Entrepreneurial Minds

What does it take to build a fintech startup solving one of *Africa's biggest payment challenges* ?

In this episode of the *Entrepreneurial Minds Podcast* ,we sit down with the founders of *Safaribucks* to discuss their journey from law, banking, and software engineering to building a cross-border payments platform connecting Africa's fragmented financial systems.

We explore:

* Building a fintech startup in Africa
* Cross-border payments and mobile money
* The inspiration behind Safaribucks
* Fundraising for African startups
* Startup resilience and founder lessons
* The future of digital payments across Africa

Whether you're an entrepreneur, fintech founder, investor, developer, or simply curious about Africa's innovation ecosystem, this episode is packed with actionable insights and real founder experiences.

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Most of us move through systems that weren’t built for everyone… and rarely stop to question it.

Norah Kimathi did.

She grew up in a household of 15 - where if something didn’t work, you didn’t wait for someone to fix it. You figured it out.

That mindset stayed with her.

In this conversation, we talk about what it really looks like to build something that solves a problem most people overlook; not because it’s easy, but because it’s necessary.

Through Zerobionic, Norah is building AI-powered humanoid robots that translate technical language into sign language- making STEM education more accessible for deaf and hard-of-hearing students.

But this episode isn’t just about the technology.

It’s about:
- What happens when existing systems fall short
- Why even human interpreters struggle with technical language
- How constraint can quietly shape the way you think and build
- What it takes to keep showing up, online and offline, as a founder

We also get into the less obvious parts of the journey:
reducing production costs using recycled waste, expanding beyond Kenya, and the role storytelling plays in building something people actually pay attention to.

This is a conversation about building with intention and staying close to the problem you’re trying to solve..

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What does it actually take to build wealth in Africa?

Not the theory. Not the Western playbook.
The real, practical framework, built for people who earn in shillings but want to grow in dollars.

In this episode, I sit down with Radhika Bhachu, CEO and Co-Founder of Ndovu Wealth, one of Africa's fastest growing investment platforms with over 200,000 users and an average dollar return of 24%.

She left BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, to come back home and build something that actually works for Africans. And in this conversation, she holds nothing back.

We cover:
💰 Why your first KSh 10 million changes everything and the exact formula to get there
📈 The "Millionaire Kid" blueprint: how she is building $2 million for each of her children starting from age zero
⚠️ Good debt vs bad debt – and the 12% rule every Kenyan needs to know
💸 Why buying land might be the biggest wealth trap in Kenya right now
🏗️ The real cost of the soft life – and why she says hold off until you hit 10M in your investment account
🖤 The loneliness of entrepreneurship – and what kept her going through the hardest 18 months of building

This is the most practical money conversation we have ever had on Entrepreneurial Minds. Whether you are just starting out or already building,  this episode will change how you think about money, investing, and what financial freedom actually looks like.

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Rejected after a six-month internship.
A year later, she started building furniture.
Seven years later, she runs one of Kenya’s most intentional design brands.

In this episode of Entrepreneurial Minds, Vaidehi sits down with Cherie Kihato,  Founder & CEO of Savannah Space, to unpack what it actually takes to build a Made-in-Kenya furniture brand from scratch.

From selling at pop-up markets to building a full-scale manufacturing workshop and showroom, Cherie shares the realities most people don’t see.
Including:

◼️ Starting before you feel ready
◼️ Securing sponsorship from Safaricom & Hiva Fund
◼️ Why she stopped doing custom furniture to scale
◼️ Building a workshop in Kenya — and the day it flooded on move-in
◼️ Managing payroll, pressure, and a growing team
◼️ Growing a 50K+ audience while battling the fear of being seen
◼️ Why entrepreneurship often feels like “death by a thousand cuts.”

This isn’t a glamorised founder story.

It’s a conversation about grit, identity, scale, and staying in the game long enough to build something meaningful.

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In this episode of the Entrepreneurial Minds Podcast, we sit down with the incredible Megan McCormick, CEO & Co-Founder of Oze! 🌍✨

From her days as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guinea 🇬🇳 to building a Fintech startup in Ghana 🇬🇭, Megan is on a mission to close the $331 billion small business credit gap in Africa. 💼💸

Tune in as she shares her journey of resilience, overcoming challenges like overhiring and fraud, and her pivot to product-led growth. Plus, get insights on the launch of Oze’s AI business coach and their exciting expansion plans! 🚀📈

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Today, more than 95% of internet users in countries such as Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa are on WhatsApp. 📱 What if you could transform the way African businesses engage with their customers using just WhatsApp?

In this episode of Entrepreneurial Minds, Ali and Ngugi candidly share their journey of building Skizaa, evolving from an initial idea of a facial recognition attendance system for rural schools to a data analytics startup that helps African businesses engage their customers via WhatsApp. 🌍📊 Tune in to hear about their struggles, bootstrapping efforts, and their unique approach to leveraging technology. 

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In 2016 Kasha began its journey to bridge the gap in access to women’s health products and personal care items, addressing the challenges faced by many women in obtaining these essential items discreetly and conveniently. 

Join us as Joanna spills all the tea ☕️ on Kasha's evolution and extraordinary journey from its humble beginnings in Rwanda to its recent $21M Series B raise and expansion into major markets such as Kenya and South Africa 🚀

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