The Digital Africa Gold Rush & Startups x Joannes Hotagua | S5 Ep.8

This week, Adrian speaks to Joannes "Joe" Hotagua, founder of Authentic African, a platform that helps African Artisans sell their products around the world. Joannes also owns the popular Authentic African YouTube channel and instagram page. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/OvmsYp0smf4 He is a passionate advocate for African startups and entrepreneurs. In this episode: -Joannes takes us on a journey through his own entrepreneurial endeavours, from starting an e-commerce store selling African products to his transition into content creation on platforms like Instagram and YouTube. -We'll delve into the reasons behind Joannes' shift in focus, his exploration of the African tech industry, and the opportunities it holds for both startup founders and investors alike. -Throughout the episode, Joannes shares his experiences and insights, highlighting the importance of diversity and inclusivity in the tech industry and the power of storytelling to make a positive impact.  -We'll also learn about Joannes' day job, working with brands to find their audiences online, and how their expertise in marketing and content creation has shaped their entrepreneurial journey. Show Notes: https://www.thesoundofaccra.com/joannes Connect with Joannes & the Authentic African brand Follow Authentic African on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AuthenticAfrican Follow Authentic African on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Authentic_African/ Visit the website: https://authenticafrican.com/ Check out Swiff: https://bit.ly/SwiffSOA Download Menufinder Africa App: https://www.menufinderafrica.com/   Our Socials YouTube: https://youtube.com/thesoundofaccrapodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesoundofaccra/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thesoundofaccra  Twitter: https://twitter.com/thesoundofaccra Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/thesoundofaccra Linkedin: https://gh.linkedin.com/company/the-sound-of-accra Our Website: https://thesoundofaccra.com Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 01:02 Icebreaker 02:26 What is Authentic African and more about Joe 03:52 Africans should be the first to invest in Africa 05:00 The year of return 2019 06:06 Sierra Leone 07:20 Sandbox 10:10 Digital Africa Gold Rush 13:25 The rise of African Tech Startups 16:49 The Gold Rush 17:50 Authentic African 23:40 YouTube vs Instagram 25:35 Doing Vlogs and Instagram stories 28:40 Quitting well paid job and relocating to Ghana 32:20 Finding purpose in Africa with western skills 36:20 Working at Jumia vs Hulu 41:31 Advertising for Africa 44:10 Outsourcing Authentic African brand tasks 46:00 2023 plans - expanding the Authentic African brand 49:40 Outro Sponsor a podcast series or segment https://thesoundofaccra.com/sponsorship/  Learn how to start, launch and monetise a podcast and acquire your first 1000 listeners: https://atozpodcasting.com Register your interest for our private community for entrepreneurs and creatives https://thesoundofaccra.com/community/  Leave us feedback https://thesoundofaccra.com/feedback/  Leave us a review https://ratethispodcast.com/thesoundofaccra  Listen to more episodes below  https://thesoundofaccrapodcast.podbean.com/  All our other links  https://linktr.ee/thesoundofaccrapod