Season 2 of the BCV Podcast continues with an energizing conversation with Alper Tilev, Co-Founder and CTO of Ampersand, Africa’s leading EV energy tech company. Ampersand has created a world where motorcycle transport is cleaner and more profitable for customers than ever before by building a commercial e-motorcycle fleet and battery swapping network at scale.

Beyond Capital Ventures Managing Partner Eva Yazhari and Partner Nicholas Java are joined in this episode by Partner and Nairobi-based Africa lead Christophe de Montille to discuss Ampersand’s impact on the continent’s environment, economy, and livelihoods. The talk also veers into the e-mobility tech trends that will continue to disrupt and define the marketplace. 

Self-driving bikes? It remains to be seen, but, for now, Ampersand is focused on the limitless road ahead.

Some don’t-miss moments from this high-octane conversation:

• Alp discusses the key drivers that differentiate Ampersand from competitors that came before. (4:03)
• Why being based in Kigali is essential to understanding Ampersand’s customer base, ensuring their voices are heard and the product developments meet their needs (5:01)
• Eva explains how BCV’s relational approach to investing aligns with Ampersand’s customer-centric approach. (5:42)
• What motivates the Ampersand customer beyond the environmental impact and how the company delivers on that promise (6:16)
• Why the fallacy of the cheapest product always wins in emerging markets isn’t only false—that race to the bottom means missing major opportunities (8:05)
• The critical role data plays in every Ampersand decision and how AI factors into the company’s future operational efficiencies and excellence (11:24)
• What investors are missing out on if they’re not investing alongside BCV in companies like Ampersand that are defining the future of emerging markets (19:32)
• Eva distills how empathy—listening to customers, building intentional technology, collecting data, lowering costs, entering new markets, and replicating the business model faithfully—creates a path for founders looking to build their own solutions. (28:01)

Welcome to Season 2 of the BCV Podcast! Beyond Capital Ventures Managing Partner Eva Yazhari and Venture Partner Nicholas Java are here this episode to spotlight the founders reshaping emerging markets and share the deals you wish you didn’t miss. Each episode will broaden your understanding of investment and inspire you to envision new possibilities for what capital can achieve.

In our Season 2 premiere, Eva and Nicholas sit down with Viebeg CEO Alex Rosen, who explores his company’s visionary tech-forward and data-driven approach to solving one of Africa’s biggest healthcare challenges: reliable access to life-saving medical supplies and equipment. 

Some key takeaways from our conversation:

• How Viebeg is using data to deliver impact at scale, utilize predictive maintenance, and disrupt the healthcare industry in Africa (1:48)
• Why working directly with quantitative data from Africa’s Ministry of Health is key to helping guide medical clinics to make smart, strategic decisions about diagnostic equipment, enabling them to be more effective and profitable  (5:40)
• How Viebeg’s revolutionary and easily repeatable and scalable “clinic-in-a-box” model is allowing the company to move swiftly and confidently into new markets throughout the continent—including those in politically unstable regions (10:36)
• Why partnering with NGOs is a critical part of Viebeg’s growth across all parts the Continent (12:06)
• All of the ways AI plays an essential role in Viebeg’s overall tech-forward strategy and success by facilitating patients’ connections with medical practitioners, especially in rural areas (13:05)
• In one sentence, why people would wish they had joined Viebeg’s journey sooner (26:25)
• Alex takes part in the BCV Podcast lightning round, including questions about the biggest misconception about the healthcare market, the biggest company milestone Viebeg is currently racing toward, and the one mistake his team is aiming to avoid (26:34)

Founder friendly vs. founder fair — many venture capital firms tout the former, but Beyond Capital Ventures embraces the latter approach for a well-rounded, fully immersive VC strategy. In this week’s episode, join our hosts Eva Yazhari and Nicholas Java as we explore all of the ways in which BCV serves as a deeply connected and committed partner to our portfolio company founders.

• As a continuation from our last episode, we share our Net Promoter Score — the rating given to us by the founders in our venture portfolio (1:23)
• How we define conscious leadership and why we choose to work with founders who share our abundance mindset (3:35)
• The reciprocal nature of having an abundance mindset and the ability to receive beyond capital support (5:01)
• Eva shares all of the ways Beyond Capital Ventures supports founders, including the Founders Forum, a powerful peer-led community (5:45)
• Nicholas describes BCV’s capital mobilization strategies and the work we do to help companies raise additional funding (7:06)
• Eva offers a glimpse into BCV’s Debt Opportunities Fund and the meaningful ways it is helping to close the capital gap for startups in emerging markets (10:17)
• How Beyond Capital balances both equity and debt to provide more flexibility for founders (12:18)
• What is BCV’s Equitable Ventures model and how does it benefit all stakeholders? (14:06)
• How Brené Brown’s singular take on leadership — i.e. leading with vulnerability — is a key component of beyond capital support and long-term founder success (17:37)

The capital gap — the difference between the financing that small to medium enterprises (SMEs) need to grow and operate efficiently and the amount of capital that they can actually access — is often the difference between innovation and sustainability and failure, especially in emerging markets. As the Beyond Capital Ventures Debt Opportunities Fund enters its second year, learn more about how this powerful tool is changing the emerging markets venture capital landscape with our hosts Eva Yazhari and Nicholas Java.

• Nicholas shares the thought-provoking Data of the Day (regarding the ongoing unmet financing needs of SMEs in emerging markets) as well as some exciting personal news! (1:27)
• Eva and Nicholas discuss the successes and learnings of the Beyond Capital Ventures Debt Opportunities Fund, which launched last year (2:33)
• Nicholas reveals BCV’s Net Promoter Score, or the rating we received from the 15 founders in our portfolio (6:09)
• Eva shares BCV’s founder-fair ethos and our firm’s straightforward approach to fees for our portfolio companies, which accelerate action and go-to-market strategies (6:40)
• How SMEs in emerging markets are stepping in where foreign aid organizations such as USAID are forced to pull back (8:53)
• Eva describes BCV’s proprietary credit scoring model, which evaluates companies from five unique angles, creating a comprehensive due diligence overview (11:44)
• Unpacking the various barriers to funding SMEs in emerging markets (16:58)
• The future of BCV’s Debt Opportunities Fund (19:29)

Beyond Capital Ventures is a pioneer in the field of debt financing for startups in India and Africa. The concept of credit is nothing new, but for startups in emerging markets, it’s been often out of reach as banking systems are too risk averse. With its debt opportunities fund, BCV is supporting startups and extending their opportunities for growth. Learn more about this compelling category with our hosts Eva Yazhari and Nicholas Java.

• Nicholas shares the Data of the Day, thought-provoking figures about startup debt financing in India and Africa (1:28)
• Why startups need a combination of debt and equity, especially as they mature (3:32)
• Eva explains how debt is typically structured and why debt is always higher in the capital stack (6:29)
• Long-term relationships with our portcos and their founders as the backbone of BCV’s approach to debt financing (12:15)
• BCV’s noteworthy agility in financing quickly and securely (13:30)
• Eva shares the journey of portco Kasha, which received funding for a specific company goal to expand its margins (14:54)
• The risks — and potential rewards — of revenue-based financing (16:12)
• How regulatory core capital requirements plays an important role in warrant coverage (19:08)
• TL;DR: Get creative with your debt! (20:19)

Join our hosts Eva Yazhari and Nicholas Java of Beyond Capital Ventures as they take us inside the BCV portfolio, in particular the firm’s climate-focused companies, which are finding innovative and sustainable solutions, primarily in the agriculture and mobility subsectors. Stay tuned for some truly eye-opening and heartening facts and figures about climate trends and initiatives in emerging markets such as India and Africa!  

• Nicholas shares the Data of the Day, concerning where the largest percentage of uncultivated arable land can be found in the world (1:28)
• Eva outlines what segments of the climate sector BCV is focused on in emerging markets and why social impact is at the forefront (2:19)
• Nicholas does a deep dive on the agriculture component of BCV’s portfolio (4:19)
• How mobility fits into the climate equation and the push for more electric vehicle adoption in India and Africa (6:02)
• How deep climate data empowers businesses and people to predict and prevent negative impacts of climate change (10:18)
• Eva shares some remarkable performance data — including revenue and green job creation — from the climate-focused companies in the BCV portfolio (13:12)
• Nicholas shares why Ampersand — Africa’s first electric transport energy company — is one of his favorite climate investments (15:24)
• Our hosts discuss another BCV portco — Cinch — and how it is unlocking the potential of land owned by smallholder farmers in Africa (20:21)

In this first episode of 2025, our hosts Eva Yazhari and Nicholas Java of Beyond Capital Ventures take us inside the BCV portfolio, in particular the firm’s innovative and impactful fintech companies, which make up close to 30% of our business. To usher in the new year, Eva and Nicholas also take their conversation to video so listeners can get to know them and BCV even better.  

• Fun fact of the day: Close to half of the world's mobile banking accounts are based in Africa (1:26)
• Why interoperability between various mobile banking platforms and ecosystems is crucial to empowering individuals and building intercontinental economies in our markets of India and East Africa (3:09)
• Eva outlines what typically underserved customers are actually looking for and need from new digital banking products (5:40)
• Eva explains how the US-based SWIFT banking messaging network creates challenges for customers in emerging markets (7:18)
• Nicholas introduces several BCV fintech portfolio companies, including XENO and Zanifu, which are increasing access to financing and investment management (9:39)
• The duo discuss what “digital” actually means when it comes to online financial services (12:35)
• Eva and Nicholas tackle some of the serious gaps that persist in financial services in emerging markets (14:51)
• Eva talks about another BCV portco, Eden Care, which helps African companies manage employee health insurance through a single platform (16:44)

Conscious investing — what does it mean, really? And how is it different from impact investing or philanthropy? In this informative episode of the Beyond Capital Ventures Podcast, our hosts, BCV Managing Partner Eva Yazahri and Partner Nicholas Java, tackle the term and why it serves as our firm’s North Star.  

• Eva shares an anecdote about a recent conversation with a “cold-blooded” investor that shed light on the type of individual BCV wants to work with — and why (3:25)
• Nicholas explains the difference in “above-the-line” (i.e. relational) and “below-the-line” (transactional) investments  (4:31)
• Why coming in with a superiority complex is never the best approach to true venture capital support (5:14)
• Stakeholder capitalism vs. shareholder capitalism (6:26)
• The mantra of “no money, no mission,” or how conscious investing differs from philanthropy (hint: it’s about sustainable growth) (6:55)
• Eva references her book, The Good Your Money Can Do, and why she focused on conscious investing over impact investing in her personal and professional pursuits (9:43)
• Why investors should support founders who are in love with the problem, not the solution (11:55)
• Eva explains the scarcity vs. abundance way of seeing the world (12:41)
• How to tell if a company founder is a conscious leader (14:28)

Healthcare is a crucial sector within Beyond Capital Ventures’ investment outlook, comprising more than 40% of our portfolio. Access to quality healthcare remains a challenge in much of the world, markedly so in emerging markets such as India and East Africa, where we concentrate our efforts. 

In this compelling episode of the BCV Podcast, our hosts Eva and Nicholas discuss the trends, challenges, and opportunities presented by investing in early-stage healthcare companies operating in emerging markets — as well as the awe-inspiring products, services, and initiatives the healthcare-focused founders in our portfolio are producing to help improve lives in their communities. 

• Eva and Nicholas discuss the allocation of healthcare companies in Beyond Capital Ventures’ portfolio and the various subsectors within this essential investment category (1:44)
• The conversation turns to the similarities and differences in healthcare in emerging markets such as India and Africa as compared to the US (2:20)
• Nicholas shares the staggering percentage Indians pay for out-of-pocket medical costs (4:18)
• Why human capital is so critical in improving healthcare outcomes in emerging markets such as India (5:34)
• How Beyond Capital Ventures portfolio companies such as CarePoint, Eden Care, Kasha, Redwing Labs, and Viebeg are finding innovative solutions to pervasive and specific healthcare issues in their communities, such as fighting tropical diseases via greater access to vaccines (7:46)
• Eva and Nicholas shine a light on the trends and opportunities presented by investing in early-stage healthcare entrepreneurs (10:10)
• How healthcare companies in emerging markets can help create more equitable health outcomes for people of color around the world (16:46)

In a follow-up to our previous podcast episode about why Beyond Capital Ventures invests in Africa, our Managing Partner Eva Yazhari and Partner Nicholas Java discuss our firm’s dual focus on Indian startups and their importance in not only emerging markets but in the global economy as a whole.

In this insight-packed episode, Eva and Nicholas share data around India’s ascendant role in the global marketplace, as well as BCV’s unique approach and outlook to finding, vetting, and supporting Indian entrepreneurs who continue to contribute to and shape India’s evolving economy and the nation’s role on the global stage.

• Nicholas shares this episode’s Data of the Day, a defining point concerning investment in Indian startups in 2024  (1:22)
• He continues on to drop knowledge about the current and future states of India’s burgeoning economic landscape and consumer market (2:13)
• Eva explains why debt capital is essential for startups in emerging markets like India (6:39)
• Eva and Nicholas discuss pervasive biases that exist in regard to investing in Indian entrepreneurs (7:51)
• How Beyond Capital Ventures is contributing to India’s economic development overall by supporting and promoting startups — such as BCV portfolio company Lal10 — to the rest of the world (12:36)
• How entrepreneurs in emerging markets such as India are carefully striking a “sacred balance” between various stakeholders, including government, shareholders, customers, and communities (17:58)
• The idea behind BCV’s Equitable Venture structure and what it means for India’s founder ecosystem (23:24)