In this episode of Made in Africa, I sit down with Collette Olivia, Head of Community and Partnerships at SPC Universe and co-founder of Funded AI.

Collette takes us through her fascinating journey, from growing up in a deeply entrepreneurial household to studying abroad in Estonia, where she gained fresh global exposure that shaped her approach to business and tech. We explore how she joined SPC Universe as an intern and steadily worked her way up to leading community and partnerships at the firm.

She also shares how SPC Universe, among its other startup support services, is helping founders raise capital through innovative crowdfunding methods using SPVs, proving that the venture capital path isn’t the only route to startup funding. She also talks about their commitment to building startups through their venture studio. Now, with the launch of Funded AI, Collette is doubling down on democratizing access to capital, and empowering founders in new, tech-enabled ways.