Built Tough

In episode 6, we sit down with Gbenga Ajayi, Partner at QED Investors, to explore the evolving landscape of fintech in Africa. Gbenga shares his journey from tech industry roles to venture capital, offering valuable insights into the unique challenges and opportunities in the African fintech sector. He discusses the critical importance of trust in financial services and how innovative fintech solutions are reshaping consumer expectations across the continent.

Gbenga also delves into the complexities of navigating diverse regulatory environments in different African countries and the significance of achieving scale in specific markets. Drawing from his extensive experience and QED's global perspective, he provides a thoughtful analysis of the current state of fintech in Africa and its potential for transformative growth. This episode offers listeners a compelling glimpse into the future of financial technology in one of the world's most dynamic and promising markets.

In this episode of 'Built Tough - Season 3', we have the pleasure of conversing with Iyinoluwa Aboyeji (E), Founding Partner of Future Africa, one of Africa's most innovative investment funds. Iyinoluwa brings a wealth of experience as a serial entrepreneur, having co-founded two of Africa's first startup unicorns: Flutterwave and Andela. His journey from founder to investor has given him unique insights into the African tech ecosystem, which he now leverages at Future Africa to support the continent's next generation of leaders.

In this engaging discussion, E shares his perspective on building successful investment funds with long-term impact in Africa. He delves into the challenges and opportunities present in the current investment landscape, emphasising the importance of solving African problems with African solutions. Throughout our conversation, E's passion for nurturing local talent and his optimism about Nigeria's potential as a 'jungle lab' for innovation shine through, providing listeners with a compelling view on the future of tech entrepreneurship in Africa.

In episode 4 of "Built Tough", we sit down with Sam Senbanjo, Partner at A.P. Moller Capital, to explore the evolving landscape of infrastructure investment in Africa. With over two decades of experience in private equity and infrastructure development, Sam delves into the importance of technological innovation, pan-African expansion, and strong governance practices for companies seeking investment. He also discusses the shifting dynamics of fundraising in the current economic climate and offers practical advice for founders on preparing for successful exits. This episode provides a glimpse into the world of African infrastructure investment and the strategies employed by seasoned investors to drive sustainable growth and create value.

In the 3rd episode of "Built Tough", we have the privilege of speaking with Steve Beck, Managing Partner at Novastar Ventures. With over two decades of experience advising Fortune 200 companies and a deep-rooted passion for Africa's potential, Steve shares valuable insights into the evolving venture capital landscape on the continent. He discusses the challenges and opportunities facing entrepreneurs in Africa, drawing from his extensive experience investing in African start-ups since 2009.

Steve's journey from global consultant to impact-driven investor is truly inspiring. He shares his vision for catalysing sustainable development in Africa, particularly in the climate space. Listeners will gain a unique perspective on the potential for innovative technologies to transform sectors such as agriculture, transportation, and energy across the continent. Don't miss this fascinating conversation about building resilient businesses and driving positive change in one of the world's most dynamic markets.

In the second episode of 'Built Tough’, we sit down with Maurizio Caio, Founder and Managing Partner at TLcom Capital. With a strong background in strategy consulting and over two decades of experience in venture capital, Maurizio has played a pivotal role in shaping TLcom's journey from investing in Europe and Israel to becoming a key player in early-stage investments across Africa. Maurizio offers a wealth of insights on the African tech ecosystem including the unique landscape facing African entrepreneurs and investors. He also shares his optimistic outlook on the future of African start-ups and advice for CEOs navigating the current climate.

Natalie Kolbe, Managing Partner at Norrsken22, brings a wealth of experience to the African tech investment landscape. With 18 years at Actis, one of the leading private equity firms focused on emerging markets, Natalie managed 8 funds with an estimated USD $2.5 billion in assets under her supervision. Now at Norrsken22, a tech growth fund backed by an international network of tech founders, she partners with exceptional entrepreneurs to scale disruptive businesses across Africa. In this first episode of 'Built Tough - season 3', Natalie shares her insights on the shifting landscape of tech investing in Africa. She discusses the challenges and opportunities in the current investment climate, the importance of building strategic value in businesses, and her optimism about Africa's future.

CEO and founder of DAI Magister, Victor Basta shares insights gleaned from years of working across the African tech landscape. Drawing from experiences helping African companies raise nearly a billion dollars in capital, Victor offers a unique perspective on the continent's tech ecosystem.

The episode explores the persistent generational opportunities in Africa, highlighting the vast 'white space' available for building continental leaders. Victor discusses the challenges facing the ecosystem, including market size realities and governmental headwinds, while also emphasising the high calibre of African CEOs he's encountered.

Victor also delves into the critical importance of successful exits for the ecosystem's growth and the need for companies to focus on exit preparation. He shares observations on what companies are doing right now and what needs to happen in the coming years to drive the ecosystem forward.

Born in Germany to a Nigerian father and German mother, Laurin began his entrepreneurial journey in 2015 by launching a food delivery company in Sweden. He then founded Le Studio VC, a Paris-based startup studio and €15 million fund he ran as CEO. Laurin realized that investing was not for him, and in 2017, he launched his next venture: FairMoney. 

 Laurin witnessed the rise of neobanks like Revolut and N26 across Europe and recognized the urgent need for a similar solution in Nigeria where more than 60 million adults do not have a bank account. Laurin made a bet: FairMoney would adopt a credit-first approach. Today, FairMoney is Nigeria's most downloaded fintech app and the leading digital bank in the country, with over 10 million downloads.

 In this episode, Hainy talks about FairMoney’s strategy of broadening its financial services to merchants, scaling via acquisitions, and its expansion plans outside Nigeria.

Daniel Yu describes himself first as an international curiosity seeker, and second, as a software developer. Raised in a multicultural household in the US, Daniel dropped out of university to travel and study languages. In 2013, he was studying Arabic in Egypt when he noticed pervasive stock outs at the neighborhood retail shops.  He co-founded Sokowatch (as Wasoko was called then) to solve the many problems facing informal mom and pop shops which sell $700 billion of fast-moving consumer goods a year across Africa.

Today, Wasoko serves 150,000 informal retailers across seven African markets: Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, and Zambia. Since its inception, Wasoko has generated over $234 million in sales and delivered more than 5 million orders.

In this episode, Daniel talks about the #1 trait of effective founders, the trade-off between founder scrappiness and seeking veteran expertise, why he’s bearish on M&A as a growth strategy, and whether he would have changed his fundraising strategy in the current downmarket.

After completing his MBA program, Joseph (Joe) Rehmann got to work on a three-month aquaculture project in Ghana. Little did he know, he would become the CFO of the Accra-based Tropo Farms, a tilapia farm, for three years. While in Ghana, Joe learned invaluable lessons on scaling an aquaculture business, and for his next venture, he sought to create an end-to-end ‘protein plant’, a sustainable source of affordable fish protein for millions of Africans.

In 2015, Joe and his co-founder launched Victory Farms on the shores of Lake Victoria in Kenya in an ambitious move to build a fish value chain from scratch. Today, Victory Farms produces more than 10,000 tons of tilapia in Kenya and Rwanda. It estimates that by shifting consumers to fish, they prevent 160,000 tons of carbon emissions.

In this episode, Joe talks about taking a big bet on Lake Victoria for tilapia farming, the importance of discovering your company’s unique DNA, why vertical integration is key to de-risking scale, and the gutsy decision to run a no electricity distribution system for their fish.