Will Green: The role of ecosystem building in driving tech innovation in South Africa

In computer network design, a supernode refers to a highly capable node in a peer-to-peer (P2P) network that acts as a central hub, relay, or proxy server for ordinary, less-capable nodes.If there is one analogy to describe Will Green’s role in South Africa’s tech startup ecosystem, it would be exactly that—a supernode. From running one of the country’s most efficient accelerators and helping wet-behind-the-ear founders figure out their business models to driving M&A strategies for exiting founders, Will's impact stretches across the entire ecosystem. But restricting his impact to the South African ecosystem would do an injustice to his work. Will has also been a mentor for Google for Startups, assisting African startups with their teething problems to build the next big thing. He is also an advisor, a board member, a venture studio builder, and and and.In this episode, Will shares his take on how to improve the acceleration model, bridging the funding gap from early-stage to growth-stage, the importance of exit planning for founders, and his view on the role of policy in driving innovation.You can connect with Will on LinkedIn here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit techaways.substack.com