Afrobility: Africa Tech and Business

#63: Yoco - How the South African FinTech is scaling Point-of-Sale and other payment solutions to merchants across Africa


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Overview: Today, we’re going to talk about Yoco, the South African Point-Of-Sale FinTech company. We’ll explore the story across the following areas:

  • South African payments context

  • Yoco’s early history

  • Yoco’s Product & monetization strategy

  • Yoco’s Competitive positioning & potential exit options

  • Overall outlook.

  • This episode was recorded on Apr 9, 2023


    Companies discussed: Yoco, Square, Flutterwave, PayFast, PayThru, PayU, DPO, Flutterwave, Paystack, Stripe, Ikhokha, MTN, Safaricom, Zapper, Visa, Interswitch, Nedbank, ABSA, FNB (First National Bank South Africa) & Wave


    Business concepts discussed: Merchants solutions, Points-of-Sale devices, SME Lending & hardware and software bundling

    Conversation highlights:

    • (01:30) - Yoco context

    • (07:30) - Africa / SA payments context

    • (23:11) - Yoco Founding Story and Founders’ background

    • (40:45) - Fundraising and Growth

    • (51:52) - Partnerships,  Acquisitions, and Team

    • (59:20) - Key metrics

    • (1:02:16) - Product Strategy

    • (1:19:42) - Monetization strategy

    • (1:30:50) - Competition

    • (1:36:42) - Options for exit

    • (1:49:06) - Bankole’s overall thoughts and outlook

    • (1:57:01) - Olumide’s overall thoughts and outlook

    • (2:07:14) - Recommendations and small wins


    • Olumide’s recommendations & small wins:

      • Recommendation: I released my book called Firedom = FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) + Freedom = personal finance and financial independence book. It was an incredible journey to get it out and I’m very excited about it. I think many people will really enjoy it. You can buy the audiobook, ebook or print here. Here's an excerpt from the full blog post announcement:

        • Book Creation context: Around the end of 2022, I made a new friend when I met Samon, we instantly got along because we shared a lot in common: African immigrants who moved to America/Europe, worked in Management consulting and are in love with personal finance. We decided to embark on a project together and write a financial independence book we are calling Firedom!  

        • What is Firedom book about? Living life intentionally + Personal finance + Financial independence + Personal Development + Freedom + Exploring your own unique path in life + Life adventures of two African immigrants

        • Who is it for? Underdogs, outsiders, expats, nomads, minorities, immigrants interested in :

          • Living their lives more intentionally to achieve Financial Independence

          • Learning about people's life stories (turning points, challenges, flameouts, etc)

          • Changing their mindset and psychological relationship with wealth


          • Recommendation: Owl City - Unbelievable. I love the song so much because it reminds me of adventures and experiences growing up 

          • Recommendation: Good Hair - Documentary by Chris Rock. Good shit. Reduced my ignorance level about African women hair

          • Small win: Virgin Voyages cruise - First ever cruise. Very cool.

          • Small win: No scrubs Karaoke on cruise. Too much fun. It was an experience.


          • Bankole’s recommendations & small wins:

            • Recommendation: Economist Article on Nitrogen & Asake - 2:30

            • Small win: Moderating a panel at the Harvard Business School Africa Business Conference

            • Other content: The Prosperity Paradox by Efosa Ojomo, Karen Dillon, Clay Christensen, Adyen pricing page & PayFast pricing page


            • Listeners: We’d love to hear from you. Email [email protected] with feedback!

              Founders & Operators: We'd love to hear about what you're working on, email us at [email protected]

              Investors: It would be great to link up with you. Contact us at [email protected]


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              Afrobility: Africa Tech and BusinessBy Olumide Ogunsanwo and Bankole Makanju

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