Our mission and action at Mustard has always been centred on Africa. But in our recent reflections, we have asked if our belief is bigger than our mission. We believe the most powerful and moving initiatives in history have been story-led. We therefore think founders can learn from these movements by building ventures narrative first. In this episode we ponder what actually comes first for Mustard: narratives or Africa?

Entrepreneurship is inherently tied to failure, yet we can’t help but view startup failures negatively. In this podcast episode, Kevin Mutiso, founder of Oye, and formerly of the unsuccessful startup Alternative Circle, discusses his own failure and how it led to relative success. While doing so he emphasises the need for a better discussion on the topic in the African startup space and beyond.

In this episode we speak to Daby Osuji, a corporate go-to-market strategist and founder of a faith-based blog Quill and Cross, to discuss how she is conceiving brand authenticity for the latter by following and expressing her own passions, feelings and beliefs. We speak about how founding her blog has required Daby to lay aside elements of her strategist mindset to lead with why instead of what, vulnerability instead of professionalism, and even passion instead of money.

Is there an objective standard for logo design, and can mathematical principles be applied to find it? In this episode, we interview award-winning logo designer Kwaku Amprako, who believes there is an objectively "good" way to create logos. We discuss Kwaku's logo philosophy and explore theories related to shapes, physics, and mathematics that might support it.

In this episode, we revisit the topic of brands in Nigeria and Africa in light of our recent conversations on African VC. We speak with Mr. Funsho, a Nigerian designer and brand influencer, to discuss how the value of branding is currently perceived by startups, industry veterans, and everyday consumers in Nigeria.

In this episode, we explore Africa's VC industry with Mark Kleyner, co-founder of Dream VC, the accelerator for existing and aspiring investors in Africa. We discuss the industry's fundamentals, the overwhelming presence of multilateral organisations and development finance institutions as investors, and bravely touch on the negative impact politics, ideologies and current media narratives are having on the ecosystem’s development.

Crystal Palace F.C. recently appointed Kenny Annan-Jonathan as their creative director: a first for a British Premier League team and an trend emerging in sports. In this Reframed episode, we discuss the changing dynamics between sports, brands, culture, and global audiences with Kenny, and how creatives like himself are steering us through it. We also try to understand some of Nike's successful campaigns, PSG's streetwear status, and the popularity of Nike's 2018 Nigeria football jersey.

Influencers from previous decades such as The Beatles and Michael Jackson, feel otherworldly compared Kim Kardashian and others of today. We speak to US comedian, Orlando Baxter, to discuss the road to becoming an influencer in the 21st century. By how much has social media changed the path to fame and fortune today compared to 30 years ago, and has it they been largely positive or negative?

The OECD reported in March 2022 that Africa exports more primary products but lacks a competitive advantage in higher-value sectors. We discuss this issue with macroeconomist Charlie Robertson and explore ways for Africa to overcome barriers to growth, including building global brands around cultural exports.

Andrew and Ndubuisi use this episode to expose the goings on behind the scenes at MUSTARD. They take stock, reflect on the team’s growth to date, and outline some of the plans for venture launches and initiatives for the tail end of the year.Where are we on the journey to build the first global consumer brands that stem from Africa? What do we aim to do over the next three months, and what is the one thing we will focus on this month? In this episode we answer these questions while divulging our learnings, pain points, and the things that have helped kept us in working on our mission for over decade.Follow Mustard!Instagram: http://bit.ly/3KRsERuLinkedIn: http://bit.ly/41ifJxATwitter: http://bit.ly/3GAjEhcReview this podcast: https://ReviewThisPodcast.com/LS7HSBR

As the cost of engineers has risen and stable apps have become more important to early startup success, surely the growth of dev agencies allowing founders to pay for product builds with equity instead of cash has been good news? Not so according to Prateek Sanjay, who has referred to dev agencies that call themselves “investors” as “scammers”. Furthermore he stated “LinkedIn needs to kick you snake oil artists off this platform for the use of deliberately misleading marketing on first-time founders.”In this episode of Reframed, we use anecdotes to explore the often contentious relationship non-technical founders have with dev agencies, give our take on the model, and detail our difference as a “Venture Agency”.Follow Mustard!Instagram: http://bit.ly/3KRsERuLinkedIn: http://bit.ly/41ifJxATwitter: http://bit.ly/3GAjEhcReview this podcast: https://ReviewThisPodcast.com/5FBZaFe

In today’s attention-focused commercial landscape does a celebrity co-founder or investor guarantee success? Would Mo Salah and an Egyptian startup equal global success? If so, why did Beyonce - one of the biggest female artists of all time - and Ivy Park fail? When the money and audience attention for a venture is so large, are there other clear factors that can lead to its downfall?Andrew and Ndubuisi try to answer the above, while discussing the growing number of celebrity consumer brands and the role narratives, authenticity and coherence play in their performance.Follow Mustard!Instagram: http://bit.ly/3KRsERuLinkedIn: http://bit.ly/41ifJxATwitter: http://bit.ly/3GAjEhcReview this podcast: https://ReviewThisPodcast.com/vobBlP2

We have all experienced and been made aware of the hero’s journey story arc, whether or not we have actually yet come across its name. Its story outline is present in the films we’ve watched, the books we’ve read, and it is likely behind any tale we’ve heard, whether true or false, especially if we found it particularly resonating. With all this in mind, what is the hero’s journey, and if it is so powerful and prevalent a storytelling tool, could we use it to add weight to our venture narratives?In this episode Ndubuisi and Andrew outline and demystify this framework, reframe what success for the protagonist means in this context, and state why every venture founder should authentically leverage their hero’s journey, especially those hailing from Africa and other frontier markets.Follow Mustard!Instagram: http://bit.ly/3KRsERuLinkedIn: http://bit.ly/41ifJxATwitter: http://bit.ly/3GAjEhcReview this podcast: https://ReviewThisPodcast.com/wquVjoZ

Despite what some might eloquently pronounce in a TED talk, when it comes to the nitty-gritty of raising capital, is there any place for something as ‘airy-fairy’ as narratives?Speak to enough founders who have been involved in the exercise, and you will likely find that most refer to capital raising as one of the most gruelling things they have done. Additionally, most will advise that the process is chiefly a numbers game. That being said are there ways that a founder can swing the numbers greatly in their favour? Could it be practical for us to expect prospect conversion rates of higher than 50%? And do we need to reframe the exercise from a game of raising to one of resonance? Andrew and Ndubuisi speak through it all in this episode and try to reframe our thinking.Leave us a 5-star rating on your podcast player of choice!Follow Mustard!Instagram: http://bit.ly/3KRsERuLinkedIn: http://bit.ly/41ifJxATwitter: http://bit.ly/3GAjEhcReview this podcast: https://ReviewThisPodcast.com/x4VMISa

What comes to our minds when someone mentions “Africa”? Assuming most have moved past thoughts of Band Aid, have these been replaced with those that are more commercial in nature? Are there any inspiring brands from Africa that come to mind, and - if so - are we more likely to consider them so through an “impact” lens or a competitive one? Are all of Africa’s countries still living in the future potential box, or have some graduated in our minds to the place of potential partially or fully realised? Do we picture the continent as a significant player on the international stage, or at the very least a region that is relevant to global commercial conversations?In this episode Andrew and Ndubuisi reflect on these questions, and discuss them in light of a listener asking whether our Reframed content actually has an Africa-focus.Follow Mustard!Instagram: http://bit.ly/3KRsERuLinkedIn: http://bit.ly/41ifJxATwitter: http://bit.ly/3GAjEhcReview this podcast: https://ReviewThisPodcast.com/KnjVCcN

The term ‘authentic brand’ has become a cliche over the last two decade or so, to the point that some imply that most brands that were built beforehand were and are lacking in it. But does anyone every really start a company with the aim of being inauthentic? Can the story of a venture ever feel genuine, unless it is based on a real person? And with that in mind, is there any difference in approach between a personal brand and a venture brand?Ndubuisi and recurring guest - brand influencer Mr. Funsho - discuss these questions, while touching on the relationship Nigerians and Africans have with these modern authentic brands, and some from yesteryear.Follow Mustard!Instagram: http://bit.ly/3KRsERuLinkedIn: http://bit.ly/41ifJxATwitter: http://bit.ly/3GAjEhcReview this podcast: https://ReviewThisPodcast.com/kPmQCiW

At Apple’s most recent WWDC event the Vision Pro - their new augmented and virtual reality headset - was finally revealed, which many commentators believe will bring about mass consumer adoption in its space. The Vision Pro is not the first AR or VR product. Most recently Facebook changed its name to Meta and began investing billions in an effort to define and conquer this industry, in October 2021. However, up until the Vision Pro’s mention, and despite Meta’s massive gamble, most were doubtful that VR would be popularised any time soon. But why? When two companies that have all the money and best talent in the world at their disposal build a product in the same space, what causes the product of one to generate mass appeal and that of the other to not? The Vision Pro and other Apple efforts seem to show that extreme amounts of money, time and intentionality are not all that is needed? In this episode Andrew and Ndubuisi think through this, and discuss how often a company’s products and manifested actions, can reveal more about their core philosophy than anything written in their marketing campaigns.Follow Mustard!Instagram: http://bit.ly/3KRsERuLinkedIn: http://bit.ly/41ifJxATwitter: http://bit.ly/3GAjEhcReview this podcast: https://ReviewThisPodcast.com/3naJULf

For as long as we can remember our mission and messaging at Mustard has been centred on Africa. We have been striving to create brands that stem from the continent, with the intent of changing its perceptions. But how does this mission relate to our strong and persistent thoughts on narratives? Does our belief that all ventures should be built with their narrative first apply only to Africa? Which of these elements is the more fundamental to who we are and what we do?In this episode, Andrew and Ndubuisi speak about all of this. Exploring their recent thoughts and past experiences, they consider whether or not Mustard and its work is about more than its mission to build the first global brands to stem from Africa.Follow Mustard!Instagram: http://bit.ly/3KRsERuLinkedIn: http://bit.ly/41ifJxATwitter: http://bit.ly/3GAjEhcReview this podcast: https://ReviewThisPodcast.com/HUuiu31

We often encounter investors, people in tech media and others members of the public, who speak passionately about wanting to invest, cover and revere startups who are making genuine product innovations. But from the viewpoint of an electrical and electronic engineer (Ndubuisi Kejeh) and computer scientist (Ricardo Tannus), just how often is innovation occurring in the consumer product space? Is this regard is there much - if anything - new under the sun? In this episode Ndubuisi is joined again by recurring guest Ricardo to discuss innovation, and how - regardless of new developments in AI - the playing field in technology for product builders may be flatter than others make it out to be.Follow Mustard!Instagram: http://bit.ly/3KRsERuLinkedIn: http://bit.ly/41ifJxATwitter: http://bit.ly/3GAjEhcReview this podcast: https://ReviewThisPodcast.com/OHRNgUb

We talk about brands a lot at Mustard, so much so, many we come across struggle to believe that we were started off as a group of engineers focused on building physical products with founders. Furthering their disbelief, we are now aiming to drop the mention of products in our strapline: ‘better products, better brands and perceptions for Africa’.In this episode Andrew and Ndubuisi discuss the reasoning behind this messaging tweak, and in the process question whether companies’ purpose should be led by their audience, or if companies should lead audiences in their purpose? In the real world of business is ‘Start with Why’ great or impractical advice?Follow Mustard!Instagram: http://bit.ly/3KRsERuLinkedIn: http://bit.ly/41ifJxATwitter: http://bit.ly/3GAjEhcReview this podcast: https://ReviewThisPodcast.com/OR5RFX4Socials: @onlybymustard