The Flip

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/qoA105xnIpUKhaman Maluach was just drafted 10th overall in the NBA Draft. He's a South Sudanese refugee who grew up in Uganda and only started playing basketball when he was 13 years old. After first playing the game at Luol Deng's basketball camp, Maluach played at the NBA Academy in Senegal, and played three seasons in NBA Africa's Basketball Africa League, before signing with Duke University. He's the first player from the BAL to be drafted into the NBA. And as we continue to invest in talent on the African continent, there will be more players like Khaman Maluach playing in the league in the future. Our Links -

Watch this episode on YouTube.2025 is the year of stablecoins. Transaction volumes have grown to over $33 trillion in the past 12 months. The top Dollar-denominated stablecoins are the 17th largest holder of US treasuries globally. Tether, issuer the largest stablecoin by volume, USDT, announced $13 billion in net profit in 2024. Circle, the USDC issuer, is going public.But what got the hype train going was Stripe's acquisition of the startup Bridge for $1.1 billion.And all of Bridge's product market fit is coming from emerging markets and outside the US. But why? This is the first episode in The Flip's new human-first series on stablecoin adoption from the rest of the world. Stablecoins are solving everyday problems for people in markets where there's import deficits, currency devaluation, insufficient banking infrastructure, and more. This series will bring to life these conditions and humanize the onchain data. 00:00 - Intro01:15 - Zach Abrams - Bridge02:35 - Stablecoin adoption03:27 - All of Bridge's product market fit comes from outside the US05:19 - Why do people want stablecoins?08:42 - Subscribe!Our Links -

There are 1,696 active players in the NFL. Just 138 are African. But if it were up to Osi Umenyiora, 11-year veteran and 2-time Super Bowl Champion, there would be many more. Osi is the Founder of The Uprise, the NFL's lead in Africa, and he's pioneering American football on the African continent. At the NFL's camp in Lagos, Nigeria, young athletes are vying for a shot to join the NFL Academy in London or to go straight to the League through the International Player Pathway Program. But many of them have never played American football before. So why is the NFL hosting camps in Africa? Is there really any shot of these players making it to the NFL?00:00 - The NFL is in Lagos, Nigeria00:30 - Osi Umenyiora is bringing football to Africa02:05 - The NFL wants the best talent in the world03:55 - Creating opportunities for African talentOur Links -

Farming is the number one source of employment in Africa, yet its agricultural productivity is the lowest of any region in the world. The opportunity is immense—60% of the world's uncultivated arable land is on the continent—but rural communities are suffering from a lack of economic opportunity.So young Africans are building innovative solutions to tackle the problems that are impacting their families and communities.Wissal Ben Moussa is the Co-founder & R&D Officer of Sand To Green, a Moroccan startup pairing regenerative agroforestry techniques with data and technology to turn the desert green. Samuel Rigu is the Co-founder & CEO of Safi Organics, a Kenyan company employing a decentralized process to locally manufacture organic fertilizers. Francis Nderitu is the Founder of Keep IT Cool, a recent Earthshot Prize winner, building cold chain storage to reduce post-harvest losses in Kenya. 00:00 - Africa has the lowest farming productivity in the world01:08 - Sand to Green is reversing desertification in Morocco04:30 - Safi Organics is manufacturing organic fertilizers in Kenya07:23 - Keep IT Cool is reducing post-harvest loss in Kenya10:15 - Solving problems for their local communitiesCheck out more episodes of The Greenprint here.This episode was produced as part of our series on climate action in Africa, The Greenprint, in partnership with Catalyst Fund, Delta40, Africa Climate Ventures, and AgBase - an initiative powered by Briter and Mercy Corps AgriFin.AgBase is a business intelligence platform offering real-time data, market insights, and a centralised hub for information on agtech and foodtech across emerging markets. This initiative, backed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), and hosted by Briter Bridges in partnership with MercyCorps AgriFin, is dedicated to bolstering the knowledge framework essential for catalysing investments in digital and technology-driven solutions, with an underlying mission is to transform the lives of smallholder farmers and boost socio-economic growth.Delta40 is a venture studio and venture capital fund supporting diverse founders leading ventures in energy, agriculture, and fintech, with a special focus on supporting African and female entrepreneurs. Beyond capital, they provide hands-on support from experienced operators & investors to drive growth from idea to pan-African scale. Africa Climate Ventures is a pioneering venture builder working to build a portfolio of climate businesses on the continent. ACV invests to bring proven global climate technology to Africa, accelerate and de-risk the continental expansion of technologies and business models that have gained traction in one or a few African market(s), and add carbon revenue streams to existing African businesses with the potential to scale climate-positive solutions.‍Catalyst Fund is a venture capital fund and venture builder, investing for a climate resilient future in Africa. They combine capital and a hands-on venture-building approach at the pre-seed stage, to partner with visionary founders who are developing climate adaptation solutions that enhance the resilience of communities and the planet.This episode is made possible through a partnership with Prosper Africa's Catalytic Investment Facility. Aimed at boosting investment and innovative climate adaptation and resilience ventures across Africa, The Catalyst Fund is one of the grantees under Prosper Africa's Catalytic Investment Facility. Prosper Africa is a Presidential-level national security initiative aimed at strengthening the strategic and economic partnership between the U.S. and Africa by catalyzing transformative two-way trade and investment flows.Our Links -

Reports suggest that climate change is set to cost the global economy $38 billion per year by 2049. Emerging markets need close to $2.4 trillion per year by 2030 to meet the climate goals. That's 4 times what is currently invested. But high capital costs are stalling clean energy investment across Africa. If you want to build a renewable energy project in Sub-Saharan Africa, the weighted average cost of capital would be up to 4x as much as the same project in Western Europe or the US, due to the real and perceived risks of investing on the continent.If the world invests in renewables and green technology in Africa at Africa's cost of capital, it will underinvest in green energy assets. 00:00 - The climate funding gap01:01 - It's 4x more expensive to build an energy project in Africa02:10 - The cheapest energy is where there is high energy density03:26 - Startup financing needs06:23 - Addressing funding challenges at the multinational levelCheck out more episodes of The Greenprint here.This episode of The Greenprint was produced in partnership with Catalyst Fund, Delta40, and Africa Climate Ventures.Delta40 is a venture studio and venture capital fund supporting diverse founders leading ventures in energy, agriculture, and fintech, with a special focus on supporting African and female entrepreneurs. Beyond capital, they provide hands-on support from experienced operators & investors to drive growth from idea to pan-African scale. Africa Climate Ventures is a pioneering venture builder working to build a portfolio of climate businesses on the continent. ACV invests to bring proven global climate technology to Africa, accelerate and de-risk the continental expansion of technologies and business models that have gained traction in one or a few African market(s), and add carbon revenue streams to existing African businesses with the potential to scale climate-positive solutions.‍Catalyst Fund is a venture capital fund and venture builder, investing for a climate resilient future in Africa. They combine capital and a hands-on venture-building approach at the pre-seed stage, to partner with visionary founders who are developing climate adaptation solutions that enhance the resilience of communities and the planet.This episode is made possible through a partnership with Prosper Africa's Catalytic Investment Facility. Aimed at boosting investment and innovative climate adaptation and resilience ventures across Africa, The Catalyst Fund is one of the grantees under Prosper Africa's Catalytic Investment Facility. Prosper Africa is a Presidential-level national security initiative aimed at strengthening the strategic and economic partnership between the U.S. and Africa by catalyzing transformative two-way trade and investment flows.Our Links -

Nigeria's energy crisis has persisted for decades. Africa's largest country is largely powered by fuel generators. They're noisy, dirty, and bad for the environment. But they also provide power to millions of people in a country with an unreliable grid. The removal of Nigeria's long-standing fuel subsidy in 2023 caused the price of fuel to quadruple, leaving Nigerian consumers searching for options. And many are going solar. So while Nigeria's transition to solar power has largely been driven by economic considerations, it has positive climate implications.But why is the grid so broken? How can it be fixed? And is decentralized solar energy an adequate solution to solve Nigeria's energy crisis?00:00 - To know Nigeria is to know blackouts01:28 - How Nigeria is powered today02:11 - Why the grid is broken and how to fix it05:17 - Nigerians are making the switch to solar09:12 - The need for climate resilienceCheck out more episodes of The Greenprint: https://theflip.africa/the-greenprintThis episode of The Greenprint was produced in partnership with Catalyst Fund, Delta40, and Africa Climate Ventures.Delta40 is a venture studio and venture capital fund supporting diverse founders leading ventures in energy, agriculture, and fintech, with a special focus on supporting African and female entrepreneurs. Beyond capital, they provide hands-on support from experienced operators & investors to drive growth from idea to pan-African scale. Africa Climate Ventures is a pioneering venture builder working to build a portfolio of climate businesses on the continent. ACV invests to bring proven global climate technology to Africa, accelerate and de-risk the continental expansion of technologies and business models that have gained traction in one or a few African market(s), and add carbon revenue streams to existing African businesses with the potential to scale climate-positive solutions.‍Catalyst Fund is a venture capital fund and venture builder, investing for a climate resilient future in Africa. They combine capital and a hands-on venture-building approach at the pre-seed stage, to partner with visionary founders who are developing climate adaptation solutions that enhance the resilience of communities and the planet.This episode is made possible through a partnership with Prosper Africa's Catalytic Investment Facility. Aimed at boosting investment and innovative climate adaptation and resilience ventures across Africa, The Catalyst Fund is one of the grantees under Prosper Africa's Catalytic Investment Facility. Prosper Africa is a Presidential-level national security initiative aimed at strengthening the strategic and economic partnership between the U.S. and Africa by catalyzing transformative two-way trade and investment flows.Our Links -

Can Africa be a leader in the global fight against climate change? While the continent has contributed just 3 percent to global carbon emissions, it is the most impacted by climate change. But it also has a range of natural endowments that leave it well-positioned to build green industries that will have a positive economic impact locally and can play a significant global role in getting to net zero.In this episode, we're joined by three Africa-focused climate founders solving local problems with global implications. 00:00 - Africa is the most impacted by climate change01:18 - The opportunity to build industries powered by renewable energy01:51 - Great Carbon Valley's Bilha Ndirangu05:00 - Octavia Carbon's Duncan Kariuki07:51 - Talus Renewable's Hiro IwanagaListen to more episodes of The Greenprint: https://theflip.africa/the-greenprintThis episode of The Greenprint was produced in partnership with Catalyst Fund, Delta40, and Africa Climate Ventures.Delta40 is a venture studio and venture capital fund supporting diverse founders leading ventures in energy, agriculture, and fintech, with a special focus on supporting African and female entrepreneurs. Beyond capital, they provide hands-on support from experienced operators & investors to drive growth from idea to pan-African scale. Africa Climate Ventures is a pioneering venture builder working to build a portfolio of climate businesses on the continent. ACV invests to bring proven global climate technology to Africa, accelerate and de-risk the continental expansion of technologies and business models that have gained traction in one or a few African market(s), and add carbon revenue streams to existing African businesses with the potential to scale climate-positive solutions.‍Catalyst Fund is a venture capital fund and venture builder, investing for a climate resilient future in Africa. They combine capital and a hands-on venture-building approach at the pre-seed stage, to partner with visionary founders who are developing climate adaptation solutions that enhance the resilience of communities and the planet.This episode is made possible through a partnership with Prosper Africa's Catalytic Investment Facility. Aimed at boosting investment and innovative climate adaptation and resilience ventures across Africa, The Catalyst Fund is one of the grantees under Prosper Africa's Catalytic Investment Facility. Prosper Africa is a Presidential-level national security initiative aimed at strengthening the strategic and economic partnership between the U.S. and Africa by catalyzing transformative two-way trade and investment flows.Our Links -

These climate investors are funding climate startups using a hands-on venture-building model to support founders across Africa. In this episode, we're joined by James Mwangi from Africa Climate Ventures, Maxime Bayen from Catalyst Fund, and Lyndsay Holley Handler from Delta40.We discuss why African ventures and climate startups, in particular, benefit from the venture building model; the limitations of the traditional two and twenty fund model in the African tech ecosystem; the types of founders and opportunities these investors are looking for; the pitch these investors are making to global investors for why they should back climate action across Africa; and, is Africa the most important region for global climate goals?00:00 - Intro01:20 - Why climate in Africa?06:03 - The types of founders they're investing in12:18 -  Why the venture building model?19:39 - Fund structures & models35:30- The types of businesses & opportunities they're seeking41:30 - Pitching Africa's climate story to global investorsThis roundtable conversation was recorded during the  2024 Climate Week in New York City.This episode was produced as part of our series on climate action in Africa, in partnership with Catalyst Fund, Delta40, and Africa Climate Ventures.Delta40 is a venture studio and venture capital fund supporting diverse founders leading ventures in energy, agriculture, and fintech, with a special focus on supporting African and female entrepreneurs. Beyond capital, they provide hands-on support from experienced operators & investors to drive growth from idea to pan-African scale. Africa Climate Ventures is a pioneering venture builder working to build a portfolio of climate businesses on the continent. ACV invests to bring proven global climate technology to Africa, accelerate and de-risk the continental expansion of technologies and business models that have gained traction in one or a few African market(s), and add carbon revenue streams to existing African businesses with the potential to scale climate-positive solutions.Catalyst Fund is a venture capital fund and venture builder, investing for a climate resilient future in Africa. They combine capital and a hands-on venture-building approach at the pre-seed stage, to partner with visionary founders who are developing climate adaptation solutions that enhance the resilience of communities and the planet. This episode is made possible through a partnership with Prosper Africa's Catalytic Investment Facility. Aimed at boosting investment and innovative climate adaptation and resilience ventures across Africa, The Catalyst Fund is one of the grantees under Prosper Africa's Catalytic Investment Facility. Prosper Africa is a Presidential-level national security initiative aimed at strengthening the strategic and economic partnership between the U.S. and Africa by catalyzing transformative two-way trade and investment flows.Our Links -

There are millions of Moniepoint point-of-sale terminals in use across Nigeria. These point-of-sale devices power Nigeria's offline economy, and while there are many competitors in this space, Moniepoint appears to beating them all. How did they do it? How did Moniepoint grow so quickly? And why has it become the preferred choice for agents and merchants across Nigeria?In this episode, we hit the streets of Lagos with Ezekiel Sanni, Moniepoint's Senior Vice President of Distribution Network Sales.Moniepoint has been recognized as Africa's fastest-growing fintech by the Financial Times in 2023 and 2024. Last year, they processed over $182 billion in payments. Moniepoint (formerly TeamApt) was founded by Tosin Eniolorunda in 2015. 00:00 - Moniepoint is winning Nigeria's fintech battle01:28 - What do agents want?02:19 - Nigeria's banking challenges03:34 - Moniepoint's business banking strategy04:49 - Moniepoint's distribution strategyCheck out our roundtable conversation with Monieponit's CEO, Tosin Eniolorunda, Kuda's Babs Ogundeyi, and FairMoney's Laurin Hainy - https://theflip.africa/podcast/nigerian-neobank-roundtable-moniepoint-kuda-fairmoney Our Links -

Small retailers in Nigeria power the economy. But they're going through some tough times. Devaluation, food inflation, and overall poor economic conditions have made it especially hard for these small businesses to operate.To better understand how retail works, and how these small businesses can grow, we hit the streets of Lagos with Deepankar Rustagi, CEO of OmniRetail.OmniRetail was ranked Africa's #1 Fastest Growing Company in 2024 by Financial Times.In this episode, Deepankar explains small retailers' working capital challenges and how OmniRetail is helping them grow their business by turning over their inventory faster.00:00 - Intro01:00 - Working capital02:08 - Faster inventory turnover02:48 - Lack of credit03:39 - Understanding consumer demand04:57 - Building a Systematically Important PlatformRead more from Deepankar -  Rethinking Metrics in B2B Commerce: https://theflip.africa/newsletter/rethinking-metrics-in-b2b-ecommerce Learn more about OmniRetail here: https://omniretail.africaOur Links -

One of the African tech ecosystem's largest exits was the 2020 sale of Sendwave to WorldRemit for $500 million. Sid Sridhar was Sendwave's Head of Business at the time, and in this episode, Sid shares his M&A lessons for the African tech ecosystem.Sid is now the Head of Business at Wave, the mobile money company spun out of Sendwave that's competing head-on with the telcos in Francophone West Africa. Wave raised a $200 million Series A in 2021, valuing the company at $1.7 billion. 00:00 - Introduction01:32 - Every deal is different02:16 - Know the business model that you're building for02:40 - Companies get bought not sold03:41 - How to qualify a deal04:53 - Be smart & strategic with information05:31 - Be transparent06:24 - Stay close to potential buyers07:39 - Alignment with investorsFollow Sid on TwitterCheck out other episodes from the Fintech in Africa Summit:Nigerian Neobank Roundtable: Moniepoint, Kuda, FairMoneyWhy Are Cross-Border Payments So Hard?Tackling Africa's $330 Billion Credit GapOur Links -

There is a $330 billion credit gap, according to the IFC. But why is it so hard to lend in African markets? We explore that question with Chijioke Dozie, Co-founder and CEO of Carbon, and Mark Straub, CEO of Smile Identity.This episode was recorded live from the FT Partners Fintech in Africa Summit in New York City. Download their FinTech in Africa research report, published in March 2024.00:00 - Introduction01:36 - The credit infrastructure problems in Africa02:28 - Carbon's approach to lending03:51 - SmileID's perspective on credit infrastructure08:10 - Ability to pay vs. willingness to pay10:06 - Private sector solutions17:36 - The challenges of scaling lending without infrastructureFollow Chijioke on Twitter.Follow Mark on Twitter.This episode was the third in our series of interviews recorded live from the Fintech in Africa Summit.Nigerian Neobanks with Moniepoint's Tosin Eniolorunda, Kuda's Babs Ogundeyi & Fairmoney's Laurin Hainy: https://theflip.africa/podcast/nigerian-neobank-roundtable-moniepoint-kuda-fairmoneyCross-Border Payments with NALA's Benjamin Fernandes & GTXN's Dan Kleinbaum: https://theflip.africa/podcast/why-are-cross-border-payments-so-hardOur Links -

In this episode, the third in our docuseries on jobtech platforms and the future of work, we dive deeper into the value chain, because the problems that small businesses have across the continent are multi-layered. In an environment of demand constraints and a lack of infrastructure, platforms need to solve multiple problems across the value chain. This is what makes jobtech platforms so hard to build in Africa. But for those who can solve problems across the value chain, it not only unlocks growth opportunities for their users, but it also unlocks additional revenue streams for platforms to achieve greater profitability. Check out the first two episodes in this series:What We Get Wrong About Jobs in AfricaThe Future of Work Will Be Bootstrapped00:00 - Intro01:43 - Jobtech platforms in Africa need to solve multiple problems across the value chain.02:31 - One sector with challenges across the value chain is fashion.03:51 - How Fitted is solving problems for tailors in Nigeria.05:51 - Unlocking revenue opportunities for SMEs and platforms alike.Watch this episode on YouTube.Learn more about the Jobtech Alliance.Check out last year's podcast series on the future of work.Our Links -

Benjamin Fernandes, the Founder and CEO of the remittance platform NALA, likes to say that payments are just 1% built in Africa. Why are cross-border payments so hard? In this episode, we're joined in conversation with Benjamin Fernandes and Dan Kleinbaum, a co-founder of Beyonic, which sold to Onafriq, and now the Founder of the FX platform GTXN. This episode was recorded live from the FT Partners Fintech in Africa Summit in New York City. Download their FinTech in Africa research report, published in March 2024.00:00 - Intro01:29 - Payments are 1% built in Africa06:32 - How to solve problems in Cross-Border payments08:28 - Do we need more payment apps?15:51 - Navigating regulatory challenges17:03 - Why are Benji & Dan solving these problems?20:30 - What's the cross-border payments pitch to investors?25:39 - Benji & Dan turn the tables on JustinThis episode was the second in our series of interviews recorded live from the Fintech in Africa Summit. Our first episode was with the Nigerian Neobanks: https://theflip.africa/podcast/nigerian-neobank-roundtable-moniepoint-kuda-fairmoneyEpisode Links:Follow Benji on TwitterFollow Dan on TwitterRead Benji's Medium post: Are African Remittances Finished?Our Links -

In this episode, we're joined in a panel conversation with the CEOs of three of Nigeria's biggest digital banks: Moniepoint's Tosin Eniolorunda, Kuda's Babs Ogundeyi, and FairMoney's Laurin Hainy.This episode was recorded live from the FT Partners Fintech in Africa Summit in New York City. Download their FinTech in Africa research report, published in March 2024.00:00 - Intro01:18 - Moniepoint's distribution-first strategy02:45 - FairMoney's credit-led approach04:46 - Kuda's neobank strategy06:48 - Banks, product, competition, expansion25:45 - Growth, VC returns33:56 - What does success look like?Our Links -

In our first episode of this series on jobtech platforms and the future of work, we argued that the future of work is a tech-enabled portfolio of work. But what does a portfolio of work really look like? And what happens next? We know we need to create more formal jobs in Africa, and we need to boost the productivity of the informal sector. But how do we get there? Considering the context of the markets in question, the future of work isn't going to be designed or endowed; it's going to be bootstrapped. 00:00 - Intro01:17 - Bootstrapping Development01:53 - Bootstrapping a portfolio of work05:48 - Pathways for jobtech users06:45 - This is how development happensWatch the first episode of this series on jobtech platforms: https://theflip.africa/podcast/what-we-get-wrong-about-jobs-in-africaTo learn more about the Jobtech Alliance, visit https://jobtechalliance.comCheck out last year's podcast series on the future of work: https://go.theflip.africa/future-of-workOur Links -

In January 2024, we hosted a live show in Lagos with The Subtext's Osarumen Osamuyi on the relationship between the tech ecosystem and the media. It was a follow-up to a 2020 episode we published entitled Much Ado About the Media.A lot of founders still feel the media is acting in bad faith amidst more accountable media coverage. In this episode, we explore this tension and have an important discussion with the ecosystem players themselves.00:00 - Intro01:22 - Reflecting on 2020's episode08:20 - Paga's Tayo Oviosu's founder perspective12:20 - TechCabal's Tomiwa Aladekomo's media perspective19:04 - What about business models?22:20 - Stears Nchedolisa Akuma on subscriptions24:58 - Moniepoint's Didi Uwemakpan's marketing perspective28:14 - The global perspective from TechCrunch's Tage Kene-Okafor30:49 - FT's Aanu Adeoye36:20 - How to give local context to a global audience42:02 - Local vs. global media45:43 - Who keeps the media in check?46:36 - Editorial perspectives from TechCabal's Olumuyiwa Olowogboyega50:03 - Negative stories about advertising partners53:03 - Osarumen & Justin's retrospectiveMuch Ado About the Media, part one: https://theflip.africa/podcast/s2e9Our Links - 

Live from the BIG Summit, a platform hosted by investor and 2x NBA All-Star Baron Davis, at the 2024 NBA All-Star Game, a conversation with three operators connecting Africa to the world through culture and commerce. In this conversation, we're joined by Clare Akamanzi, the CEO of NBA Africa, Abdul Karim Abdullah, the Founder and CEO of AfroFuture music festival, and entrepreneur and private equity investor Tuyee Yeboah. 00:00 - Intro02:38 - NBA Africa05:32 - AfroFuture08:34 - Investing across Africa and the US10:55 - Basketball's role in Africa's development12:20 - Changing perceptions about the continent17:35 - How do we get more investors involved?21:20 - African talentEpisode Links - AfroFuture - https://www.afrofuture.com/BAL - https://bal.nba.com/BIG Summit - https://www.teambig.io/Our Links - 

The African continent has the highest levels of poverty, the lowest levels of formal employment, and its population is going to double in the next 30 years. African countries need to create more jobs. But what kinds of jobs? And how? What if I told you that the way governments and development organizations are trying to create jobs in Africa is all wrong?  To make a dent in this problem requires an understanding of the realities on the ground and how that has impacted the preferences of the labor markets in question. The future of work, for Africans in particular, is not a formal job but a technology-enabled portfolio of work. 00:00 - Intro01:36 - Informal is normal03:14 - A portfolio of work05:24 - Using jobtech platforms like Tendo for supplemental income08:33 - To what degree can jobtech platforms address the underemployment issues across the continent?To learn more about the Jobtech Alliance, visit https://jobtechalliance.comCheck out last year's podcast series on the future of work: https://go.theflip.africa/future-of-workOur Links -

Despite research showing that female founders outperform their male peers, startups with a solo female founder or an all-female founding team raised a mere 2% of all the funding in Africa last year. There is a huge gender funding gap. How do we close it?This episode is the last episode of a five-episode series on gender lens investing, co-hosted by Eloho Omame, Founding Partner of First Check Africa, an early-stage fund backing female-led startups. Each episode of this series will explore a different level of the fundraising value chain. In this episode, we're exploring ecosystem and capacity building with Jessica Espinoza, the CEO of 2X Global, an organization aimed at unlocking gender smart capital at scale. Jessica chairs the 2X Challenge which has raised more than $27 billion of gender lens investments since its launch at the G7 Summit in 2018.00:00 - Intro02:10 - Unlocking gender-smart capital at scale03:43 - What is gender-smart capital?06:46 - Applying the 2X framework to investing10:25 - Building the gender-smart investing ecosystem19:52 - The primary issue is bias22:54 - Mainstreaming gender-smart capital25:55 - What is success for 2X Global?33:29 - A retrospective conversation with Eloho & JustinIn Episode 1 of this series, we spoke to the founders: Bamboo's Yanmo Omorogbe & Uncover's Sneha Mehta: https://theflip.africa/podcast/why-is-only-2-of-funding-going-to-female-foundersIn Episode 2 of this series, we spoke to angel investor Yemi Keri, Co-founder of Rising Tide Africa: https://theflip.africa/podcast/this-angel-investor-is-closing-the-gender-funding-gapIn Episode 3 of this series, we were joined by the fund managers: Alitheia Capital's Tokunboh Ishmael & TLcom Capital's Andreata Muforo: https://theflip.africa/podcast/investing-in-women-is-an-economic-imperativeIn Episode 4 of this series, we spoke to an LP investing in the fund managers: Sam Akyianu, Managing Director of the Mastercard Foundation Africa Growth Fund: https://theflip.africa/podcast/mastercard-foundation-is-investing-150-million-into-20-gender-lens-fundsThis series is created under the ScaleX project: Co-designing Solutions to close the early stage gender-financing gap in Africa, an initiative of Make-IT in Africa.Make-IT in Africa promotes entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems across Africa for green and inclusive development. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH implements this project on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Our Links -

Despite research showing that female founders outperform their male peers, startups with a solo female founder or an all-female founding team raised a mere 2% of all the funding in Africa last year. There is a huge gender funding gap. How do we close it?This episode is the fourth of a five-episode series on gender lens investing, co-hosted by Eloho Omame, Founding Partner of First Check Africa, an early-stage fund backing female-led startups. Each episode of this series will explore a different level of the fundraising value chain. The Mastercard Foundation Africa Growth Fund is a $150 million fund-of-funds initiative investing in twenty gender lens funds, with a particular focus on closing the financing and support gap for females. And in this episode, we're joined by Sam Akyianu, Managing Director of the Mastercard Foundation Africa Growth Fund.00:00 - Intro01:54 - Investing $150m in 20 vehicles08:06 - Fund evaluation & investment decisions23:09 - Measuring success31:25 - Overmentored and underfunded?35:04 - Getting other LPs onboard36:43 - A retrospective conversation with Eloho & JustinIn Episode 1 of this series, we spoke to the founders: Bamboo's Yanmo Omorogbe & Uncover's Sneha Mehta: https://theflip.africa/podcast/why-is-only-2-of-funding-going-to-female-foundersIn Episode 2 of this series, we spoke to angel investor Yemi Keri, Co-founder of Rising Tide Africa: https://theflip.africa/podcast/this-angel-investor-is-closing-the-gender-funding-gap In Episode 3 of this series, we were joined by the fund managers: Alitheia Capital's Tokunboh Ishmael & TLcom Capital's Andreata Muforo: https://theflip.africa/podcast/investing-in-women-is-an-economic-imperativeThis series is created under the ScaleX project: Co-designing Solutions to close the early stage gender-financing gap in Africa, an initiative of Make-IT in Africa.Make-IT in Africa promotes entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems across Africa for green and inclusive development. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH implements this project on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Our Links -

Despite research showing that female founders outperform their male peers, startups with a solo female founder or an all-female founding team raised a mere 2% of all the funding in Africa last year. There is a huge gender funding gap. How do we close it?This episode is the third of a five-episode series on gender lens investing, co-hosted by Eloho Omame, Founding Partner of First Check Africa, an early-stage fund backing female-led startups. Each episode of this series will explore a different level of the fundraising value chain. In this episode, we're joined by the investors. Tokunboh Ishmael is the Co-founder and Managing Partner of Alithea Capital, a $100 million gender lens private equity fund. Andreata Muforo is a Partner at TLcom Capital, an early-stage venture capital fund with a 60% female partnership. 00:00 - Investing in women is an economic imperative02:12 - Introducing Tokunboh04:04 - An Alitheia-led thesis05:36 - What does gender-lens investing look like in practice?11:49 - What about the financial returns? 13:35 - Impact targets17:24 - Are there enough women founders in the pipeline? 19:54 - Women are over-mentored and under-funded23:48 - Is a female investor backing a female founder a negative signal?26:53 - What does success look like? 29:47 - Introducing Andreata31:15 - Why is a traditional VC fund like TLcom trying so hard to invest in more female founders?33:03 - How VCs make investment decisions36:18 - Only 25% of the pipeline has a female co-founder40:44 - Is there a fundamental mismatch with VC and gender-lens investing?42:31 - What does success look like? Part two46:47 - A retrospective conversation with Eloho & JustinIn Episode 1 of this series, we spoke to the founders: Bamboo's Yanmo Omorogbe & Uncover's Sneha Mehta: https://theflip.africa/podcast/why-is-only-2-of-funding-going-to-female-foundersIn Episode 2 of this series, we spoke to angel investor Yemi Keri, Co-founder of Rising Tide Africa: https://theflip.africa/podcast/this-angel-investor-is-closing-the-gender-funding-gap This series is created under the ScaleX project: Co-designing Solutions to close the early stage gender-financing gap in Africa, an initiative of Make-IT in Africa.Make-IT in Africa promotes entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems across Africa for green and inclusive development. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH implements this project on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Our Links -

Despite research showing that female founders outperform their male peers, startups with a solo female founder or an all-female founding team raised a mere 2% of all the funding in Africa last year. There is a huge gender funding gap. How do we close it?This episode is the second of a five-episode series on gender lens investing, co-hosted by Eloho Omame, Founding Partner of First Check Africa, an early-stage fund backing female-led startups. Each episode of this series will explore a different level of the fundraising value chain. In this episode, we're exploring Angel Networks with Yemi Keri, co-founder of Rising Tide Africa, a women-oriented angel network in Nigeria.00:00 - Intro01:42 - Rising Tide Africa05:06 - Mentoring, Investment, Networking, Education07:25 - Growing the pool of female angels12:15 - Where are the interventions needed to close the gender funding gap?14:13 - Yemi's investment approach18:07 - What does success look like?22:04 - Exits?26:40 - A retrospective conversation with Eloho & JustinEpisode 1 of this series featured Bamboo's Yanmo Omorogbe & Uncover's Sneha Mehta: https://theflip.africa/podcast/why-is-only-2-of-funding-going-to-female-foundersThis series is created under the ScaleX project: Co-designing Solutions to close the early stage gender-financing gap in Africa, an initiative of Make-IT in Africa.Make-IT in Africa promotes entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems across Africa for green and inclusive development. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH implements this project on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Our Links -

Despite research showing that female founders outperform their male peers, startups with a solo female founder or an all-female founding team raised a mere 2% of all the funding in Africa last year. There is a huge gender funding gap. How do we close it?This episode is the first of a five-episode series on gender lens investing, co-hosted by Eloho Omame, Founding Partner of First Check Africa, an early-stage fund backing female-led startups. Each episode of this series will explore a different level of the fundraising value chain. In this episode, we're joined by the founders: Yanmo Omarogbe, the Co-founder and COO of the Nigerian investment platform Bamboo, and Sneha Mehta, the Co-founder and CEO of Uncover, a direct-to-consumer skincare brand in Kenya.00:00 - Intro02:00 - Yanmo & Sneha's fundraising experiences13:19 - If tech companies raise more money, should more women start tech companies?19:55 - What does "the ecosystem" need to be doing more of to help female founders?25:26 - The added burdens for female founders32:18 - What does success look like?38:15 - Is money raised the right metric?41:36 - The 2% Ceiling47:30 - A retrospective conversation with Eloho & JustinThis series is created under the ScaleX project: Co-designing Solutions to close the early stage gender-financing gap in Africa, an initiative of Make-IT in Africa.Make-IT in Africa promotes entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems across Africa for green and inclusive development. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH implements this project on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Our Links -

Today's guest is Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, Chairman of Coronation Capital and former Group MD and CEO of Access Bank. Aigboje is one of the most successful and esteemed businesspeople on the continent. In 2002, he led the acquisition of Access Bank, which under his 11-year leadership grew into the largest bank in Nigeria and one of the largest in Africa.This wide-ranging discussion with the Chairman took place during the 2023 UN General Assembly in New York at an event hosted by the early-stage VC fund Microtraction, in which we were joined in conversation with Microtraction's Founding Partner, Kwamena Afful.00:00 - Intro02:59 - Banks as vehicles for economic empowerment06:28 - Africa's credit gap13:08 - Aigboje's view on transition16:50 - The infrastructure for Africa's comparative advantages19:22 - Africa's risk premium25:12 - "Africa will solve its problems when it starts producing in Africa"29:54 - Building digital economies32:09 - One African currency?38:21 - Engendering Africa's potentialOur Links -

Today's guests are Natalie Kolbe, Ngetha Waithaka and Lexi Novitske - Partners of the $205 million growth fund Norrsken22. In this episode, we'll talk about investment strategy, valuations, perspectives for the ecosystem, exits, and much more. 00:00 - Intro00:48 - Norrsken22's $205m fundraise09:36 - Investment strategy & process12:43 - Investing in asset-light marketplaces14:37 - Expansion18:04 - Investment theses27:26 - Macro perspectives30:22 - What are the partners focused on and thinking about?35:23 - Exits40:49 - What does success look like?Our Links -

Today's guest is Perseus Mlambo, Co-founder and CEO of Union54, the developers of the social commerce app ChitChat. The company started as Zazu, an agtech startup, which pivoted to Zazu the neobank. After issuing virtual cards for their users and seeing the demand other fintechs had for virtual cards, they pivoted to Union54 the card issuing API, which after massive traction in the fintech ecosystem and subsequent issues with fraud, has pivoted once more to ChitChat.With many pivots come many lessons, and in this episode, Perseus shares his lessons and much more. 00:00 - Intro03:01 - Perseus' Pivots05:14 - Union54 and chargeback fraud09:37 - Are Union54's problems solvable?12:30 - Stakeholder management19:03 - Alternative options for the company22:27 - Perseus' conviction in the team & the opportunity27:00 - Union54's newest product, ChitChat30:18 - ChitChat's unique cap table structure34:37 - What's the vibe in the ecosystem?38:05 - The vision for the companyEpisode Links -Perseus' interview with TechCrunchFollow Perseus on TwitterOur Links -

Today's guest is Adia Sowho, one of the most experienced and thoughtful operators in the African tech ecosystem. After starting her career in consulting and telecommunications, Adia led growth at the digital credit startup Migo, before leading the turnaround as Interim CEO of the embattled agriculture finance company Thrive Agric. In this episode, we'll learn from Adia about her lessons working across both big and small companies, about the importance of sharing those lessons learned, and so much more.  00:00 - Intro03:41 - Sharing is a must07:19 - Lessons from the Thrive Agric turnaround09:54 - Why join MTN?17:47 - Where are the Sheryl Sandbergs?20:32 - Lessons from every stage of company31:24 - Nigeria is a hard operating environment34:37 - More money, more problems?35:34 - Wisdom for startups37:53 - Sharing is a must, part 246:19 - Adia has a SubstackReferences -The Anatomy of a Turnaround - https://theflip.africa/newsletter/the-anatomy-of-a-turnaroundAdia's Substack - https://adia.substack.com/Follow Adia - https://twitter.com/adiaspeaksFull episode transcript - https://theflip.africa/podcast/mtn-nigeria-s-adia-sowho-sharing-is-a-mustOur Links -

Today's guest is Ham Serunjogi, the Co-founder and CEO of Chipper Cash.In 2021, Chipper raised $150 million Series C extension, valuing the startup at $2 billion, but has since cut its valuation, reportedly by 70 percent, has engaged in three rounds of layoffs, reducing its headcount by nearly 175 from its peak of 450, and has drastically pulled back from its aggressive growth and expansion strategies across the continent.This conversation with Ham comes at an interesting time for Chipper and in the market, in general. Tough macro conditions on the continent, a slowdown of funding, tech layoffs. And at the same time, a lot of new and significant product launches for the company.  00:00 - Intro03:05 - Long-term perspectives & time horizons06:13 - Challenges operating across Africa08:20 - Reflecting on Chipper's growth strategies11:25 - Chipper ID15:40 - Full-stack vs. focus19:40 - Zoona acquisition & agent networks26:04 - What lessons has Ham learned?30:15 - Layoffs31:45 - Capital allocation going forward34:24 - Zepz acquisition?37:07 - More lessons43:39 - What does the future look like for Chipper?

Today's guest is Dare Okoudjou, the Founder and CEO of MFS Africa, which this week has rebranded to Onafriq. The new name represents a new chapter in the company, which is a very different looking company than when we first had Dare on the show back in 2020, after their acquisition of Beyonic. Since then, they've also acquired the card issuer, GTP in the US, and the agent network Baxi in Nigeria. This current period of the African tech ecosystem is one of increased consolidation and company shutdowns amidst a fundraising downturn. And in this environment, there's perhaps no better and more experienced founder on the continent to learn from than Dare. 00:00 - Intro01:48 - What's in a name?04:26 - Cross-border payments13:51 - Banks vs. Fintechs15:24 - Onafriq's role in the payment value chain20:27 - The people aspect of acquisitions24:08 - On fintech consolidation29:55 - Dare's take on the state of the market35:03 - On fundraising37:56 - The next 5 years for Onafriq39:19 - Exits?

Today's guests are Michael Seibel, the Managing Director of Y Combinator, and Kwamena Afful, a Founding Partner of Microtraction. Michael has been an avid supporter of the African tech ecosystem. Since his first trip to Lagos in 2016, and since Paystack joined YC's winter batch earlier that year, the number of African startups that have participated in the global accelerator has grown to 89. And for Microtraction, the early-stage fund was founded in 2017, in part in relation to the increased global interest in the African tech ecosystem, where Microtraction's early financial support and local know-how could help fill the gap. In this episode, we hear from Michael and Kwamena about their shared perspectives on the opportunities they see and their bet on African talent.00:00 - Intro03:08 - Honorary Chieftan Michael Seilbel04:28 - Supporting the African tech ecosystem07:41 - Fintech deep dive10:19 - Software companies crossing borders14:49 - Solving African problems22:24 - What about the continent's population growth?25:47 - Investing in African talent29:38 - Creating jobs31:44 - Connecting African talent to the global marketplace

Today's guest is Kiaan Pillay, the Co-founder and CEO of Stitch. My conversation with Kiaan comes on the heels of their recent fundraising announcement, a $25 million Series A extension led by the global fintech fund Ribbit Capital, which brings their total funding raised up over $50 million since the launch of the company in 2019.In this episode, we talk to Kiaan about how they've gotten here, the intangibles of company building, their vision for the next generation of payments, and much more.00:00 - Intro03:29 - Stitch's $25 million Series A extension05:51 - Why take money from Ribbit Capital?07:00 - Stitch's growth09:03 - Building products for enterprise11:38 - A developer-centric org13:23 - What products has Stitch built?15:50 - Building a "next-generation" PSP19:06 - Specialization vs. building the full stack22:36 - How deep is the South African market?29:48 - Stitch's company culture as a reflection of Kiaan32:28 - How Stitch has recruited so well35:20 - The perception of startups and equity in South Africa37:15 - How Kiaan hired Stitch's president39:26 - Investing in product and engineering talent42:17 - Kiaan's evolution as a startup founder to CEO of a 70-person company44:30 - The future for Stitch and fintech in AfricaFollow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/theflipafricahttps://twitter.com/just_norm

Today's guest is Olugbenga Agboola, better known as the one and only GB - the Co-founder and CEO of Flutterwave. It's been a trying last year or so for Flutterwave with issues of fraud, allegations of impropriety inside the company, regulatory hurdles, and the general challenges of scaling a fintech in a tough operating environment.Yet through it all, Flutterwave has "technology reach" in 34 countries, they've continued to ship new products beyond their core payments technology, including their rebranded remittance product Send App, and there are rumors swirling about the near-term timeline of their planned IPO.In this episode, we'll hear from GB about many of his recent lessons, his perspectives on product and expansion strategy, and we'll ask many of the questions we've been wanting to hear from him about, including the big one about Flutterwave's IPO.00:00 - Intro03:13 - When is Flutterwave going public?04:56 - What about the allegations?09:24 - Sharing more for the benefit of the ecosystem11:17 - Growth and expansion16:13 - Did Flutterwave grow too fast?21:09 - Fundraising and the African growth story27:11 - GB's angel investing activities30:29 - Lessons from GB's banking and big tech background32:08 - Why did GB start Flutterwave in the first place?33:49 - Are payments still broken?35:55 - The vision for the future38:02 - Final words of wisdomFollow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/theflipafricahttps://twitter.com/just_normhttps://twitter.com/techprod_arch

The future of work in the African context is going to be a lot of different things. It mimics the nature of work itself for many individuals on the continent. They're taking this portfolio approach to work. Even in more "developed markets" we're seeing work become less formal and more flexible, as work becomes unbundled from employment. And this evolution of work itself provides a whole set of new challenges and opportunities. So this episode is a retrospective on the entire season, in which we explore more of these questions about the future of work in this context. And joining The Flip's Justin Norman and Kandua's Sayo Folawiyo for this conversation is friend of The Flip, Chris Maclay, the Program Director for the Jobtech Alliance at Mercy Corps.00:00 - Intro.04:30 - Portfolio of work, earnings, stability, growth.08:40 - Who gets to decide if a job is good or bad?15:48 - Training, enablement, and platforms.19:48 - The HustleOS and micro-franchising.24:28 - The Future of Work is a portfolio of work.29:54- Digital services for export.32:57- Market sizing platform-enabled digital work.41:39 - Should there have been an episode called The Future of Work is Universal Basic Income?This season of The Flip is sponsored by MFS Africa.

There is a perception that there's a tech talent shortage in the African tech ecosystem, and that it's hard to find high-quality local talent. There has been lot of conversation around the impact and role of Big Tech in the equation, which many felt were also culprits in driving up the price of talent in local marketplaces. In an environment of talent scarcity, there's been an upward pressure on salaries for talent of a certain caliber - which Big Tech can more readily afford compared to startups. And while the supply-demand equation may be changing a bit in the context of recent market downturns and layoffs, this talent question is an important one for the continued development of the tech ecosystem. So while we hear a lot from startups and founders in this episode, we're going to get a different perspective from the Big Tech companies themselves. 00:00 - Intro, there is a perceived talent scarcity problem in the African tech ecosystem.04:37 - We start with Google, and their Managing Director for Sub-Saharan Africa, Nitin Gajria.05:38 - Google is investing $1 billion in Africa over 5 years.08:16 - Catherine Muraga is the Managing Director of the Microsoft Africa Development Centre in Nairobi.11:49 - Talent scarcity and compensation.13:59 - The competition for talent is global.This season of The Flip is sponsored by MFS Africa.Follow The Flip on Twitter @theflipafrica and subscribe to our newsletter The Flip Notes at https://theflip.africa/newsletter.

We're dropping one more episode of our new show, crypto@scale, on The Flip's feed today. In this episode, we interview our first guests on what might be Africa's killer crypto app, stablecoins. According to data from Coinmetrics, cumulative Stablecoin volumes are at a $9 trillion annualized run rate, exceeding the volumes of all major card networks, except for Visa. Across the African continent, stablecoins are finding meaningful uptake, particularly in markets with low USD liquidity, or countries experiencing currency devaluation.In today's episode, we're going to explore stablecoins in two parts. First, a global perspective with Joao Reginatto, the VP of Product at Circle, which is the company behind the USDC stablecoin. Second, a local perspective with Ngozi Dozie, Co-Founder of the African digital bank, Carbon.This episode of crypto@scale is sponsored by Ripple. Across Africa, Ripple is partnering with local financial institutions and fintechs to bring the benefits of better cross-border remittances to the region. To learn more and get in contact with the Ripple team, head over to ripple.com.00:00 - Intro. Stablecoins are the best thing since sliced bread, according to Ngozi Dozie.02:23 - Introducing Joao Reginatto, VP, Product at Circle and product lead for USDC.02:48 - What is a stablecoins?04:21 - Why stablecoins?13:33 - Not all stablecoins are equal. USDC is pegged 1:1 to the Dollar.24:22 - What else is Circle focused on to broaden the adoption of USDC?28:30 - Regulation.32:10 - What's next for stablecoins?36:25 - Joao's recommendations.37:44 - Explooring stablecoins in the African context, with Carbon's Ngozi Dozie.40:48 - Use cases: access to foreign exchange, hedge against devaluation.44:05 - Carbon's FX and borrowing woes.48:22 - Stablecoins as a platform.52:27 - Challenges to stablecoin adoption.1:00:06 - Ngozi is scared of the risk of capital flight.1:03:46 - Ngozi's recommendations.Follow us on twitter @cryptoatscale.

We interrupt this season on the future of work to drop a special episode today in The Flip's feed. Introducing crypto@scale, a new show from The Flip, co-hosted by MFS Africa's Head of Crypto, Gwera Kiwana, and The Flip's Justin Norman.crypto@scale is a pragmatic and hopefully hype-free exploration of the crypto ecosystem across the African continent.If you enjoy this episode, please be sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast app or YouTube by searching for crypto@scale. We'll be dropping one more episode later this week and new episodes every other week thereafter. Today's episode is a conversation recorded live from Nairobi last month. In this conversation, we share our perspectives on the sector, the use cases we find the most intriguing, the challenges we find most pressing, why we're launching a crypto show in the middle of a bear market, and what you can expect from us and this show.For more from crypto@scale, follow us on Twitter @cryptoatscale.00:00 - Intro02:16 - Why are we launching this show3:51 - The African market conditions and context for crypto's adoption6:47 - Crypto use cases: stablecoins10:36 - Regulation, centralization, and CBDCs14:16 - DeFi and real-world assets17:36 - Interoperability19:26 - User experience and crypto education22:17 - The DeFi Mullet23:14 - Who's going to build and design for the future of African markets?26:57 - Why the name crypto@scale? And what does crypto at scale mean to us?29:15 - Prediction and wishlist

Where there is fragmentation, informality, and a dearth of infrastructure, there are questions about what the path to formality and standardization will look like. One intriguing answer to that question is conversion franchising, where existing stores are converted into a franchise. In the future of work context, are microenterprises, their owners, and their employees better off as converted franchisees? This episode is a case study, with mPharma's Gregory Rockson. 00:00 - We begin this episode's exploration with a question - are subsistence farmers better off as employees of a commercial farm? With Twiga Foods' Peter Njonjo.06:01 - What does the path to formalization and standardization look like across African markets and sectors? This episode is a case study of conversion franchising, with mPharma's Gregory Rockson.We define conversion franchising, with help from Next Billion.07:31 - mPharma started out as an asset-light platform.09:38 - How mPharma's pharmacy-in-a-box program, QualityRX, got started.15:38 - From converting franchises one-by-one to pursuing an M&A strategy to convert by the dozen.21:15 - Is conversion franchising the future of work? Exploring why the model has worked so well for mPharma and pharmacy retail.25:10- Gregory's theory of change.27:12 - A retrospective conversation with Sayo Folawiyo and Justin Norman. This season of The Flip is sponsored by MFS Africa.

African markets are largely informal. So while our examination of workforce and training programs in the fast few episodes focused on formal and salaried jobs, we know that most Africans aren't going to get these types of jobs. So, our exploration of the future of work needs to span much further than that. Where there are no formal jobs, what does it look like to help stimulate the development of the informal sector and microenterprises? And what role does technology play?In this context, we hear a lot about platforms and their role in creating jobs or income-generating opportunities. But what are the platforms actually good for? And what is their actual impact across African markets? In this episode, we're going to dig into the vertical platforms digitizing microenterprises across the continent. 3:46 - Defining jobtech platforms, with the Jobtech Alliance's Chris Maclay.9:10 - What does it look like to build the infrastructure for microenterprises? With Kandua's Sayo Folawiyo. 12:16 - Exploring what verticalization looks like, and why it is necessary, considering the specifities of the home services sector.17:25 - Vertical platforms can do a particularly good job at helping small businesses grow. We focus on a particularly large sector, the restaurant industry, with Caantin's Njavwa Mutambo. 21:20 - A retrospective conversation between Sayo Folawiyo and The Flip's Justin Norman. Season 4 of The Flip is sponsored by MFS Africa.Follow The Flip on Twitter @theflipafrica and subscribe to our newsletter The Flip Notes at https://theflip.africa/newsletter.

Throughout this season, we've heard about this disconnect between supply and demand in the labor marketplace. It's often a skills and training issue. Even where there are jobs, there's still this disconnect between demand and supply. But what are we training people for when there are few jobs or income-generating opportunities? In the past few episodes of this season, we've explored the talent networks, the remote work platforms, the workforce enablement programs, and the multi-stakeholder initiatives to attract more global roles to the African continent. All of these interventions work to better connect supply and demand in the labor marketplace, and often there is a necessary training component to these interventions to equip African talent with the skills to do the jobs in question.Edtech and tech-enabled skilling platforms have a role to play too, considering the size and scope of the challenge at hand. So in this episode, we're going to explore these programs working to tackle this problem at scale across the continent.6:39 - We explore the disconnect between supply and demand in the labor marketplace, and the talent deficiency, with AltSchool Africa's Adewale Yusuf.9:19 - The business model question is important. The recruiting agency model is at odds with the scale of impact programs seek to achieve, explains Stack Shift's Chris Quintero.10:48 - Short-form programs need to get really good at developing curriculum that's in line with the demands of the market, especially if they're charging talent directly for their service. We hear from AltSchool Africa's Carlin Henikoff.14:18 - We explore this challenge with a focus on tertiary education, with Kibo School's Ope Bukola.Season 4 of The Flip is sponsored by MFS Africa.Follow The Flip on Twitter @theflipafrica and subscribe to our newsletter The Flip Notes at https://theflip.africa/newsletter.

How do we tie interventions - whether traditional education or boot camps or training programs - to job outcomes? As we'll explore in this episode, it requires a demand-led approach and starts with employers. In this episode, we're going to focus on the platforms doing the matching - those that are explicitly working to better connect supply and demand in the job marketplace, to achieve the employment outcomes we wish to see across the continent. 4:03 - We start our exploration on matching with the traditional jobs marketplaces, with The African Talent Company's Hilda Kragha.6:26 - What kinds of roles are most in demand across the African content?8:15 - Taking a demand-led approach, with Generation's Dr. Mona Mourshed.14:05 - How do we get more employers to consider evolving their hiring practices, in the context of such an inefficient labor market?17:34 - A retrospective conversation with The Flip's b-mic Sayo Folawiyo, and its Founder, Justin Norman.Season 4 of The Flip is sponsored by MFS Africa.Follow The Flip on Twitter @theflipafrica and subscribe to our newsletter The Flip Notes at https://theflip.africa/newsletter.

What's particularly exciting about remote work is that it's not constrained by the demand from the local market. The jobs can come from anywhere in the world.But it leaves us with a big question: why are global employers looking to hire African talent? And how can African markets take advantage of the opportunity and capture more of these jobs for its citizens?This episode is another case study, on what it looks like to develop the global business services industry in a country like South Africa.3:50 - Understanding how the global business services sector works, with Genesis Analytics' Mark Schoeman. What compels global organizations to open a delivery center in a given market?8:27 - The most important consideration is the development of a scalable skills pipeline. 12:03 -  The work largely becomes building the talent pipeline to service demand. We explore what that looks like with Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator's Sharmi Surianarain.Season 4 of The Flip is sponsored by MFS Africa.Follow The Flip on Twitter @theflipafrica and subscribe to our newsletter The Flip Notes at https://theflip.africa/newsletter.

We know that local economies are not going to create enough jobs or income-generating opportunities for such a rapidly growing African population. But at the same time, for countries in the global north whose working-age population is shrinking, where's the labor going to come from?The solution to both of these problems might be the same:  remote work. In this episode, we're going to explore three buckets of remote work: the sexy, high-skilled remote work for product-led technology companies, the services-based IT work and business process outsourcing, and lastly, the increase of non-technical work that's delivered or fulfilled through digital means.4:39 - Exploring high-skilled remote work for product-led technology companies, with Andela's Jeremy Johnson. 10:18 - Andela's model, and the type of talent they've worked with, has evolved since its founding in 2014.12:30 - Product companies are looking for a specific caliber of talent from an experience level. What does this mean for the future of work in Africa if experience level is such an important requirement? This is where Fred Swaniker and the African Leadership Group come in, which is focused on connecting talent to global services companies. 19:28 - Whereas there's an ever-increasing demand for software developers, it takes a long time to train developer talent. So what about roles that aren't technical, but that can still be fulfilled with technology? We discuss with Shortlist's Paul Breloff.23:11 - The talent networks are going to play an increasingly important role in bridging supply with demand, with a sector-specific focus. Consider the model "Andela for X". 25:03 - One vertical platform creating opportunities for non-technical talent is Caret, the Nigerian-based platform focused on customer success. We speak to its founder, Tolu Agunbiade. 28:22 - A retrospective conversation between The Flip's b-mic Sayo Folawiyo and Justin Norman.Season 4 of The Flip is sponsored by MFS Africa.Follow The Flip on Twitter @theflipafrica and subscribe to our newsletter The Flip Notes at https://theflip.africa/newsletter.

In the first episode of this season, we argued that the future of work is a traditional development playbook. Considering the nature of most African markets today - informal, fragmented, subscale -  and considering the fact that most employment comes from the agriculture sector, the traditional development playbook says that development starts by increasing the productivity of the informal sector and the agriculture sector, in particular.These jobs are local jobs. In the context of Africa's rising population, millions of jobs need to be created and millions of local jobs will need to be created. But where are newfound local jobs going to come?This episode is a case study. We'll explore the decentralized renewable energy sector, or DRE, to see what job creation from a nascent industry could look like. Where there are sectors that are growing in importance in size, like the clean energy sector, how can African markets take advantage?2:59 - The seeds of this episode's exploration were planted during a conversation with Shortlist's Paul Breloff. There are significant opportunities for sectors that are actually creating local jobs, and one sector they are bullish on is decentralized renewable energy.4:28 - We dig into Power for All's Powering Jobs Census, to explore the scope of DRE's local job creation, with its research director, Carolina Pan.10:51 - Exploring the second-order benefits of DRE, including indirect and induced jobs.Season 4 of The Flip is sponsored by MFS Africa.Follow The Flip on Twitter @theflipafrica and subscribe to our newsletter The Flip Notes at https://theflip.africa/newsletter.

How are jobs created? While throughout the season we're going to be looking at that question primarily through a technology and innovation lens, in this episode we're going to start by exploring this jobs question through a more traditional development and economics lens. Because as we'll see, though the future of work might be remote work or the creator economy or any other nascent categories, the future of work in Africa is also a traditional development story. And it starts with farming.4:11 - Africa's population is 1.4 billion people. It will double by 2050. Where are the jobs going to come from?5:50 - Employment and informality, with development economist Louise Fox.7:13 - The traditional development story starts with agriculture.10:19 - Step two in the playbook is to invest in an export-oriented industry.13:13 - Agriculture is an important sector to invest in from a development and job creation perspective. We speak to PE investor Jerry Parkes.19:15 - The opportunity for an integrated approach across the value chain.21:43 - A retrospective conversation with The Flip's Justin Norman and Sayo Folawiyo.Season 4 of The Flip is sponsored by MFS Africa.Follow The Flip on Twitter @theflipafrica and subscribe to our newsletter The Flip Notes at https://theflip.africa/newsletter.

Introducing The Flip Season Four. African countries will be adding more people to the workforce in the next 10 years than the rest of the world combined. Where are the income-generating opportunities going to come from? All this season, we're exploring the future of work. Thanks to MFS Africa for their sponsorship of the entirety of Season 4 of The Flip.Follow The Flip on Twitter @theflipafrica and subscribe to our newsletter The Flip Notes at https://theflip.africa/newsletter.

Read Sabi: Platforming Trade in Africa on The Flip. We're trying something new - an audio version of this week's partner edition of The Flip Notes, together with Sabi. Along with narration from The Flip's Justin Norman, you can hear Sabi's co-founders, Anu Adedoyin Adasolum and Ademola Adesina, tell part of the story in their own words.The Flip Notes Partner Editions are our occasional sponsored deep dive of a market or sector or business model, in partnership and behind the scenes with a company whose story benefits the ecosystem. You can read more about the process and guidelines of the partner editions here. Subscribe to The Flip Notes: https://theflip.africa/subscribe.In today's edition of The Flip Notes, we'll tell Sabi's story across a few different dimensions:03:32 - Rensource and COVID's Creative Destruction05:45 - Understanding Value Chains10:30 - The Product13:42 - Platforms and The Bill Gates Line15:52 - The Risks18:04 - The Opportunity

Read Sabi: Platforming Trade in Africa on The Flip. We're trying something new - an audio version of this week's partner edition of The Flip Notes, together with Sabi. Along with narration from The Flip's Justin Norman, you can hear Sabi's co-founders, Anu Adedoyin Adasolum and Ademola Adesina, tell part of the story in their own words.The Flip Notes Partner Editions are our occasional sponsored deep dive of a market or sector or business model, in partnership and behind the scenes with a company whose story benefits the ecosystem. You can read more about the process and guidelines of the partner editions here. Subscribe to The Flip Notes: https://theflip.africa/subscribe.In today's edition of The Flip Notes, we'll tell Sabi's story across a few different dimensions:03:32 - Rensource and COVID's Creative Destruction05:45 - Understanding Value Chains10:30 - The Product13:42 - Platforms and The Bill Gates Line15:52 - The Risks18:04 - The Opportunity

In this episode, we're going to explore web3 in the African context.The premise of web3 technology, and tools like NFTs, in particular, is that they can and perhaps will create new paradigms and economic models and that these models will have positive implications for creators and fans alike. And we believe that the decentralized and permissionless nature of web3 blockchains and protocols can have especially positive implications across Africa and emerging markets, as well. We're going to look at NFTs as a tool, and web3 as a technology and infrastructure that can create new and perhaps more beneficial and inclusive economic models than the status quo. In commemoration of this episode, we're also minting a collection of AI artwork entitled Dawn of Bugs, with Senegalese digital artist Linda Dounia. For more information on the collection, the artist, where to mint, and our thoughts on value in the NFT and African art context, check out What is the Value of African Art? NFTs and Web3 Experimentation. The collection, Dawn of Bugs, is available at reserve auction on Foundation.06:18 - Whenever there is a change in technology, like crypto and web3, there are ultimately new paradigms, as Seyi Taylor explains.10:09 - For Africans, in particular, new paradigms means a permissionless opportunity to participate in the global digital economy.12:36 - New paradigms allow for new communities and institutions, and new tools, like NFTs, that have the potential to create new economic models altogether.14:11 - The opportunity for creators, in particular, is to move from an advertising-based to a commerce-based business model. We hear from Visa's Head of Crypto, Cuy Sheffield. And NFTs can be important for black and African creators in the context of their historical experience as under-monetized and under-credited producers of culture.20:43 - We explore new communities and institutions like DAOs.25:19 - Why are Africans particularly interested in building new institutions? A conversation with The Flip's b-mic, Sayo Folawiyo.Select resources for this episode:The Flip's Crypto GlossaryWhy you can't just screenshot an NFT by Cleo AbramWho Disrupts the Disruptors? by Packy McCormickWhat Co-ops and DAOs Can Learn from Each Other by Austin RobeyNFTs and a Thousand True Fans by Chris DixonNFTs make the internet ownable by Jesse WaldenThe Web3 Renaissance: A Golden Age for Content by Li JinWho will own the creator economy? A web2 vs. web3 showdown by Justine MooreThis season is sponsored by MFS Africa.All this season, we're exploring value chains. And in the payments value chain, no fintech has a wider reach on the continent than MFS Africa. Through their network of over 180 partners – MNOs, banks, NGOs, fintechs, and global enterprises – MFS Africa's API hub makes connects over 320 million mobile wallets across 30+ countries in Africa.

African culture and content is taking over the world - from Afrobeats and amapiano, to Nollywood and Netflix originals, to fashion. To what degree can Africans monetize their creativity not only on the continent but globally? To what extent can Africans, as owners of culture and intellectual property, participate in the upside? And if content has been largely an export product, to date, how do *we* develop the local creator ecosystem, as well?05:11 - A brief history of the creator economy. From aggregation theory to 1000 true fans.07:59 - We start with the platforms, and TikTok's Boniswa Sidwaba.11:11 - A challenge with creator monetization for African creators is the value of their audience to an advertiser. We hear from YouTuber Tayo Aina, with a cameo from another YouTuber, Hank Green.15:33 - Because of limited monetization opportunities from the platforms directly, creators ink brand partnerships and sell direct to their audience. 19:49 - The challenge with monetizing an audience directly in a market like Nigeria is the poor macroeconomic situation. So content remains largely an export product, says Iroko's Jason Njoku. 23:17 - But the local fanbase is still incredibly important, and the local infrastructure still needs to be built. It's what Mr Eazi is trying to do for the music industry. 29:22 - How do we make sure value accrues back to the markets from which the content comes?31:42 - Our retrospective conversation between The Flip's Justin Norman and Sayo Folawiyo.Resources referenced in this episode:What is Aggregation Theory? by Ben Thompson1000 True Fans by Kevin KellySo...TikTok Sucks by Hank GreenTayo Aina's YouTube Creator AcademyThis season is sponsored by MFS Africa.All this season, we're exploring value chains. And in the payments value chain, no fintech has a wider reach on the continent than MFS Africa. Through their network of over 180 partners - MNOs, banks, NGOs, fintechs, and global enterprises - MFS Africa's API hub makes connects over 320 million mobile wallets across 30+ countries in Africa.

Food prices are disproportionately expensive in African markets. In some countries, consumers spend 50% or more of their income on food. It's a logistics problem and a retail fragmentation problem, and it's also an agriculture and processing problem. So in this episode, we explore the agriculture and processing value chains on the continent. [04:44] - Lack of processing capabilities is a problem in African markets. But processing capabilities are hampered by inconsistent supply from smallholder farmers, as we discuss with ReelFruit's Affiong Williams.[08:33] - We speak with Releaf's Ikenna Nwezi about the company's interventions in the palm oil value chain in Nigeria.[16:05] - On the importation and exportation of raw and processed foods, and the markets served by processors on the continent. [22:03] - How do farms increase their efficiency? We talk precision agriculture with Revolute Systems' Jacobus Els.[28:43] - A retrospective conversation with The Flip's Sayo Folawiyo and Justin Norman.This season is sponsored by MFS Africa.All this season, we're exploring value chains. And in the payments value chain, no fintech has a wider reach on the continent than MFS Africa. Through their network of over 180 partners - MNOs, banks, NGOs, fintechs, and global enterprises - MFS Africa's API hub makes connects over 320 million mobile wallets across 30+ countries in Africa.