What determines a startup that succeeds?
There are a lot of factors that contribute to startup success, but there are a few key things that make the biggest difference.
Tolulope Obademi, Head of Operations at Aidi Ventures discusses these factors and how to position for success.
Aidi is a community-based platform that connects business angels and large corporates to amazing technology founders across Africa. Founders on Aidi are given access to apply for a 4-week accelerator where they get access to discounted service and equity-based perks designed to help accelerate their growth.
What makes a successful brand? Find out as we discuss "Startup Branding: Improving Chances of Success" with Onyeka Nwobu, Founder of Disruptive By Design DBD AFRICA
When it comes to brand building, many founders get stuck and simply do not know where or how to start. Branding is perception management and it is essential that investors have the correct perception of your brand when they encounter it.
This episode provides in-depth insight into the importance and strategies behind successful startup branding. We’ll also be diving into some of the most important elements to consider when positioning your brand in the market, and how this can improve your chances for success, especially in fundraising.
Onyeka Nwobu is a seasoned brand strategist who has spent the past 7 years partnering with CEOs, startup founders and global organizations across industries including finance, e-commerce, logistics and FMCG amongst others, to build and execute winning strategies.
She is also the founder of Disruptive By Design (DBD Africa), a full-set branding solution designed to help startups with African focused-solutions build market-moving brands.
Douglas Kendyson is the founder & CEO of Selar.co, an online store builder for anyone looking to monetise their knowledge or skill via digital products like ebooks, courses, services e.t.c. He’s had a lot of experience working at billion-dollar payment startups (Flutterwave & Paystack). Douglas is 25 and has been running Selar for the past 5 years. By the end of 2021, Selar recorded paying over 1 Billion Naira to African creators and keeps working actively to grow the creator economy of Africa.
Companies in the growing African Tech Ecosystem have had to deal with compliance and regulatory issues especially as they expand beyond their home or originating countries into other parts of Africa. What are these legal and compliance mechanics necessary for a successful startup?
Imade Iyamu will cover topics such as incorporating your business, protecting intellectual property and complying with regulations.
Attendees will leave with a solid understanding of the legal considerations to keep in mind as they grow their startup.
Imade is a lawyer by training and her career has revolved around working with investors, African startups, and multinational tech companies expanding to Africa. Previously, Imade worked in the Fintech and Private Equity teams of Banwo and Ighodalo (a leading law firm in Nigeria)
Have you ever wondered why certain startups are more successful and go on to take a huge portion of the market share than others?
In this episode of Startup School, we explore some of Africa's most successful startups like Wave, Chipper Cash, Paystack, and Piggyvest. We'll examine how they were founded, how important the problems they are solving are, and how they've managed to scale rapidly in such a short time.
We discuss themes around:
What differentiates startups that win the market share from the others that don't?
Is scaling only a function of your marketing budget?
Is regulation a necessary evil?
How important is company culture in shaping public perception?
What do VCs look out for before investing?
Every Startup has at one point or the other had to source funds. It is important to understand the legal essentials that come with raising/sourcing funds. In this episode of Startup School, Modupe covers areas like where founders can get funding for their startups, legal areas which founders should pay attention to when seeking funds, and a lot more.
About Modupe Odele
Modupe Odele is a Partner at Vazi Legal and the Founder of Scale My Hustle. Moe (as popularly known) is a lawyer qualified to practice law in Nigeria and the US. With over 9 years of experience providing legal services, her core areas of practice are Startup Advisory, Private Equity, and Venture Capital.
How much value are you getting from your investors? How do you pick the right investors that can add the most value to your startup?
Investors are an important part of any business. They can provide the funding and support you need to grow your company. However, not all investors are equal. Some are more interested in helping your business grow, while some may be more focused on getting a return on their investment as quickly as possible. So how do you pick the investors that can offer you the most value?
In this episode of Startup School, we'll be talking about how to work with your investors to get the most value for both you and them. We'll cover issues such as how to find the right investors, what to offer them in return for their investment, and how to keep them engaged in your business.
Whether you're just starting out or you've been running your startup for a while, this episode will be invaluable in helping you get the most from your investors.
Ife Ojobanikan is a Principal Investment Officer at Berrywood Capital; a pan-African focused family office that invests in exceptional growth-driven tech startups. She has over 9 years of experience working in real estate, financial technology and startup investing.
Prior to joining Berrywood Capital, Ife was an integral part of the Investments Team at Microtraction, an early-stage investment fund that backs smart and relentlessly resourceful founders who are building high growth, technology driven businesses in $Bn markets.
Before Microtraction, she worked across people operations, developer recruitment, product management and customer onboarding/experience at TeamApt and ALAT.
Ife's interests lie in technology, innovation and tech-enabled startups. She is a member of the A&A Collective and is based in Lagos, Nigeria.
Your pitch is the first impression you make on potential investors, so it's important to get it right. The best pitches are clear, concise, and tell a compelling story about your company. Crafting a great pitch entails distilling your company down to its essence. How do you do this?
Chinasa T. Okolo and Blessing Iyamadiken discuss how to craft a great pitch for your business.
This conversation covers:
- The essential elements of a pitch
- How to tell your company's story in a way that is compelling and clear
- Tips for making your pitch more effective
Whether you're a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting out, this conversation will give you the tools you need to craft a pitch that will wow potential investors.
Chinasa T. Okolo is a Venture Partner at Ajim Capital. She is also a Computer Science Ph.D. candidate at Cornell University. Chinasa has participated in the Blueprint Investor Track at Dorm Room Fund, Building Breakthroughs program at Floodgate.
In her free time, Chinasa advises and angel invests in startups and is passionate about supporting the African diaspora to pursue entrepreneurship on the continent. You can learn more about Chinasa on her website: www.chinasaokolo.com
Blessing Iyamadiken is the Head of Platform and Marketing at Ajim Capital. She is a media and marketing executive with a background in Product Marketing, Search Engine Optimization and Growth Hacking.
Blessing has helped grow a number of startups taking them from point 0 to 1. She has also helped founders draw up bespoke marketing team structures for startups across the African tech ecosystem.