Six countries rewriting the rules of innovation, far from the usual Silicon Valley spotlight.

In this third journey, Terra Incognita explores South Africa's fintech built for customers counting every cent, Peru's leap from cash to QR codes through one bank's side project, Palau's sovereignty packaged as a digital identity, Kyrgyzstan's transformation into Central Asia's crypto corridor, Saudi Arabia's trillion dollar bet on buying the future, and Turkey's tech champions forged by a burning currency.

The people, the numbers, and the ideas building the future where most people are not looking.

The companion Substack gives you the full picture, with data and deep dives.

📖: Deep Dive on Substack

(00:00) Intro

(02:15) South Africa

(14:45) Peru

(25:08) Palau

(34:55) Kyrgyzstan

(45:36) Saudi Arabia

(56:26) Turkey

(1:07:14) What we learned

Six countries rewriting the rules of innovation, far from the usual Silicon Valley spotlight.

In this second journey, Terra Incognita explores Zimbabwe's gold-backed currency and crypto economy, Bolivia's race to unlock the world's largest lithium deposit, Thailand's payment rails that pulled in the global tech giants, Uzbekistan's leap from closed borders to digital, Bahrain's regulatory speed that beat its bigger neighbors, and Bulgaria's rise from engineering talent to the space economy.

The people, the numbers, and the ideas building the future where most people are not looking.

The companion Substack gives you the full picture, with data and deep dives.

📖: Deep Dive on Substack

(00:00) Intro

(02:10) Zimbabwe

(08:48) Bolivia

(14:47) Thailand

(22:18) Uzbekistan

(28:26) Bahrain

(34:03) Bulgaria

(42:01) What We Learned

Six countries rewriting the rules of innovation, far from the usual Silicon Valley spotlight.

In this first journey, Terra Incognita explores Kenya's mobile money revolution, Mexico's industrial AI, Indonesia's archipelago wired by motorbikes, Kazakhstan's sovereign AI hub, Oman's carbon-to-stone technology, and Romania's rise from Europe's back office to deep-tech powerhouse.

The people, the numbers, and the ideas building the future where most people are not looking.

The companion Substack gives you the full picture, with data and deep dives.

📖: ⁠Deep Dive on Substack⁠

(00:00) Intro

(02:20) Kenya

(08:49) Mexico

(16:26) Indonesia

(22:23) Kazakhstan

(29:27) Oman

(37:17) Romania

(44:46) What We Learned

Welcome to Terra Incognita, the podcast that explores the untold stories of tech and innovation across emerging markets.

In this short introduction, host Paolo Ottaviani sets up the journey ahead: six countries per episode, far from the usual Silicon Valley spotlight, where necessity turns into innovation and the future is being built where most people are not looking.

The companion Substack gives you the full picture, with data and deep dives.

📖: Deep Dive on Substack