds
DP #57: The month in VC - episode 10
“The month in VC” is a regular deep-dive into the Africa’s investment space. Produced in partnership with Katapult Africa, Hlayisani Capital, and Atlantica Ventures, each episode wraps up the latest news in African VC, profiles a leading investor, and digs into a key theme or trend in conversation with partner VCs.
The latest episode sees us speak to Erick Yong from GreenTec Capital Partners about his career and passion for African tech entrepreneurship. We'll also talk with investors about how they go about sourcing their portfolio companies.
12/13/2023 • 22 minutes, 50 seconds
DP #56: Finnovating for Africa - how African fintechs are solving for inclusion, episode 1
Disrupt Africa has teamed up with AZA Finance, Revio, Emurgo Middle East & Africa, and MoneyHash to release a two-part deep-dive into to African fintech startup space.
In episode one, we look at the challenges around financial inclusion in Africa, the origins of the fintech revolution on the continent, and how startups are innovating in various areas within the sector.
12/3/2023 • 21 minutes, 53 seconds
DP #55: The month in VC - episode 9
“The month in VC” is a regular deep-dive into the Africa’s investment space. Produced in partnership with Katapult Africa, Hlayisani Capital, ARM Labs Lagos Techstars Accelerator, and Atlantica Ventures, each episode wraps up the latest news in African VC, profiles a leading investor, and digs into a key theme or trend in conversation with partner VCs.
The latest episode sees us speak to Aniko Szigetvari of Atlantica Ventures about her career and passion for African tech entrepreneurship. We'll also discuss with various investors the importance of overcoming preconceptions startups have about VCs, and vice versa.
11/5/2023 • 28 minutes, 44 seconds
DP #54: Diversity dividend - Female fund managers in Africa - Eloho Omame
Women have always been underrepresented in the venture capital space worldwide. Some of the earliest research from the US (2018) found that only nine per cent of VC decision makers were women. In Africa, new data by Disrupt Africa shows some more promising trends - 39.6 per cent of VCs actively investing on the continent in 2022 had a female partner or founder - yet less than 10 per cent of angels are women. With data demonstrating a direct link between gender diversity in teams, and increased profitability, the "Diversity dividend: Female fund managers in Africa" series looks at firms that recognise this truth, and put diversity front and centre.
In episode five, Gabriella talks to Eloho Omame, of FirstCheck Africa and TLcom Capital. This podcast is commissioned by Boost Africa Technical Assistance Facility and financed by the European Union under EDF Thematic Blending and Cotonou Investment Facility.
10/15/2023 • 9 minutes, 13 seconds
DP #53: The month in VC - episode 8
“The month in VC” is a regular deep-dive into the Africa’s investment space. Produced in partnership with Katapult Africa, Hlayisani Capital, and ARM Labs Lagos Techstars Accelerator, each episode wraps up the latest news in African VC, profiles a leading investor, and digs into a key theme or trend in conversation with partner VCs.
Episode eight sees us speak to Maya Horgan Famodu from Ingressive Capital about her career and plans for the future, and dig deep into venture capital business models.
10/7/2023 • 28 minutes, 26 seconds
DP #52: Talking the talk - why African tech startups need effective PR, episode 2
Disrupt Africa has teamed up with Africa-focused public relations company Talking Drum Communications to discuss the value of PR to African tech startups, in good times and bad.
In the second installment of this two-part series, Bemi Idowu of Talking Drum Communications takes us through how PR can help African tech ventures cope in times of crisis.
10/1/2023 • 16 minutes, 44 seconds
DP #51: Talking the talk - why African tech startups need effective PR, episode 1
Disrupt Africa has teamed up with Africa-focused public relations company Talking Drum Communications to discuss the value of PR to African tech startups, in good times and bad.
In the first installment of this two-part series, Bemi Idowu of Talking Drum Communications takes us through how PR can help African tech ventures as they grow, and how an effective PR function is best developed.
9/25/2023 • 18 minutes, 37 seconds
DP #50: The month in VC - episode 7
“The month in VC” is a regular deep-dive into the Africa’s investment space. Produced in partnership with Katapult Africa, Kalon Venture Partners, Hlayisani Capital, and ARM Labs Lagos Techstars Accelerator, each episode wraps up the latest news in African VC, profiles a leading investor, and digs into a key theme or trend in conversation with partner VCs.
Episode seven sees us speak to Sapna Shah from Novastar Ventures, and discuss the importance of local capital with Hlayisani Capital's Mathew Palin.
9/3/2023 • 20 minutes, 22 seconds
DP #49: High tech health - how African startups are improving healthcare outcomes - episode 3
Disrupt Africa has partnered Salient Advisory, Curacel and RxAll to put together a three-part podcast series on the African e-health space - the issues it is addressing, how it is innovating to improve healthcare outcomes, and what support startups are receiving from governments, donors and investors.
In episode three, we’re looking to the future, at what a tech-enabled African healthcare landscape looks like, and what best practices we can employ to make sure we get there.
8/20/2023 • 19 minutes, 48 seconds
DP #48: High tech health - how African startups are improving healthcare outcomes - episode 2
Disrupt Africa has partnered Salient Advisory, Curacel and RxAll to put together a three-part podcast series on the African e-health space - the issues it is addressing, how it is innovating to improve healthcare outcomes, and what support startups are receiving from governments, donors and investors.
In episode two, we discuss how various stakeholders can best support e-health companies, and what is needed from governments, investors and donors to ensure they can scale their impact.
8/13/2023 • 28 minutes, 1 second
DP #47: High tech health - how African startups are improving healthcare outcomes - episode 1
Disrupt Africa has partnered Salient Advisory, Curacel and RxAll to put together a three-part podcast series on the African e-health space - the issues it is addressing, how it is innovating to improve healthcare outcomes, and what support startups are receiving from governments, donors and investors.
In episode one, we looking at the challenges facing Africans when it comes to accessing quality, affordable healthcare, how startups are tackling those challenges.
8/5/2023 • 20 minutes
DP #46: The month in VC - episode 6
Co-hosted by Gabriella Mulligan and Tom Jackson, “The month in VC” is a regular deep-dive into the Africa’s investment space. Produced in partnership with Katapult Africa, Kalon Venture Partners, Hlayisani Capital, and ARM Labs Lagos Techstars Accelerator, each episode wraps up the latest news in African VC, profiles a leading investor, and digs into a key theme or trend in conversation with partner VCs.
Episode six sees Gabriella talk to Eloho Omame from TLcom Capital and FirstCheck Africa, and look at exit strategies in the investment space.
7/30/2023 • 21 minutes, 13 seconds
DP #45: Feed the world - empowering African agriculture through tech entrepreneurship - episode 3
Disrupt Africa has partnered IQ Logistica to put together a three-part podcast series on the African agri-tech space - where it has come from, where it is now, and where it is going.
In episode three, we’re looking at the issues involved with scaling an agri venture, and how tech can speed that process,
7/23/2023 • 18 minutes, 12 seconds
DP #44: Feed the world - empowering African agriculture through tech entrepreneurship - episode 2
Disrupt Africa has partnered IQ Logistica to put together a three-part podcast series on the African agri-tech space - where it has come from, where it is now, and where it is going.
In episode two, we discuss the many areas in which agri-tech companies can innovate for impact, and what support is available to them.
7/16/2023 • 28 minutes, 4 seconds
DP #43: Feed the world - empowering African agriculture through tech entrepreneurship - episode 1
Disrupt Africa has partnered IQ Logistica to put together a three-part podcast series on the African agri-tech space - where it has come from, where it is now, and where it is going.
In episode one, we discuss the deep-seated challenges facing farming on the continent and how tech companies are starting to address them.
7/9/2023 • 22 minutes, 35 seconds
DP #42: The month in VC - episode 5
Co-hosted by Gabriella Mulligan and Tom Jackson, “The month in VC” is a regular deep-dive into the Africa’s investment space. Produced in partnership with Katapult Africa, Kalon Venture Partners, Hlayisani Capital, and ARM Labs Lagos Techstars Accelerator, each episode wraps up the latest news in African VC, profiles a leading investor, and digs into a key theme or trend in conversation with partner VCs.
Episode five sees the Disrupt Africa team talk to Basil Moftah from financial inclusion focused fund Nclude, and look at gender diversity within the investment space.
7/2/2023 • 32 minutes
DP #41: Diversity dividend - Digging into Disrupt Africa's report on gender diversity
Disrupt Africa has released the first ever publication focused on gender equality in the African tech startup landscape, in partnership with Africa-focused pre-seed investment programmes Madica, with the results demonstrating the lack of gender diversity both within startup teams and funding rounds on the continent.
This podcast episode, with help from various partners, discusses the figures that emerged from the publication.
6/25/2023 • 14 minutes, 18 seconds
DP #40: Diversity dividend - Female fund managers in Africa - The AfricInvest women
Women have always been underrepresented in the venture capital space worldwide. Some of the earliest research from the US (2018) found that only nine per cent of VC decision makers were women. In Africa, new data by Disrupt Africa shows some more promising trends - 39.6 per cent of VCs actively investing on the continent in 2022 had a female partner or founder - yet less than 10 per cent of angels are women. With data demonstrating a direct link between gender diversity in teams, and increased profitability, the "Diversity dividend: Female fund managers in Africa" series looks at firms that recognise this truth, and put diversity front and centre.
In episode four, Gabriella talks to Patricia Rinke, Azza Khalfallah, and Hana Maalej from the Tunisia-based AfricInvest. This podcast is commissioned by Boost Africa Technical Assistance Facility and financed by the European Union under EDF Thematic Blending and Cotonou Investment Facility.
6/17/2023 • 17 minutes, 28 seconds
DP #39: The month in VC - episode 4
Co-hosted by Gabriella Mulligan and Tom Jackson, “The month in VC” is a regular deep-dive into the Africa’s investment space. Produced in partnership with Katapult Africa, Kalon Venture Partners, Hlayisani Capital, and ARM Labs Lagos Techstars Accelerator, each episode wraps up the latest news in African VC, profiles a leading investor, and digs into a key theme or trend in conversation with partner VCs.
Episode four sees the Disrupt Africa team talk to ARM Labs Lagos Techstars Accelerator's Oyin Solebo, and looks at the process of portfolio building.
5/28/2023 • 25 minutes, 21 seconds
DP #38: The month in VC - episode 3
Co-hosted by Gabriella Mulligan and Tom Jackson, “The month in VC” is a regular deep-dive into the Africa’s investment space. Produced in partnership with Katapult Africa, Kalon Venture Partners, and Hlayisani Capital, each episode wraps up the latest news in African VC, profile a leading investor, and dig into a key theme or trend in conversation with partner VCs.
Episode three sees the Disrupt Africa team talk to Hlayisani Capital's Brett Commaille, and look "under the hood" at the process of raising a VC fund.
4/30/2023 • 29 minutes, 2 seconds
DP #37: Changemakers - Meet the Jack Ma Foundation's African Business Heroes, episode 4
Disrupt Africa has partnered the Jack Ma Foundation's Africa's Business Heroes Programme to release a special four-part podcast series discussing the benefits of the initiative with previous winning founders. In episode four, co-hosts Gabriella and Tom chat to the two founders about their experiences running social impact businesses on the continent.
4/16/2023 • 23 minutes, 42 seconds
DP #36: Changemakers - Meet the Jack Ma Foundation's African Business Heroes, episode 3
Disrupt Africa has partnered the Jack Ma Foundation's Africa's Business Heroes Programme to release a special four-part podcast series discussing the benefits of the initiative with previous winning founders. In episode three, co-hosts Gabriella and Tom chat to the Tesh Mbaabu, co-founder and CEO of Kenyan retail-tech startup MarketForce, about his experiences expanding his business into new markets since taking part in ABH.
4/2/2023 • 11 minutes, 26 seconds
DP #35: The month in VC - episode 2
Co-hosted by Gabriella Mulligan and Tom Jackson, “The month in VC” is a new regular deep-dive into the Africa’s investment space. Produced in partnership with Katapult Africa, Kalon Venture Partners, and Hlayisani Capital, each episode of the series will wrap up the latest news in African VC, profile a leading investor, and dig into a key theme or trend in conversation with partner VCs.
Episode one sees the Disrupt Africa team talk to Kalon’s Clive Butkow, and look at ways venture capitalists can best help their portfolio companies navigate the difficult current economic climate.
3/26/2023 • 22 minutes, 8 seconds
DP #34: Changemakers - Meet the Jack Ma Foundation's African Business Heroes, episode 2
Disrupt Africa has partnered the Jack Ma Foundation's Africa's Business Heroes Programme to release a special four-part podcast series discussing the benefits of the initiative with previous winning founders. In episode two, co-hosts Gabriella and Tom chat to the founders of Ivory Coast-based e-commerce startup ANKA and Nigerian agri-tech company ThriveAgric about their fundraising experiences.
3/19/2023 • 11 minutes, 46 seconds
DP #33: Changemakers - Meet the Jack Ma Foundation's African Business Heroes, episode 1
Disrupt Africa has partnered the Jack Ma Foundation's Africa's Business Heroes Programme to release a special four-part podcast series discussing the benefits of the initiative with previous winning founders. In episode one, co-hosts Gabriella and Tom will chat to two founders running two very different startups in markets as contrasting as Egypt and Zimbabwe.
3/5/2023 • 24 minutes, 49 seconds
DP #32: The month in VC - episode 1
Co-hosted by Gabriella Mulligan and Tom Jackson, “The month in VC” is a new regular deep-dive into the Africa’s investment space. Produced in partnership with Katapult Africa, Grindstone Ventures and Kalon Venture Partners, each episode of the series will wrap up the latest news in African VC, profile a leading investor, and dig into a key theme or trend in conversation with partner VCs.
Episode one sees the Disrupt Africa team talk to Katapult Africa’s Philip Gasaatura, and dig into the key findings from the recently-released African Tech Startups Funding Report 2022, which tracked a record year in which 633 ventures raised over US$3 billion in investment.
2/26/2023 • 27 minutes, 59 seconds
DP #31: Diversity dividend - Female fund managers in Africa - Janngo Capital
Female fund managers are very much in the minority worldwide. In the US, only nine per cent of decision makers in the VC space are women. In Africa, no definitive numbers are yet available, but female fund managers are hard to come by - a big mistake for the VC world, as data clearly demonstrates a direct link between gender diversity in teams, and increased profitability. The "Diversity dividend: Female fund managers in Africa" series looks at firms that recognise this truth, and put diversity front and centre.
In episode three, Gabriella talks to Fatoumata Ba, managing partner of Janngo Capital. This podcast is commissioned by Boost Africa Technical Assistance Facility and financed by the European Union under EDF Thematic Blending and Cotonou Investment Facility.
2/19/2023 • 16 minutes, 6 seconds
DP #30: A digital future for African retail - episode 4
Disrupt Africa has partnered Omnibiz and MarketForce to put together a four-part podcast series on the African e-commerce and retail-tech space - where it has come from, where it is now, and where it is going.
In episode four, we discuss how the ecosystem is set to come under renewed interest as youth population and income growth, infrastructure improvements, and increasing uptake start combining to unlock the value of the e-commerce market on the continent over the coming years.
12/18/2022 • 18 minutes, 40 seconds
DP #29: A digital future for African retail - episode 3
Disrupt Africa has partnered Omnibiz and MarketForce to put together a four-part podcast series on the African e-commerce and retail-tech space - where it has come from, where it is now, and where it is going.
In episode three, we discuss the funding landscape for the space, and the different challenges involved with securing investment as an e-commerce startup.
12/10/2022 • 19 minutes, 18 seconds
DP #28: A digital future for African retail - episode 2
Disrupt Africa has partnered Omnibiz and MarketForce to put together a four-part podcast series on the African e-commerce and retail-tech space - where it has come from, where it is now, and where it is going.
In episode two, we’re talking e-commerce 2.0. We discuss how there has been a move away from efforts to achieve a consumer-facing Amazon for Africa, with entrepreneurs instead favouring regional and niche e-commerce. Retail-tech, focusing on B2B solutions, has also emerged as a key model.
12/3/2022 • 22 minutes, 48 seconds
DP #27: A digital future for African retail - episode 1
Disrupt Africa has partnered Omnibiz and MarketForce to put together a four-part podcast series on the African e-commerce and retail-tech space - where it has come from, where it is now, and where it is going.
Episode one looks at the challenges and opportunities presented by the sector, with weekly episodes to follow. The three subsequent episodes, to be released each week, discuss how there has been a move away from efforts to achieve a consumer-facing Amazon for Africa, with entrepreneurs instead favouring B2B e-commerce; address the funding landscape; and look to the future, with partners sharing their predictions.
11/25/2022 • 21 minutes, 25 seconds
DP #26: Diversity dividend - Female fund managers in Africa - Alitheia Capital
Female fund managers are very much in the minority worldwide. In the US, only nine per cent of decision makers in the VC space are women. In Africa, no definitive numbers are yet available, but female fund managers are hard to come by - a big mistake for the VC world, as data clearly demonstrates a direct link between gender diversity in teams, and increased profitability. The "Diversity dividend: Female fund managers in Africa" series looks at firms that recognise this truth, and put diversity front and centre.
In episode two, Gabriella talks to Tokunboh Ishmael, co-founder and managing partner of female-focused Lagos-based VC firm Alitheia Capital. This podcast is commissioned by Boost Africa Technical Assistance Facility and financed by the European Union under EDF Thematic Blending and Cotonou Investment Facility.
7/10/2022 • 19 minutes, 27 seconds
DP #25: Diversity dividend - Female fund managers in Africa - The TLcom Ladies
Female fund managers are very much in the minority worldwide. In the US, only nine per cent of decision makers in the VC space are women. In Africa, no definitive numbers are yet available, but female fund managers are hard to come by - a big mistake for the VC world, as data clearly demonstrates a direct link between gender diversity in teams, and increased profitability. The "Diversity dividend: Female fund managers in Africa" series looks at firms that recognise this truth, and put diversity front and centre.
In episode one, Gabriella talks to Omobola Johnson and Andreata Muforo, who together make up half the management team at Africa-focused VC firm TLcom Capital. This podcast is commissioned by Boost Africa Technical Assistance Facility and financed by the European Union under EDF Thematic Blending and Cotonou Investment Facility.
6/26/2022 • 26 minutes, 1 second
DP #24: The essential guide to African VC - episode 4
Disrupt Africa has partnered Quona Capital, 10X Entrepreneur, Catalyst Fund, and Knife Capital to put together a four-part podcast series on the African venture capital space – how it works, what its dynamics are, and what is happening in the sector.
“The essential guide to African VC” educates listeners in the “A-Z of African VC”, digging into venture capital, looking at its business model, how startups and VCs can work together to build Africa’s tech ecosystem, and what issues still remain to be resolved.
Episode four, the last in the series, looks at VCs as people, and what makes them tick. It discusses what makes a good VC, their backgrounds and motivations, and the issue of diversity in the space.
4/30/2022 • 23 minutes, 37 seconds
DP #23: The essential guide to African VC - episode 3
Disrupt Africa has partnered Quona Capital, 10X Entrepreneur, Catalyst Fund, and Knife Capital to put together a four-part podcast series on the African venture capital space - how it works, what its dynamics are, and what is happening in the sector.
“The essential guide to African VC” educates listeners in the “A-Z of African VC", digging into venture capital, looking at its business model, how startups and VCs can work together to build Africa’s tech ecosystem, and what issues still remain to be resolved.
Episode three covers the different ways in which startups and venture capitalists work together once a deal is done, whether a VC can interfere too much, and why startups need to do their due diligence on their investors just as much as investors need to do it on them.
4/24/2022 • 29 minutes, 10 seconds
DP #22: The essential guide to African VC - episode 2
Disrupt Africa has partnered Quona Capital, 10X Entrepreneur, Catalyst Fund, and Knife Capital to put together a four-part podcast series on the African venture capital space - how it works, what its dynamics are, and what is happening in the sector.
“The essential guide to African VC” educates listeners in the “A-Z of African VC", digging into venture capital, looking at its business model, how startups and VCs can work together to build Africa’s tech ecosystem, and what issues still remain to be resolved.
Episode two takes listeners through the anatomy of a VC deal - discussing how investments are made, where VCs source their startups from, and what due diligence looks like. We also look at potential exit routes for VCs, and how they go about ensuring they are prepared for them.
4/17/2022 • 28 minutes, 45 seconds
DP #21: The essential guide to African VC - episode 1
Disrupt Africa has partnered Quona Capital, 10X Entrepreneur, Catalyst Fund, and Knife Capital to put together a four-part podcast series on the African venture capital space - how it works, what its dynamics are, and what is happening in the sector.
“The essential guide to African VC” educates listeners in the “A-Z of African VC", digging into venture capital, looking at its business model, how startups and VCs can work together to build Africa’s tech ecosystem, and what issues still remain to be resolved.
Episode one takes listeners through the nuts and bolts of VC, defining what venture actually is, telling them where VC firms get their money from, how they make money themselves, and what an investor actually does all day. It also addresses misconceptions entrepreneurs may have about venture capital, why it is there, and what it can do for them.
4/10/2022 • 39 minutes, 57 seconds
DP #19+20: Flutterwave, Kuda, Parcelninja and more in a bumper edition
In this bumper edition of the podcast, Tom and Gabriella are joined by representatives of Flutterwave, Kuda and ImaliPay to discuss Nigerian fintech funding, while Justin Drennan of South Africa's Parcelninja discusses his company's recent acquisition. Episode also includes a wrap of all the latest African tech startup happenings, while Pieter Erasmus of South African fintech startup Ctrl “pitches the pod”.
4/10/2021 • 1 hour, 21 minutes, 37 seconds
DP #18: Funding Cowrywise and African fintech, and the return of a corporate-backed accelerator
Tom and Gabriella are joined by Johan Bosini from the fintech-focused Quona Capital to discuss the founding round raised by Nigerian startup Cowrywise, while Philip Kiracofe from Startupbootcamp AfriTech discusses the return of Africa's premier corporate-backed accelerator programme. Episode also includes a wrap of all the latest African tech startup happenings, while Adetolani Eko of Nigerian dating startup Vybe “pitches the pod”.
2/14/2021 • 37 minutes, 35 seconds
DP #17: A record year for African startup funding, and digging into an $85m mega-round in Kenya
Gabriella and Tom dig into the data from the newly-released African Tech Startups Funding Report 2020, which tracks a record year for investment into the ecosystem, and are joined by EchoVC's Eghosa Omoigui to discuss the US$85 million funding round announced by Kenyan AI company Gro Intelligence. Episode also includes a wrap of all the latest African tech startup happenings, while Vincent Edigin of Nigeria's Traindemy “pitches the pod”.
1/24/2021 • 37 minutes, 7 seconds
DP #16: 12 African startups to watch in 2021, smart addressing, and 2020 ends with yet more funding
Tom and Gabriella present Disrupt Africa’s 12 African startups to watch in 2021, and are joined by Timbo Drayson of Kenyan digital addressing startup OkHi. Episode also includes a wrap of all the latest African tech startup happenings, while Louis van Biljon of South Africa’s eVuna “pitches the pod”.
12/10/2020 • 23 minutes, 20 seconds
DP #15: New funds investing in African early-stage startups, and a crisis resolved in South Africa
Gabriella and Tom are joined by Lexi Novitske of Acuity Ventures and Aaron Fu of Sherpa Ventures. Episode also includes a wrap of all the latest African tech startup happenings, while Sydney Aigbogun of Nigerian fintech startup Cashbox “pitches the pod”.
12/6/2020 • 36 minutes, 34 seconds
DP #14: Top tips for angel investing, funding for artificial intelligence, and startups expand
Tom and Gabriella are joined by angel investor Zach George, and Antoine Paillusseau of South African AI startup FinChatBot. Episode also includes a wrap of all the latest African tech startup happenings, while Amahle Ntshinga of South African e-commerce startup Luntu (www.luntu.co) “pitches the pod”.
11/22/2020 • 38 minutes, 48 seconds
DP #13: Twiga Foods' latest investment, a Nigerian startup disrupting HR, and another acquisition
Tom and Gabriella are joined by Peter Njonjo of Kenyan agri-tech startup Twiga Foods, and Dr. Emmanuel Okeleji from Nigerian HR-tech startup SeamlessHR. The episode also includes a wrap up of all the latest African tech startup news, while Olamide Akomolafe of Kenya-based e-health startup Nadia (www.nadiaapp.com) “pitches the pod”.
11/8/2020 • 34 minutes, 7 seconds
DP #12: Catalyst Fund's expansion, funded prop-tech on the up, and Paystack's acquisition
Gabriella and Tom are joined by Maelis Carraro of the fintech-focused Catalyst Fund, and Craig Buckley from South African prop-tech startup reOS. The episode also includes a wrap up of all the latest African tech startup news, while Moses Kimani of Kenyan agri-tech startup Lentera (www.lenterafrica.com) “pitches the pod”.
10/25/2020 • 29 minutes, 24 seconds
DP #11: Autochek’s acquisitions, how Founders Factory scales startups, and funding records tumble
Gabriella and Tom are joined by Etop Ikpe, CEO of Nigerian automotive technology startup Autochek, and Kofo Samusi, COO at corporate-backed accelerator Founders Factory Africa. The episode also includes a wrap up of all the latest African tech startup news, while Emmanuel Chatina of Malawian e-health startup Ocliya (www.ocliya.com) “pitches the pod”.
10/4/2020 • 32 minutes, 24 seconds
DP #10: A Francophone African "super app", DataProphet, and some big news from Kenya
Gabriella and Tom are joined by Emeka Ajene of West African startup Gozem as it transitions into a "super app" for Africa, while Frans Kronje of South African AI startup DataProphet takes us through his company's $6 million Series A round. The episode also includes a wrap up of all the latest African tech startup news, while Apollo Eric of Kenyan P2P remittances startup BitLipa(www.bitlipa.africa/) “pitches the pod”.
9/6/2020 • 30 minutes, 23 seconds
DP #9: WorkPay, African Startup Acts, and a raft of Egyptian funding rounds
Gabriella and Tom are joined by Paul Kimani of Kenyan HR tech startup WorkPay in the wake of the company's US$2.1 million funding round, while Jon Stever of i4policy tells us why Startup Acts are increasingly being put into place across the continent. The episode also includes a wrap up of all the latest African tech startup news, while Adeshina Adewumi of Nigerian retail-tech startup One Kiosk Africa (www.onekioskafrica.com) “pitches the pod”.
8/23/2020 • 28 minutes, 52 seconds
DP #8: Komaza, African conservation-tech, and entrepreneurs are funding entrepreneurs in SA
Tom and Gabriella are joined by Tevis Howard and Tiffany Card from Kenya-based conservation-tech startup Komaza to discuss the company’s US$28 million Series B investment, while Philani Sangweni, managing director of newly-founded South African VC firm E4E tells us how important it is for investors to bring more than just money to the table. The episode also includes a wrap up of all the latest African tech startup news, while Mouhamadou Sall of Senegalese digital addressing startup NIMA Codes (www.nima.codes) “pitches the pod”.
8/9/2020 • 38 minutes
DP #7: TradeDepot’s $10m round, an African startup merger, and new funds join the party
Tom and Gabriella are joined by Onyekachi Izukanne, CEO of Nigerian B2B e-commerce startup TradeDepot, in the wake of its US$10 million pre-Series B funding round, and Isis Nyong’o Madison, founder of Kenyan mothering platform MumsVillage, talks mergers after her company joined forces with Nigeria’s BabyBliss. Also includes a wrap of all the latest African tech startup news, while Ahmad Al-Kabbany of Egyptian e-health startup VRapeutic (www.myvrapeutic.com) “pitches the pod”.
7/26/2020 • 29 minutes, 38 seconds
DP #6: Beyonic's acquisition, Tomi Davies on exits, and the best of the rest
Gabriella and Tom are joined by Luke Kyohere, co-founder of East African fintech startup Beyonic, in the wake of his company’s acquisition by the Johannesburg-based MFS Africa. Tomi Davies, president of the African Business Angel Network (ABAN), joins to discuss the ins and outs of valuing your tech startup. The episode also includes a wrap up of all the latest African tech startup news, while Emeka Mba-Kalu of Nigerian startup E Dey Shop (www.edeyshop.com) “pitches the pod”.
7/12/2020 • 37 minutes, 43 seconds
DP #5: High Tech Health, Nnena Nkongho, and corporates offer startups a helping hand
Tom and Gabriella talk health-tech with a host of founders as they mark the release of Disrupt Africa's latest research report - High Tech Health. Nnena Nkongho of DiGAME Investment Company talks diversity. Also includes a wrap of all the latest African tech startup news, while Gabriel Ekman of Rwandan ed-tech startup BAG Innovation (www.baginnovation.rw) “pitches the pod”.
6/28/2020 • 36 minutes, 57 seconds
DP #4: Sun Exchange, Benin Business Angels, and Africa’s tech ecosystem starts working again
Gabriella and Tom are joined by Abe Cambridge, founder and CEO of Sun Exchange, and Medea Degbe, president of the Benin Business Angel Network. Also includes a wrap of all the latest African tech startup news, while Daisy Myburgh of South African prop-tech startup Roundr (www.realtorsroundr.com) “pitches the pod”.
6/14/2020 • 31 minutes, 46 seconds
DP #3: The Nest, Inclusivity Solutions, and a fortnight of funding
In the latest episode of the Disrupt Podcast, Gabriella Mulligan and Tom Jackson are joined by The Nest founder Jim Chu and Inclusivity Solutions CEO Jeremy Leach. Also includes a wrap up of all the latest African tech startup news, while Simon Githinji of CashBackApp (www.cashbackmobileapp.com) “pitches the pod”.
5/31/2020 • 33 minutes, 42 seconds
DP #2: Helium Health, EWB Ventures, and why cash is king
In the second episode of the Disrupt Podcast, co-hosts Tom Jackson and Gabriella Mulligan are joined by Helium Health CEO Adegoke Olubusi in the wake of its $10 million fundraise, as well as EWB Ventures investment director Muthoni Wachira to talk survival in the time of COVID. Also includes a wrap up of all the latest African tech startup news, while Isidore Kpotufe of stabus (www.stabus.co) “pitches the pod”.
5/17/2020 • 33 minutes, 9 seconds
DP #1: Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, Yoco, and COVID-19
In episode one of the Disrupt Podcast, co-hosts Gabriella Mulligan and Tom Jackson are joined by Iyinoluwa Aboyeji of the Future Africa Fund and Lungisa Matshoba, CTO of Yoco. Includes a wrap up of all the latest African tech startup news, including a detailed look at how the sector is adjusting to COVID-19, while Ayazona (www.ayazona.com) co-founder Samson Otieno is the first person to "Pitch the Pod".
5/3/2020 • 28 minutes, 7 seconds
Trailer
Available across every podcasting platform, the fortnightly Disrupt podcast will keep you in the loop on all that’s going on in the African tech startup ecosystem.
We’ll bring you interviews with key industry stakeholders. Analysis and advice from those in the know. And pitches from some of the most innovative, exciting early-stage businesses across the continent.
It’s Disrupt Africa as you know it, but in a different form.
It’s Disrupt Podcast. Coming soon.