Back in 2020, we co-produced an episode with The Subtext's Osarumen Osamuyi, entitled Much Ado About the Media, which explored the relationship between the media and the tech ecosystem. The relationship seems to have evolved as the ecosystem has evolved, yet a lot of founders still feel the media is acting in bad faith.  We wanted to re-explore those dynamics, s this episode, our live show recorded in Lagos, is a follow-up to that episode and an opportunity to have an important discussion with two sides that don't always see eye to eye. 00:00 - Intro 01:22 - Reflecting on 2020's episode ..read more

Live from the BIG Summit, a platform hosted by investor and 2x NBA All-Star Baron Davis, at the 2024 NBA All-Star Game, a conversation with three operators connecting Africa to the world through culture and commerce.  In this conversation, we're joined by Clare Akamanzi, the CEO of NBA Africa, Abdul Karim Abdullah, the Founder and CEO of AfroFuture music festival, and entrepreneur and private equity investor Tuyee Yeboah.  00:00 - Intro 02:38 - NBA Africa 05:32 - AfroFuture 08:34 - Investing across Africa and the US 10:55 - Basketball's role in Africa's development 12:20 - Changing ..read more

The African continent has the highest levels of poverty, the lowest levels of formal employment, and its population is going to double in the next 30 years.  African countries need to create more jobs. But what kinds of jobs? And how?  What if I told you that the way governments and development organizations are trying to create jobs in Africa is all wrong?   To make a dent in this problem requires an understanding of the realities on the ground and how that has impacted the preferences of the labor markets in question.  The future of work, for Africans in particul ..read more

Despite research showing that female founders outperform their male peers, startups with a solo female founder or an all-female founding team raised a mere 2% of all the funding in Africa last year. There is a huge gender funding gap. How do we close it? This episode is the last episode of a five-episode series on gender lens investing, co-hosted by Eloho Omame, Founding Partner of First Check Africa, an early-stage fund backing female-led startups. Each episode of this series will explore a different level of the fundraising value chain.  In this episode, we're exploring ecosystem and ..read more

Despite research showing that female founders outperform their male peers, startups with a solo female founder or an all-female founding team raised a mere 2% of all the funding in Africa last year. There is a huge gender funding gap. How do we close it? This episode is the fourth of a five-episode series on gender lens investing, co-hosted by Eloho Omame, Founding Partner of First Check Africa, an early-stage fund backing female-led startups. Each episode of this series will explore a different level of the fundraising value chain.  The Mastercard Foundation Africa Growth Fund is a $15 ..read more

Despite research showing that female founders outperform their male peers, startups with a solo female founder or an all-female founding team raised a mere 2% of all the funding in Africa last year. There is a huge gender funding gap. How do we close it? This episode is the third of a five-episode series on gender lens investing, co-hosted by Eloho Omame, Founding Partner of First Check Africa, an early-stage fund backing female-led startups. Each episode of this series will explore a different level of the fundraising value chain.  In this episode, we're joined by the investors. Tokunb ..read more

Despite research showing that female founders outperform their male peers, startups with a solo female founder or an all-female founding team raised a mere 2% of all the funding in Africa last year. There is a huge gender funding gap. How do we close it? This episode is the second of a five-episode series on gender lens investing, co-hosted by Eloho Omame, Founding Partner of First Check Africa, an early-stage fund backing female-led startups. Each episode of this series will explore a different level of the fundraising value chain.  In this episode, we're exploring Angel Networks with ..read more

Despite research showing that female founders outperform their male peers, startups with a solo female founder or an all-female founding team raised a mere 2% of all the funding in Africa last year. There is a huge gender funding gap. How do we close it? This episode is the first of a five-episode series on gender lens investing, co-hosted by Eloho Omame, Founding Partner of First Check Africa, an early-stage fund backing female-led startups. Each episode of this series will explore a different level of the fundraising value chain.  In this episode, we're joined by the founders: Yanmo O ..read more

Today's guest is Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, Chairman of Coronation Capital and former Group MD and CEO of Access Bank.  Aigboje is one of the most successful and esteemed businesspeople on the continent. In 2002, he led the acquisition of Access Bank, which under his 11-year leadership grew into the largest bank in Nigeria and one of the largest in Africa. This wide-ranging discussion with the Chairman took place during the 2023 UN General Assembly in New York at an event co-hosted by the early-stage VC fund Microtraction, in which we were joined in conversation with Microtraction's Foundi ..read more

Today's guests are Natalie Kolbe, Ngetha Waithaka and Lexi Novitske - Partners of the $205 million growth fund Norrsken22.  In this episode, we'll talk about investment strategy, valuations, perspectives for the ecosystem, exits, and much more.  00:00 - Intro 00:48 - Norrsken22's $205m fundraise 09:36 - Investment strategy & process 12:43 - Investing in asset-light marketplaces 14:37 - Expansion 18:04 - Investment theses 27:26 - Macro perspectives 30:22 - What are the partners focused on and thinking about? 35:23 - Exits 40:49 - What does success look like? Our Links - ? Youtu ..read more