Twelve years ago, Sim Shagaya launched Konga as he bid to build Africa's Amazon. However, he would leave the startup just five years later after investors opted to stop funding the startup despite its impressive growth.  He has since launched edtechs uLesson and Miva University as he sets his eyes on providing quality education to Africa's teaming youth. In this tell-all interview, he shares stories from his early days building Konga and lessons he learned from the process. 

In 2021, Kennedy Ekezie co-founded Kippa with Duke Ekezie and Jephthah Uche. The startup, which provides financial management tools for more than 500,000 businesses, has raised over $11 million. In this interview, Ekezie shares his experience raising venture capital as a first-time founder, insights from serving Africa's SMEs, and his tips for first-time founders.

African Web3 and blockchain sectors raised $5.1 million in 2021, rising to $88 million in 2022. This year, they've struggled with raising capital and have been victims of the global web3 slowdown. Against this backdrop, Adaverse is betting heavily on African web3 startups and Vincent Li, the firm's Founding Partner joins us in this episode to share his thoughts on the space and why there's room for disruption in Africa. Find us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok @TechpointAfrica

In 2022, Oyin Solebo joined Techstars as the Managing Director of the ARM Labs Lagos Techstars Accelerator. Early this year, the first cohort of 12 startups graduated from its three-month program designed to provide founders with learning resources, community, and mentorship. On this episode of Equity Merchants, Solebo shares tips for founders applying to the accelerator, while giving her thoughts on building in public. She also shares how the team was able to increase participation by female founders in its last cohort. You can also read the article here: https://techpoint.africa/2023/06/28/oyin-solebo-techstars/ Timestamps 00:00 - Tidbits 01:04 - Intro 01:41 - We meet Oyin 02:51 - How ARM Labs Lagos Techstars Accelerator came to be 03:25 - Journey to Managing Director 05:43 - From investment banking to venture capitalism 07:45 - Criteria for getting into the accelerator 11:53 - Gauging passion and coachability 15:23 - The Techstars advantage 18:38 - Benefits of an accelerator to the economy 21:53 - Bringing women in 28:00 - Learnings from entrepreneurship 29:39 - Building in public vs building in private 31:46 - Investor due diligence 34:28 - Becoming a really good investor 37:30 - Outro Find us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok @TechpointAfrica

Our guest on the podcast today is Susana Garcia-Robles. Before joining Capria Ventures as a senior partner in 2021, Susana spent more than 15 years working at the Inter-American Development Bank where she spearheaded the development of local startup ecosystems in Latin America. An experienced investor, she explained how stakeholders can work together to build a vibrant ecosystem and how to drive local venture capital participation. She also shares three tips for emerging fund managers. 

Dr Ikpeme Neto founded WellaHealth in 2014. The startup helps Africans get affordable healthcare coverage for illnesses like malaria. Since its inception, the startup has provided its services to more than 90,000 people.  In this episode of Equity Merchants, Neto joins me to discuss his reason for leaving his medical practice to set up a healthtech startup, how he picked up dancing as a hobby and why he thinks founders should bootstrap their startups for a while.  We also discuss the role investors should play in a startup's success and why a collaboration between the business and academic community is necessary. Finally, we talk about the gender funding gap in Africa and Neto's thoughts on it.  This was an interesting conversation and I'm certain you would love it.  Please share this episode with your friends, co-workers, and family. Also, send your thoughts, questions, and reactions to chimgozirim@techpoint.africa.  See you in the next one. 

In 2022, Victor Kareem joined Lagos Angel Network as its Executive Director. Before then, he had worked as an investment banker and venture capitalist. In this episode, he shares the qualities that have helped him stand out in his career, tips for choosing the right investors for your startup, and what businesses should choose equity or debt funding.

In this episode of Equity Merchants, I spoke to Amee Parbhoo, the Managing Partner at Accion Venture Lab to get her story and some tips on how founders can navigate a tough funding environment.  She also shared her motivation for staying at Accion Venture Lab for eight years and how living and working on three continents has influenced her work with entrepreneurs. 

Many startups fail to reach the Series A round and Expert Dojo, a venture capita firm based in helps its founders with growth strategies that ensure they reach the Series A round.  On this episode of Equity Merchants, we're joined by Ajani Windsor-Areago, a Venture Partner at Expert Dojo. Ajani began his career investing in startups at Platform Capital, an Africa-based VC that has invested in startups across Latin America and Africa.  We talk about a range of topics including his thoughts on funding fintech startups, the importance of storytelling for founders, and how African VCs think about exits.  Please like, share, and subscribe to the podcast. 

In January 2023, Jetstream raised more than $10 million in a pre-Series A round. Jetstream provides a single platform for African businesses to handle all their logistics needs. Miishe Addy, the startup's founder and CEO, is one of the few women who have raised more than $10 million for an African startup. She joins us on the podcast to discuss raising capital for Jetstream, identifying the right investors, and creating the right buzz when closing a round. As always, like, share, and subscribe to the podcast.

Although there's a global slowdown in venture capital activity, interest in African startups continues to grow. However, not all startups are a fit for venture capital funding. In this episode, we examine some of the factors that qualify a startup for venture capital funding. Please like, share, and subscribe to the podcast. 

While building their startups, founders may be tempted to leave legal matters for later, but Karen Chukwu, Managing Partner at Katwig & Dale warns that this is a bad move.  In this episode of Equity Merchants, she shares tips for startup founders raising venture capital and pitfalls to avoid in the process.  Like, share, and subscribe to the podcast. You can also send your thoughts to me at chimgozirim@techpoint.africa

In 2017, Ikenna Nzewi, Uzoma Ayogu, and Isaiah Udotong moved to Nigeria to start an agritech startup, Releaf. Their idea was to build a digital marketplace for agricultural produce in Nigeria, but they soon shelved that plan. Now, they build supply chain technology for the agricultural sector and currently focus on the oil palm sector. Earlier in the year, they raised an oversubscribed pre-Series A round that they say will fuel their expansion across the country. Ikenna joins us on the podcast to discuss Releaf's early days, raising capital for the business, and shares a few tips for founders. This episode is proudly sponsored by the Techpoint Africa business team.  You can send me an email at chimgozirim@techpoint.africa. For most stories on startups and innovation, visit techpoint.africa.

Odunoluwa Longe is the Co-Founder and Partner of TLP Advisory as well as a Co-Founder at DIY Law, a legal tech startup that provides startups with DIY law kits and resources. Prior to co-founding TLP Advisory, she worked on private equity deals at investment banks in Nigeria. In this episode, she shares her motivation for starting Nigeria's first law firm dedicated to startups and some tips on navigating legal issues in startups. This episode is proudly sponsored by the Techpoint Africa business team.  You can send me an email at chimgozirim@techpoint.africa. For most stories on startups and innovation, visit techpoint.africa.

A few weeks ago, Nigerian VC firm, Oui Capital announced the launch of its second fund – The Oui Capital Mentor’s Fund. interestingly, one of their LPs included Tosin Eniolorunda, CEO of Nigerian fintech startup, TeamApt, and one of the firm’s early investments.  On this episode of Equity Merchants, I speak with Olu Oyinsan, the firm’s Managing Partner to learn more about the business of venture capital and how startups can attract more investors.  This episode is proudly sponsored by the Techpoint Africa business team.  You can send me an email at chimgozirim@techpoint.africa. For most stories on startups and innovation, visit techpoint.africa.

This week on Equity Merchants, we have two guests – Jack Knellinger and Loraine Achar.  Jack is the Co-founder and a Partner at Capria Ventures, while Loraine is an Associate with the firm working out of Africa. In this episode, we discuss how startups can stand out when reaching out to VCs, what Capria Ventures looks out for when choosing local fund managers, and several other topics.  This episode is proudly sponsored by the Techpoint Africa business team.  You can send me an email at chimgozirim@techpoint.africa. For most stories on startups and innovation, visit techpoint.africa.

Welcome to another episode of Equity Merchants. Our guest today is Adesuwa Okunbo Rhodes. Adesuwa is the Managing Partner and Founder of Aruwa Capital Management, an early-stage growth equity and gender lens fund. As one of the few female partners in Africa, Adesuwa is passionate about getting more women to start their own companies and fund startups. In this episode, we discussed her reason for starting a gender lens fund, the benefits of investing in women, and when startups should raise money.  This episode is proudly sponsored by the Techpoint Africa business team.  You can send me an email at chimgozirim@techpoint.africa. For most stories on startups and innovation, visit techpoint.africa.

Today on Equity Merchants, our guest is Eunice Ajim, the Founding Partner of Ajim Capital. Before starting Ajim Capital, Eunice was the founder of dataGig, a platform that connected data science professionals with SMEs.  She also co-founded OpenTeams, a marketplace for open source talents. In today’s interview, she shares her thoughts on Africans investing in startups, choosing a co-founder, and the right time to raise from VCs.  This episode is proudly sponsored by the Techpoint Africa business team(https://techpoint.africa/advertise). You can send me an email at chimgozirim@techpoint.africa. For most stories on startups and innovation, visit techpoint.africa.

In October 2021, Gideon Dada received a message from a recruiter on LinkedIn. The recruiter was looking to hire someone to join the team at Metis Capital and felt he would be a good fit. After a round of assessments and interviews, he got the job, resuming in December 2021. On this episode of Equity Merchants, he shares his journey and some thoughts on investments in Africa.

Our guest for today is Nneka Eze, the Managing Director and General Partner at Vested World. Previously, she was a Partner at Dalberg where she led the firm’s agricultural practice. Today, she joins me to discuss Vested World’s criteria for investment, when startups are ready for investment, and her hopes for Africa’s future.  Show Notes: 0:39 – How she ended up at Vested World 3:43 – Difference between management consulting and venture capital 12:21 – Why fintech startups get the most funding 20:25 – When are startups ready for VC investment? 23:14 – How many startups Vested World rejects in a month 26:13 – What should founders look for in investors? 33:14 – What the due diligence process looks like for VCs 36:54 – Factors that make a startup more likely to succeed 41:07 – Her projections for the next five years of venture capital in Africa 46:31 – What kind of founders does Vested World invest in? Listen to previous episodes of Equity Merchants at equitymerchants.show and follow me on Twitter at @chigo_nwokoma.