Sidi Saccoh and Salmine Sassi explore the journey of self-discovery, the challenges of entrepreneurship, and the importance of community and mentorship.
Takeaways
In this episode, Tomi Davies, a trailblaser in the African tech ecosystem, sits down with Sidi Saccoh to discuss his journey—from his family background and early education to the challenges of investing in Africa. He shares insights on navigating corruption, the role of language and colonial history in shaping African identity, and the power of angel investing in driving entrepreneurship and innovation.
💡 Key Takeaways:
✔ The realities of investing in Africa and how failure shaped Tomi’s approach
✔ How African founders can transition into investors
✔ The impact of AI on Africa’s future tech ecosystem
✔ Why local capital and exits are critical for long-term growth
🔊 Plus, hear Tomi’s bold takes: "I just told him to go to hell." | "You take their future." | "Founders should become investors."
🚀 Whether you're an entrepreneur, investor, or tech enthusiast, this conversation is packed with insights you don’t want to miss!
Buy Tomi best selling book here
The Uncensored series brings together experts to discuss what is happening on the African continent deeply.
This series featured the Head of Investment for Launch Africa Fund II, Uwem Uwemakpan.
We sat down with Oladimeji Ajegbile, the genius designer with more almost 200 million views and millions in downloads of his original African depicted stock designs. Oladimeji Ajegbile is a UX consultant and business leader with a proven track record of building successful ventures and inspiring creativity in others. Beginning his entrepreneurial journey at the age of 15, Oladimeji founded his first company, offering on-demand high-quality printing services for architecture students. This venture evolved into a successful business supplying art materials, architecture modelling materials, and scale figures, generating $50K in revenue by the time he was 19. With a deep love for art, film, and writing, Oladimeji has spent over 13 years crafting experiences and products that people love and trust. Over the past five years, he has also delved into filmmaking, producing short films and vlogs. Oladimeji is the visionary behind several impactful projects. He created a library of Afrocentric photos used by over 180 million users and founded an online design school in 2018, which has educated over 50,000 students. In 2020, he launched a design agency that has driven growth and scaled successful products across emerging markets in Africa, Europe, the US, and the UK. Today, Oladimeji is the Co-founder and CEO of FotoPool, an AI-powered photo-sharing platform designed for event planners and attendees. As a designer specialising in end-to-end UX Design, he has helped businesses and organisations worldwide achieve significant growth and success. With a robust following of over 250,000 entrepreneurs and creatives, Oladimeji also coaches founders on business growth and personal branding. He is the author of "Who Sets the Standard?", a thought-provoking book that explores success and happiness, providing readers with practical guidance to uncover their most authentic selves. Oladimeji Ajegbile continues to inspire and innovate, leaving a lasting impact on the creative and entrepreneurial landscapes
We sat down with one of Africa's finest Product Manager, Chioma Udoh.
Chioma Udoh, is a Lead Product Manager at Automation Done Right USA and an Associate Director at Founders Institute Lagos. She brings over seven years of experience in leading dynamic teams across various industries in technology. Her leadership has been instrumental in the creation of software products that are not only user-friendly but also foster sustainable, product-led businesses.
Her professional journey has seen her make significant contributions to diverse sectors such as Digital Healthcare, Banking, Cleantech, Martech, Edtech, and HRtech. Chioma’s exceptional work has been recognized with several accolades, including the Andela Integrity Award, the Mandela Washington Fellowship from the US Mission in Nigeria, and the African Presidential Leadership Award from the President of Egypt.
With a diverse educational background spanning Pharmacy, Software Engineering, Innovation Management, and Artificial Intelligence, Chioma Udoh continues to leverage her unique skill set to drive innovation and excellence in technology. She is also an Active Angel Investor at TVCLabs.
In Episode 10 of the Pitch Room Africa, we spoke to Uwem to determine the technical requirements investors are looking at in this climate. Uwem Uwemakpan is a seasoned ecosystem builder and investor, currently serving as the Head of Investments at Launch Africa VC Fund II. With an unwavering commitment to supporting early-stage startups, Uwem is at the forefront of driving entrepreneurship in Africa’s dynamic business landscape. Previously, Uwem played a pivotal role in the success of Ingressive Capital, where he led operations and investments. During his tenure, he oversaw the growth and impact of a $10m Fund I and $50m Fund II venture capital fund that has been instrumental in empowering the next generation of African innovators. Before his time at Ingressive Capital, Uwem was the Entrepreneurship Programme Manager and founding team member of The Tony Elumelu Foundation. In this role, he spearheaded the largest Pan-African Entrepreneurship Programme, a $100 million initiative that exceeded its 10-year goal of training, mentoring, and funding 10,000 entrepreneurs across Africa in just five years. Uwem’s leadership and dedication to driving entrepreneurship have cemented his reputation as a dynamic and influential figure in the African startup community. Today, as the Head of Investments at Launch Africa VC, Uwem continues to leverage his expertise and industry connections to build robust entrepreneurship ecosystems. He actively collaborates with renowned organizations such as Google, IBM Hyper Protect Accelerator, She Leads Africa, Startup Grind, and Techstars to support and uplift African startups. Uwem is passionate about the role of entrepreneurship in driving Africa’s economic development. In addition to investing, he mentors entrepreneurs and shares insights as the host of The Grinders Table podcast featuring innovative startups and thought leaders in Africa. With his experience across leading entrepreneur support organizations, Uwem has established himself as an authority on early-stage investing and entrepreneurship development in Africa. www.launchafrica.com
In this episode, we spoke to the Obinna Okerekeocha about the impact of storytelling in selling African art. He is a Creative Director, Creative Executive, Producer, Documentary Filmmaker, Art Director, Multi-media Artist (Video & Sound), AV Editor, Photo & AV Manager, Graphics & Motion Designer, Film Music Composer, Storyteller, Creative Entrepreneur, Creative Community Builder & Creative Adventure seeker. Having spent almost 2 decades in the African workspace in various creative capacities, I have had the unique opportunity of building Nigerian super-brands in Advertising, 24hrs News, Energy, Philanthropy and Content Creation + Curation + Broadcast. As the Brand Programs Manager at TEF (Tony Elumelu Foundation), He produced key creative & publicity assets on various high-value audio-visual productions and projects, especially for the $100,000,000 Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme that has impacted the lives of thousands of African entrepreneurs. He is the Director of Content for Moniepoint Inc. (Formerly TeamApt). Moniepoint Microfinance Bank is the definitive bank for small and medium-sized businesses in Nigeria and is regulated by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Moniepoint MFB was also awarded by the CBN in 2022 as the most inclusive payment platform in the country and operates the largest distribution network for financial services in Nigeria, over 21 million people use their cards on our POS terminals monthly across every local government in Nigeria.
In this episode, we sat down with Amanda Etuk Co-Founder and CEO of logistics startup, Messenger. The Logistics market is one of the largest markets in the world and with it comes a lot of complexities so we spoke with Amanda to discuss her journey in the industry and explore her take on its future.
In this episode we sat down with an ex- Venture Capital investor turned operator, who is the founder and CEO of Shiprazor.
In this conversation, we explore the logistics industry in Africa and trace the background of the amazing founder building the rails to support the growing industry in South Africa and Kenya.
Read about Sahil
https://www.savant.co.za/sahil-affriya-from-eir-to-vc-and-then-to-entrepreneur/
For this episode, we sat down with one of the continent's most influential angel investors Joe Kinvi. When Joe and his partner started off the HoaQ community it was in a bid to enable themselves to make sound decisions as investors. A few years later the community is one of the continent's most influential Angel syndicates with more than 100 Investments. Joe spoke to us about angel investing, his journey and the future.
Joe Kinvi (CA) is the founder of PLTFM, a multi-asset investment platform for Africa and Africans in the Diaspora. He also leads HoaQ, an investor community with over 100 investments across Africa and its Diaspora. Before embarking on his entrepreneurial journey, Joe was an experienced operator with a background in finance, mergers and acquisitions, business development, and partnerships. Joe has held key positions such as Head of Finance at Touchtech Payments (acquired by Stripe), Growth Lead at Stripe, and Partnerships Lead at Paystack.
Twitter - @joekinvi
Linkedin - @joekinvi
Instagram - @joekinvi
In this episode, we sat with one Africa's prominent angel investor Steven Freidmutter Steven is a successful entrepreneur and trusted advisor with experience spanning 40+ years. In recent years, he has been actively involved in the venture capital world with a focus on Africa and under-represented founders. He's an investor and advisor with Chloe Capital, a venture firm investing in startups with women founders and diverse management teams. Steven is also an investor with Astia Angels a global angel group investing in female founders. His major focus at this time is as an investor and senior advisor to African startups AMP Global Technologies, Shiprazor, Box Commerce, Digitech, AskProperty and others. As an early investor/limited partner in Launch Africa Ventures (Africa most active early-stage VC) he has investments in 125+startups in 25+ African countries and has been an advisor to select portfolio founders. In non-profit, Steven serves as founding Board Chairman of Entrepreneur Village in Nigeria. In Austin he has been a long term board member of SXSW EDU = SouthbySouthwest Education, a cutting edge huge annual event. He was Visiting Entrepreneur at Cornell University (2012-2015). At 69 Steven's mission is to share his experience with 2 younger generations of Africans to bring opportunity, success and impact. Steven splits his time between Capetown, South Africa and Ithaca, NY.
We sat down with the Founder and CEO of Immersive Tech Africa for our Episode 4.
Arome Ibrahim is a seasoned Business Analyst and Product Strategist with a rich background spanning over three years. His expertise lies in devising and implementing strategies that bolster business growth, software development, and product innovation.
Ibrahim's portfolio is distinguished by his mastery of product leadership, data analysis and visualization, adept communication, and innovative thinking, complemented by his proficiency in project management. He adeptly marries these skills with an agile approach to adapt to the ever-evolving landscape of business and product analysis, underpinned by a steadfast dedication to continuous enhancement. Ibrahim's contributions extend beyond his professional endeavours to the sphere of emerging technologies in Africa, with a particular focus on Extended Reality (XR).
Through Immersive Tech Africa, a non-profit organization he founded, he has been instrumental in empowering over 5,000 creatives in VR, AR, and 360VR, showcasing his commitment to driving technological advancement on the continent. His vision encompasses not just innovation but also making a tangible impact, intending to significantly influence the digital domain and encourage others to adopt an impact-centric approach. This ambition is reflected in his interests, which include business analysis, digital transformation, sustainability, and innovation management, as well as leveraging XR and Artificial Intelligence to revolutionize education, marketing, and enterprise solutions.
Ibrahim invites connections from like-minded individuals and professionals keen on making a difference in the technological landscape.
Olatunde, Victor Adeoluwa is the name, of a parallel Entrepreneur with 15 years + of experience and businesses in the Food, Finance and EdTech / HR Tech Space. As a Co-founder of a Credit-led FinTech / NeoBank, *Extramile Africa* started in 2018 / 2019 to serve the informal and non-digital markets, His brand creates access to finance for SMEs via Asset Financing Solutions. His Sales-tech Company, *Salesplat* provides Sales Talents, Training and Strategies to organizations. The brand has worked with some of the Top Tech and Non-Tech Brands in Nigeria to get them heads of sales, growth, CX and more. He coaches established companies and startups on Sales and Revenue Growth.
Victor regularly mentors
Follow him: https://www.facebook.com/olatunde.adeoluwa
In this episode with spoke to Gbolade Okeowo Vice President of Kuramo Capital, on the African Venture Capital Market. Gbolade Okeowo is a barrister turned Investment Banker with over 12 years of Investment Banking, Corporate Finance and Private Equity years experience across sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and the Middle East. He currently works as a Vice President with Kuramo Capital Management LLC - a $500m multi-asset class investment vehicle focused on investing in African businesses that have strong records of improving the lives of the African consumer whilst maintaining a clear path to delivering superior returns to investors. Before joining Kuramo, Gbolade worked with the Mergers & Acquisitions ("M&A") team at Standard Chartered Bank - advising on over $400m of completed M&A transactions. Since 2019, Gbolade has been a fundraising mentor to several innovative entrepreneurs across sub-Saharan Africa, helping them raise over $15m in equity investments. Disclaimer: All opinions voiced in our podcast are personal views and in no way shape or form represent the views of the institutions for which these individuals work. Questions asked and issues discussed are drawn from a wide variety of questions sent in by members of our audience and do not also necessarily reflect the personal opinions of the hosts.
Connect with Gbolade
Esta Richard Etim a.k.a Esta Richards is a Lifestyle Fitness Consultant and a seasoned speaker specialising in the health, fitness, and wellness space. With over a decade of leadership experience and a background spanning two decades in the creative field, she brings a unique and holistic perspective to her speaking engagements. Esta's expertise lies in simplifying fitness and healthy living, offering time-saving strategies, and stress management techniques through her renowned lifestyle management programs. She has worked with prestigious organizations such as GTBANK, Technovation, TEDx Calabar, and Amstel Malta, showcasing her exceptional skills as a speaker and consultant.
She is also a prolific author in the health, fitness, and wellness genres. Esta's writing reflects her dedication to promoting sustainable healthy living. Her work has been featured on reputable platforms including Blank Paperz, Violet Simon, UK, Black and Good U.K, Africa Business Radio, and more.
Esta recently launched "Dance Therapy," a program focused on promoting mental wellness among women in her community. This initiative provides a safe space for women to express themselves through dance, helping them alleviate stress, pain, and grief.
Esta's commitment to empowering women extends beyond her speaking engagements. She actively collaborates with organizations such as the Medical Women Association, Society of Gynecologists Nigeria,Mediatrix Foundation,Arubah Hospital, PINK Africa, and Women Optometrist Nigeria to promote women's health and well-being.
FOR OUR SEASON 1 FINALE, WE INVITED SEGUN COLE FOUNDER AND MANAGING PARTNER AT MAASAI LTD. WE SPOKE AT LENGTH ON THE STATE OF 2023 VENTURE CAPITAL SPACES. WE EXPLORED SOME OF THE MISTAKES MADE BY FOUNDERS AND INVESTORS AND LOOKED FORWARD.
Bio
Segun Cole is a Serial entrepreneur and CEO/Founder of ekocab; An On-demand Mobility marketplace for high-end rides. He started his career as a New mobility Consultant advising Governments on micromobility policies. He is an Investor and sits on the Board of various African Tech Startups. He is the President of Startup Huddle Lagos(A Community of 235 Startups from Pre-series to Series C) powered by GEN Global, he also sits on the Board of GEN Africa.
He is the Founder of Fund The Gap Network; which advocates for underrepresented and underfunded founders in the Allocation of VC Funding. He is a policy commission member(NESG), New Urban Mobility Alliance(NUMO) member, Tony Elumelu Foundation Mentor, and African Business Heroes Judge. He is an International Partner of the World Business Angel Fund, and a Partner of Vertex Fund with $15m AUM. He is a Venture Partner at Wefunder, Openner.VC and Zero to One Capital. He is a member of the SEC working committee on Angel Investment and Venture Capital in Nigeria.
He founded Maasai LTD a company focused on helping startups connect to investors.
Our Co-Host Esta Richard sat down with Victoria Fabunmi at the Akwa Ibom Tech Week.
We hang out with the rockstars that put together the Akwa Ibom Tech Week, to discuss what it took to put together the amazing event and the ambitious journey to the next tech destination.
The PitchRoomAfrica Special at Akwa Ibom Tech Week, a special series of conversations bringing some of Nigeria's brightest minds and ecosystem players powered by the Akwa-Ibom Tech Week
The PitchRoomAfrica Special at Akwa Ibom Tech Week, a special series of conversations bringing some of Nigeria's brightest minds and ecosystem players powered by the Akwa-Ibom Tech Week