In this month of April, we have several ideas at the fore. Firstly, there was an earth shattering moment when a Chinese company took the AI world by storm. The apparent ability of this company to do so much with so little is the definition of disruption. It sent shockwaves through the financial markets. To this end we chose to share Nancy Kacungira’s X piece where she explains what these technologies mean for typical Africans. Then I juxtapose this piece with some projects that India has taken on in space exploration. We compare this to what other countries spend (the USA). The ideas is to see if the Chinese and Indian Stories present some ideas that “third world” countries can make use of to leapfrog into a future of dominance by simply building well but cheaply. This will not happen though without an investment in technical skills covering many critical areas.

Next we continue the conversation where we look into the return of the customer. This well written article examines some of the most important ideas that help define customer behavior. We highlight the major theme of defensibility. Those of you who make use of our (both the magazine and podcast) material will find these conversations in podcasts such as Acquired. The hosts Ben and David analyze companies and determine what makes these successful companies great. The idea of defensibility is often mentioned as is the word moat (a defense system created in medieval times where a deep lake was used to surround a castle to increase security against attack or infiltration) which has been spoken about a few times by Warren Buffet. The article’s examination of several important trends from social to mobility to accommodation between 2009 and pre-Covid help bring to the surface key thoughts in how to keep customers engaged.

We also shed some light on what makes Intersection Magazine Different with our Media Kit.

Finally we make some suggestions about the possibility of new learning paradigms that have emerged in the last few years.

I draw from some of my experiences in the distance learning phase of my life. I attempt to link the ‘invasion’ of technology companies into the University space as a major shift in culture as well as the increasing urge to bring down the cost of University Education and the democratization of the space MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses).

For entertainment we recommend Electric State which I review drawing similarities from some other influential Hollywood pictures forecasting a future where there is a merger between technology and humanity.

For reading material we present a book that was shared as part of the school of African Leadership on Networking written by Farouk Khaillan.

We are introducing something that we think we be a positive contribution to the ecosystem. A summary of key events in the country and if possible the region to help those who are not able to attend make the most of any pieces of information that are shared or any networking opportunities that exist post event. Sling is an app that helps you send and receive as well as hold some money in your currency as well as in a stable coin (cryptocurrency pegged on a stable local currency). If you are tired of sending money abroad and feeling like you are loosing more than you are gaining this is for you. Tech Safari with Caleb Maru as CEO is your eye into the a Tech ecosystem in Africa and the world. Mr. Maru offers deep and well researched insights into the continent while also coordinating local meets. Finally the aptly named Africa’s Business Heroes has been in the market to help create room for African in the innovation and tech space by creating a massive sector agnostic net to accommodate the complex needs and varied solutions that African entrepreneurs have been known to come up with.

About 2 years ago, I was invited to visit the country of Rwanda. It was my first time there and I was really just interested in scoping the city for potential business opportunities. As part of the visit i was able to see some of the major spaces that are part of the Tech and Innovation Ecosystem of Rwanda. This was part of the work that I was doing in documenting different parts of greater East Africa’s Technology and Innovation Ecosystem. Unfortunately I was unable to land any interviews. So when Mr. Ntwali recently connected with members of a group to which I subscribed, I reached out to him so as to attempt to capture some of his ideas about Rwanda as well as the product that he is building. In this conversation, we talk about his work in the Ecosystem there, leadership, employment as well as the major gaps that he has identified and is filling in the HR space. In addition to this, after visiting his YouTube Channel https://m.youtube.com/@whatimbuildingpodcast What I am building, I had to take some time to learn a little more about how he works as well as his preference for video over voice. The company he has built has a reach in about 4 countries and simplifies the hiring process by connecting very specific skill assessment methods for companies and those who are seeking work.

This conversation with Mrs. Margaret Ntambi was made possible after a previous podcast with another important voice in the Banking Space Stephen Tio Kauma. Listen to that here https://podcasts.apple.com/ug/podcast/the-intersection-magazine-podcast/id1669247992?i=1000665312331. Stephen brought a wealth of experience in banking and I wanted to tap into his insights into West Africa as well as possible gaps he identified in Uganda. The discussion about banking is important because of a funding challenge for startups in a region where traditional banking stills see these enterprises as too risky. Mrs. Ntambi therefore helped strengthen these ideas with a extensive knowledge in the corporate finance space in the US. In her conversations we split it up into about three major ideas. Schooling (hoping to establish how much of a role this had to play with her career choices), Internships some of were able to cement her way into future roles, Employment in quite a number of prominent business in the US as well as her FemTech Work. There is also point where she dipped into some not for profit work that would prove valuable in her current Investment Interests.

In this first month there are a few ideas that we are pursuing for this year and that we believe might drive the agenda for the year.

The first is an article published in WIRED magazine and written by John Carlin quite some time back in the late nineties. Titled hashtag#farewelltoarms (a tribute to previous titles and authors) the author makes a compelling case for an age to come when wars will be fought on a different hashtag#scale and on very new hashtag#platforms. Long before the major shift takes place to computerization he foresaw a time when all these systems would be hashtag#vulnerable to hashtag#attack. We handle the first part of this insightful piece. If you wish to see what it means we suggest you watch Live Free or Die Hard. This film was released 10 years after the wired article.

We also share a post written on X by Shu Nyatta (Shu is in charge of a venture firm based in Latin America) and shares some ideas about what his group Bicycle Capital is doing and the outlook as he see it in this promising market. We see LatAm as a rather promising region with quite a lot of similarities with Africa South of the Sahara.

In our interview section we revisit Tanzania and Zanzibar this time with a conversation on the region with someone well invested in the space. We met Latifa Mkwawa on a Leadership Development and Mentorship Class with Farouk Khailann (First Cohort 2024).

Our book review and recommendation is taken from the books we (Mentees from Farouk Khaillan’s School) all received as students of the first cohort and covers the Subject of hashtag#Character. The bedrock of all traits that determines quite a lot for those who hope to lead and make an impact.

In light of the theme (security) we have also reviewed two series both quite well done in the area of spy fiction although one of them helps strengthen the ideas we shared from John Carlin’s trend setting piece.

Quite a lot hinges on the results of the US election. So we devote the last section on some ideas that I derived after watching the process a that led to the election as well as a few metrics that have proved useful over the years. This time though I wanted to highlight the work of FBS Inc.-a new App I am trying out that in my view almost called the result of the US election with some analysis about the markets. Want to know how to respond to this information? Subscribe for only $24 per year for 12 issues.

In this month of February here are some areas of interest. First we share the second installment of the piece we shared from a wired article written back in 1997 by John Carlin. The article explores the evolving landscape of cyberwarfare and the implications of digital technology on modern conflict. Here’s a concise summary of the key points:

Digital Warfare: Carlin discusses how the rise of the internet and digital technologies is transforming traditional warfare, making it more about information and less about physical confrontations.

Information as a Weapon: The article emphasizes that information can be weaponized, leading to new forms of conflict where data breaches and cyber attacks can have significant impacts on national security.

Future Preparedness: Carlin raises concerns about whether nations are adequately prepared for these new types of warfare, highlighting the need for strategies to defend against cyber threats.

Cultural Shift: The piece reflects on the cultural and societal changes brought about by the digital age, suggesting that the implications of cyberwarfare extend beyond military applications to affect everyday life.

In previous issues of the magazine we have covered some and more aspects of these ideas.

We also have put together a summary of the most important ideas that will determine how I interact and invest in companies and products. We are also expanding this idea by focusing our podcast conversations around these ideas (look out for our talk with Kawu co-founder Sebunya Gerald. From Markets to products to team composition and regulatory and legal all these ideas are expanded and described to help both potential investor and founder alike.

Finally in our Q and A and founder deep dive we share a conversation with karugaba ivan on his work in the world of hashtag#Hardware. Our movie or series of choice seems a little like a tangent but serves as a great reminder about what can go wrong when we elect the wrong people in public office.

In the Leadership/Readership Development section we cover a book about how to navigate the world of Investments for nations as well as individuals. The book was written by Farouk Khailann and is provided to those who participate in his leadership school.

After quite a while of not hearing from Mr. Kyomya, we made contact and i had to have him on the pod. About 6 years ago we were both exhibitors at an ICT Expo. I was a little less prepared but felt that it was important to have a presence on that stage. Fredrick on the other hand was promoting his project Kyomya Group and their inroads in equipping young people with communication skills. He had also developed an app to help people be more confident. I found this amazing that someone was building in a relatively unexplored area. Fast forward to today Mr. Kyomya has come up with a great tool to help make hiring easier. We talk about his journey to this point as well as his perspectives on the tech and innovation ecosystem here.