Joining Andile Masuku and guest co-host, Vije Vijendranath, for this episode of the African Tech Roundup podcast is Kenyan repat, founder of Impact Africa Network and host of the Chini ya Maji podcast, Mark Karake.

Following professional stints in Silicon Valley, working for the likes of Google, TrustArc and Oracle, Mark decided to return to his native Kenya in March 2018 to get involved in early-stage startup acceleration and investment activities in Nairobi.

In this show, Andile, Vije and Mark will unpack three weighty questions:

1) What is behind the new wave of banking currently sweeping South Africa? [18:28]

2) Is the African Union's decision to maintain Huawei's preferred partnership status well-advised? [47:07]

3) What are the critical, yet not-so-obvious grassroots issues in Nairobi's early-stage startup ecosystem that must be seen to if a sturdy pipeline of local investible prospects is to be built? [59:10]

Image credit: Shalom Mwenesi

South Africa's New Banking Wave + Huawei Or The Highway? + Kenyan Repat Diaries feat. Mark Karake

Africa-focused technology, digital and innovation ecosystem insight and commentary.

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In the third and final episode of this music industry-themed UNAJUA series featuring Yaw Asamani, Yaw takes sets out the pros and pitfalls of music streaming and outlines the potential for smaller artists to enter the orbit of some of the world's biggest musical acts. Yaw reckons that the music industry is the cornerstone of the current global 'creator economy' boom—a trend he expects to expand even further.
Yaw Asamani is a music tech entrepreneur. Yaw previously founded DooWapp, an app for adding playable song lyrics to messages and posts—think musical emojis. He was also formerly MD at Airbit, a leading Marketplace for selling beats online. He has recently founded and leads Bawse, a pre-launch platform looking to empower DIY artists, creators and music executives. 
Click here (or on the microphone icon on the right of your screen) to leave us a 60-sec voice note with your reactions to any of the topics raised in the UNAJUA Series. (We will include some of your audio takes in future follow-up episodes.)
PROMO: African Tech Roundup is partnering with Socialstack to launch a social token ($ATRU) on the Cello blockchain to drive community engagement. Listen in to today's episode to see how you could be one of the first few to receive some $ATRU social token.
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JOIN THE REVOLUTION: Create a Celo Account via Socialstack 
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UNAJUA S8 EP3- Can Streaming Help David Take On Superstar- Feat. Yaw Asamani

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The second instalment of this music tech-themed UNAJUA series featuring Yaw Asamani addresses how global streaming platforms aren't necessarily geared towards enabling African artists to cultivate sustainable livelihoods. Yaw also explains how artists might make leverage audience analytics to build and expand their reach.
Yaw Asamani is a music tech entrepreneur. Yaw previously founded DooWapp, an app for adding playable song lyrics to messages and posts—think musical emojis. He was also formerly MD at Airbit, a leading Marketplace for selling beats online. He has recently founded and leads Bawse, a pre-launch platform looking to empower DIY artists, creators and music executives. 
Click here (or on the microphone icon on the right of your screen) to leave us a 60-sec voice note with your reactions to any of the topics raised in the UNAJUA Series. (We will include some of your audio takes in future follow-up episodes.)
PROMO: African Tech Roundup is partnering with Socialstack to launch a social token ($ATRU) on the Cello blockchain to drive community engagement. Listen in to today's ep‌isode to see how you could be one of the first few to receive some $ATRU social token.
USEFUL RESOURCES:

JOIN THE REVOLUTION: Create a Celo Account via Socialstack 
EARN $ATRU TOKEN: Click here to complete the form and earn your $ATRU.
SUPPORT US: Support our independent media-making efforts by becoming a Patreon.

UNAJUA S8E2-Are Homegrown Music Platforms Key To Profitability For African Artists-ft. Yaw Asamani

In this music tech-themed UNAJUA series, Yaw Asamani taps his live industry experience to explore how African artists are using a plethora of social and technological platforms to find their voices, build audiences and monetise their art. Listen in to learn how the streaming era has ushered in lucrative opportunities for African artists to develop and dominate niche audiences and serve loyal international fan bases.

Yaw Asamani is a music tech entrepreneur. He previously founded DooWapp, an app for adding playable song lyrics to messages & posts, think musical emojis. Former Managing Director at Airbit, a leading Marketplace for selling beats online. Currently, founder at Bawse, a pre-launch platform looking to empower DIY Artists.

Click here (https://telbee.io/channel/uuatbnkraty1vn-nkazpcg/index.html) to leave us a 60-sec voice note with your reactions to any of the topics raised in the UNAJUA Series. (We will include some of your audio takes in future follow-up episodes.)

PROMO: African Tech Roundup is partnering with Socialstack to launch a social token ($ATRU) on the Cello blockchain to drive community engagement. Listen in to today's episode to see how you could be one of the first few to receive some $ATRU social token.

JOIN THE REVOLUTION: Create a Celo Account via Socialstack(https://wallet.socialstack.co/) 

EARN $ATRU TOKEN: Click here to complete the form and earn your $ATRU(https://forms.gle/CE7DrkszZzLXDCA6A).
SUPPORT US: Support our independent media-making efforts by becoming a Patreon (https://www.africantechroundup.com/patreon/).

UNAJUA S8E1-How Are African Artists Using Tech To Stand Out In A Crowded Global Field-Ft Yaw Asamani

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Christiaan Steyn is the head of a new South African insuretech startup called MiWay Blink. In the second episode of this two-part conversation, Christiaan lets us in on developing an insuretech startup during a pandemic and building on the success of its incumbent parent company. 
MiWay Blink was launched in Johannesburg, South Africa, during the thick of the COVID pandemic. In this instalment, Christiaan taps into the launch of MiWay Blink and how the culture of scaling what works and ditching what doesn't has proven to be the right formula. He further expands on how to navigate the corporate challenges and drawbacks that working with established boards can have on startups.   
Editorial Disclaimer: MiWay Blink is the presenting sponsor of this two-part podcast conversation. African Tech Roundup maintains complete editorial oversight, and opinions expressed by the podcast host, Andile Masuku, do not necessarily reflect the views of the presenting sponsor, MiWay Blink.
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SUPPORT US: Support African Tech Roundup's independent media-making efforts by becoming a Patreon.

BONUS- Scaling What Works And Ditching What Doesnt With MiWay Blink - Feat. Christiaan Steyn

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In the fourth and final instalment of this blockchain-themed UNAJUA series with Citi Group's Ronit Ghose, Ronit explores the philosophical basis for backing the centralisation or decentralisation of global finance. He also tackles the notion of tokenisation and how societal consensus regarding the value of money shapes commerce and culture.
Ronit Ghose is the Global Head of Banking, Fintech, and Digital Assets for Citi Global Insights (Citi Group). Ronit is also the lead author of the Citi Global Perspectives & Solutions (Citi GPS) insights platform. He advises Pan-African VC, Launch Africa Ventures and talent search startup Remotexec, and sits on the Centre for Finance, Technology and Entrepreneurship (CFTE) advisory board. 
Click here (or on the microphone icon on the right of your screen) to leave us a 60-sec voice note with your reactions to any of the topics raised in the UNAJUA Series. (We will include some of your audio takes in future follow-up episodes.)
PROMO: African Tech Roundup is partnering with Socialstack to launch a social token ($ATRU) on the Cello blockchain to drive community engagement. Listen in to today's episode to see how you could be one of the first few to receive some $ATRU social token.
USEFUL RESOURCES:

JOIN THE REVOLUTION: Create a Celo Account via Socialstack 
EARN $ATRU TOKEN: Click here to complete the form and earn your $ATRU.
SUPPORT US: Support our independent media-making efforts by becoming a Patreon.

South Africa's New Banking Wave + Huawei Or The Highway? + Kenyan Repat Diaries feat. Mark Karake

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