Underdogs In Africa

Dans cet épisode captivant, Barbara plonge au cœur de l’investissement sur les marchés de capitaux en Afrique. Elle échange avec Anthony et Boum, amis de longue date et cofondateurs de Daba, une plateforme innovante qui facilite l’accès aux opportunités d’investissement sur le continent. Portés par des valeurs communes de confiance, de résilience et de travail acharné, Anthony et Boum partagent leur vision ambitieuse de transformer le quotidien des Africains grâce à des solutions financières accessibles et adaptées. Au fil de la discussion, ils révèlent leur parcours inspirant, leurs expériences personnelles, et leur analyse des tendances économiques et financières en Afrique. Ils abordent les défis du secteur, le potentiel immense de l’investissement sur le continent, et déconstruisent les idées reçues pour éclairer les enjeux réels. Biographie de l'invité Anthony, d’origine franco-italienne, est un véritable citoyen du monde. Né en Italie, il a grandi en Afrique du Sud, au Congo et en Angola, s’imprégnant des cultures et des opportunités offertes par chaque pays. Après avoir bâti une carrière solide dans des entreprises de renom, dont Coca-Cola, il choisit de mettre son expertise au service de l’investissement en Afrique, porté par son attachement profond à ses racines Européenes et a l’Afrique qui l’a vu grandir. Boum, incarne l’énergie, la créativité et le "hustler spirit" propres à l’Afrique, et au Continent* en particulier. Né en Allemagne, il passe une partie de son enfance au Cameroun avant de poursuivre ses études en Europe, puis en Amérique. Son passage à la célèbre bourse Nasdaq façonne sa vision et nourrit son ambition de créer des solutions à fort impact pour le continent africain. Face au COVID-19, qui a secoué leurs aventures entrepreneuriales respectives, Anthony et Boum décident de s’associer pour lancer Daba. Cette plateforme innovante vise à démocratiser l’investissement en Afrique, en ouvrant des opportunités accessibles et inclusives sur les marchés de capitaux. Leur vision audacieuse et leur engagement sans faille ont rapidement été reconnus, notamment avec la victoire de Daba au prestigieux Ecobank Fintech Challenge en 2024. Continent: Cameroun* www.dabafinance.com

🎙Dans ce nouvel épisode d'#UnderdogsinAfricaPodcast, Barbara accueille Aude Juglard pour une conversation inspirante entre passionnées de fintech et d’innovation! Après un brillant parcours académique dans les grandes écoles, Aude fait une entrée courageuse dans le monde de la tech en Afrique, un choix guidé par son instinct et un désir profond de réinventer l’investissement pour répondre aux défis contemporains. De son rôle au sein d’une fintech emblématique à sa mission actuelle comme Head of Finance au Mstudio, elle accompagne les start-up d'Afrique francophone vers la croissance et l’expansion. 💡Cet épisode est une véritable masterclass où Aude partage ses insights précieux sur le financement des start-up tech en Afrique, explore les particularités de lAfrique de l’Ouest et dévoile les réponses aux grandes questions que se posent les fondateurs pour réussir leurs levées de fonds. Biographie d'Inviteer Ayant grandi en France, Aude a pourtant toujours été profondément connectée à l'Afrique de par son histoire familiale, sa passion pour la mode africaine, et l'admiration qu'elle porte à la résilience des femmes africaines. Après une première expérience captivante dans l'univers des paiements digitaux sur le continent, Aude prend la décision audacieuse de s'établir en Côte d'Ivoire. Animée par une vision claire et un désir profond d'avoir un impact tangible, elle choisit de consacrer son énergie à la transformation de l'écosystème entrepreneurial africain. Tout au long de sa carriere, Aude a mis son expertise financière et stratégique au service des start-ups d'Afrique francophone. Son approche repose sur une conviction forte : le rôle du capital-risque va bien au-delà du financement : il s'agit d'un levier pour réconcilier performance économique et transformation sociale et pou construire des entreprises durables et à fort impact.

🎙️Dans cet épisode captivant tourné à Abidjan, Barbara accueille Kandas pour une conversation riche en enseignements. Ancien professeur d'informatique devenu directeur régional chez Western Union, Kandas revient sur ses débuts dans le secteur des paiements et partage son parcours impressionnant, jalonné de réalisations remarquables. Il nous offre une analyse pertinente des tendances et innovations dans le domaine, tout en abordant les spécificités du contexte africain et raconte voyage marquant viendra confirmer son optimisme indéfectible envers l'avenir de l'Afrique et de ses talents. 🐘Un échange à ne pas manquer ! Guest Bio: Né et ayant grandi en Guinée Conakry, Kandas a hérité de ses grands-parents un profond amour pour l'Afrique et une passion pour le partage du savoir. Après plusieurs années d'expérience en Europe et aux États-Unis, il est retourné dans son pays pour fonder une école de formation en informatique. Son parcours l'a ensuite mené dans l'industrie des paiements, où il a travaillé dans différents secteurs. Sa carrière est animée par une conviction profonde dans le potentiel de l'Afrique et le pouvoir transformateur de la technologie et des paiements pour améliorer sa communauté. Scale https://www.linkedin.com/company/scalefintechagency/ https://www.instagram.com/enabling_scale/ Kandas https://www.linkedin.com/in/kandasc/

Dans ce deuxième épisode, Barbara s'entretient avec Gaël à Lomé pour une discussion approfondie sur le paysage dynamique des paiements en Afrique francophone. En tant que PDG de Solimi, Gaël partage sa passion pour proposer des solutions simples mais percutantes qui répondent aux défis quotidiens des paiements. Solimi s'est distinguée en introduisant une carte de paiement non bancaire innovante et des services financiers dans la région. Gaël nous raconte son parcours de jeune fondatrice, de femme leader et de mère, alors qu'elle navigue dans les complexités du secteur des paiements francophone. Biographie de l'invitée: Gaël, originaire de Kara au Togo, a poursuivi ses études à Casablanca et a acquis une expérience inestimable lors d'un séjour immersif dans la Silicon Valley. Animée par un profond désir de créer des solutions qui améliorent le quotidien des Togolais et des Africains, elle a fondé Solimi, une entreprise fintech qu'elle dirige aujourd'hui. Gaël incarne la conviction que le potentiel est illimité lorsque l'on conjugue travail acharné et détermination pour tracer son propre chemin. Sponsorisé par EFT corp, leader africain dans l'activation de services bancaires modernes Connect with Scale on LinkedIn and Instagram Connect with Gaël on LinkedIn Visit EFT's website and connect with them on LinkedIn

In this inspiring and insightful episode, Barbara sits down with Orry Diana Seem, Group Head of Cards at EcoBank Transnational Incorporated, to kick off Season 2 of Underdogs in Africa. Diana shares her journey from a small village in western Kenya to becoming a leading figure in Africa’s financial industry, overseeing operations in 33 countries. Referred to by Barbara as a 'godmother' in the payments industry, Diana opens up about her childhood, the influence of her mother and grandmother, and the values that have shaped her into the strong leader she is today. They discuss the role of women in the financial sector, balancing family and career, and the untapped potential of Africa’s informal economy. Guest Bio: Orry Diana Seem is the Group Head of Cards at EcoBank Transnational Incorporated, overseeing card operations in 33 countries. With a career that started in sales, Diana has grown to manage a vast portfolio in Africa’s payments ecosystem, including credit, debit, and prepaid cards. Known for her deep industry knowledge and passion for financial inclusion, Diana is a champion for women in leadership and an advocate for change in Africa’s financial landscape. Sponsor: This episode of Underdogs in Africa is brought to you by EFTCorp, a leader in payment solutions across Africa with over 20 years of experience. Learn more about their solutions at https://www.eftcorp.com or follow them on LinkedIn as EFT Corporation. Connect with Scale on LinkedIn and Instagram Connect with Diana on LinkedIn and Instagram Visit EFT Corp's website and connect with them on LinkedIn Chapters 0:00 - Sponsor: EFT Corporation 0:32 - Welcome Diana 1:52 - Diana's Background 10:02 - Moving from Kenya to Togo 23:01 - Why Women Fit Perfectly in the Payments Space 24:36 - The Nuances of the Payments Landscape in Africa 30:16 - How Banks and Regulators Can Help Fintech with Speed-to-Revenue 41:37 - Competition in the Market 47:06 - Financial Inclusion via Financial Literacy 50:16 - Why Banks are Reluctant to Offer Credit to the Informal Sector 54:43 - The Benefit to Informal Merchants of Accepting Digital Payments 1:05:40 - Balancing Career with Family Life 1:13:59 - The Role God has Played in Diana's Life 1:20:58 - Finances and Faith 1:25:46 - Outro

This week, Miranda chats to Takondwa Karen Mwendera, who is the Managing Producer at Founder’s Factory Africa and the founder of Afrikaren Media. In this soul-nourishing episode, Takondwa share her incredible journey of being raised in multiple African countries to founding Afrikaren Media. But that's not all! Takondwa also tells us about her exclusive interview with fashion icon Naomi Campbell. Tune in to hear about Takwonda's faith, her experience as a woman in tech, and the importance of self-love and close relationships. This episode is a must-listen for anyone seeking inspiration and feel-good vibes! Chapters 00:00 Introducing Takondwa - Managing Producer at Founders Factory Africa 03:25 Interviewing Naomi Campbell 06:49 Being a woman in tech 09:50 Impact of Faith in Takondwa's Journey 15:45 Takondwa's Trans-African Upbringing and Education 21:22 Founding Afrikaren Media 29:47 Painting African Stories with The Brilliant Colour and Light They Deserve 45:52 Journey at Founder's Factory 50:29 How Takondwa shows herself love 54:38 Takondwa's Personal Life 1:15:28 Conclusion Follow Scale on Social Media Follow Takondwa on Instagram

In this week’s episode, we talk to Jamie Wyngaard, Co-founder of Loop. Jamie talks us through his humble beginnings from the Cape flats and how important it is to seize opportunities no matter what your background looks like. We get to learn more about Jamie’s personal journey, entrepreneurship and becoming a founder. He shares some interesting insight into the taxi space and how Loop fits into that ecosystem while problem solving for taxi owners and commuters. Jamie talks to us about how creating the right partnerships is vital for success in start-up businesses.     00:00 Introducing Jamie Wyngaard 02:40 How Do You Know a Person is from a Fintech? 06:26 Jamie’s Journey, from the Cape Flats to his Academic Achievements 14:40 Becoming a Founder and Juggling the Workload. 24:26 What is Loop 52:20 Loop’s Biggest Challenges 1:08:49 How Do You Deal with Failures 1:13:31 Creating the Right Partnerships 1:12:13 Financial Tips for Entrepreneurs 1:28:54 Issuing Microloans 1:35:00 Conclusion

In today’s special episode, we get to know Drisha Kirkman, Head of Global Program Management and Sustainability at Paymentology. Drisha is one of the people that gave an opportunity to Miranda in the payments space and that’s why we’re so excited to be talking to her today. First, we get to know about Drisha: where she hails from and what her early career looked like. Next, we look at her journey at what started as Tutuka, and is now Paymentology. We learn about the opportunities, the highs and lows that took a small company and transformed it into a global powerhouse. Finally, we discuss the factors that motivate Drisha as an individual to break new ground in the Fintech space.  0:00 Introducing Drisha Kirkman 1:43 Drisha’s Background and Early Career 8:40 Starting Out at Tutuka (now Paymentology) 20:24 Working with VISA inc. and FIFA to enable the 2010 World Cup VISA card 24:53 Breaking into New Markets with VISA and Mastercard 35:45 Key Choices and Decisions in the organizations journey 44:51 Experiences through travel and pitching to different cultures as a female 49:55 What Drives Drisha 59:22 The Fintech Industry in Africa and Beyond 1:18:06 Conclusion

In this episode we are joined by Juan Seco, the Chief Growth Officer and MD of East Africa at Mukuru. Strap in as Juan takes us on the colourful journey of his early life and living in places like Madrid, Paris, Luxembourg, New York, Canada and finally Kenya. Juan pulls back the curtain to give us a glimpse of what life is like in his home with his young, multilingual family. Juan shares his experience of what it’s like to build a fintech company from the ground and why he traded that to work at Africa’s most exciting fintech, Mukuru. Join us in this wonderful, fun, and insightful conversation with one of the most interesting guys on the continent.   0:00 Introduction 1:48 Juan's Background 11:52 Juan's family and adapting to different cultures 16:58 Coffee Break! 17:26 Building an e-Commerce platform from the ground up (Jumia) 31:54 Wading the Regulatory Waters 41:02 How Mukuru Creates Solutions for Customers 55:50 The story behind the new Mukuru Branding 57:28 The impact of leadership on a startup 1:04:36 What's in Store for Mukuru 1:08:50 How AI Will Change the Fintech Landscape in Africa 1:11:15 How Can We Encourage Women to Participate in The Fintech Space 1:16:39 How Juan Had His Backside Handed to Him at The Kenya Open 1:18:38 Outro Follow us LinkedIn  ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/scalefintechagency/⁠  Instagram ⁠https://www.instagram.com/enabling_scale?igsh=MTR0OHllbG82ODdrNg==⁠  Youtube ⁠https://youtube.com/@scale_Media?si=YfJJ1x9l7n6t3w_b⁠ LinkTree ⁠http://linktr.ee/enablingscale⁠

This week's episode features a detailed and engaging conversation with Muhammad Nana, a leading figure in the African fintech and payments industry, working with Mastercard as their Vice President, Fintech PSP & Enablers, for Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa.  It covers a wide range of topics from personal journeys in the industry, the impact and future of fintech in Africa, to personal anecdotes and the importance of financial inclusion. Mo shares insights into his career, the evolution of fintech, and the role of companies like Mastercard in supporting financial inclusion and innovation across the continent. The discussion also touches on challenges and opportunities within the fintech ecosystem, emphasizing the need for accessible financial services and the potential for growth and development in the region. 00:00 - Introduction 02:58 - A period of Miranda and Mo being frenemies  09:20 - Mo’s fintech journey  16:33 - Upbringing, working at Standard Bank, buying a BMW, and joining a start-up  40:19 - Finding purpose through working in payments and the impact to people’s lives 48:45 - Mastercard’s developer platform and supporting fintechs  1:04:24 - Solving large problems for fintech, payments, in the wider region  1:09:35 - Banks are evolving, is the ecosystem working together to solve financial inclusion? 1:19:00 - Payment networks processing on-soil to solve for quicker bank settlements  1:24:00 - Diversity in the payments industry  About Scale…. “We shorten the time to market, and speed to revenue for a fintech”  Scale is a people first business, that care about creating impact and taking fast action, in order to overcome fintech barriers in Africa.  We build and implement the Go-To-Market and Speed-To-Revenue strategies of fintechs in Africa using our skills , expertise and our solution & technical stack to achieve quick onboarding and product launch.  Our tech stack is named, “SOIL”- Scale’s Orchestration Issuing Layer.  More specifically, we act as the conduit between fintechs and the enabling ecosystem required to launch, scale and commercialize products, overcoming the fintech death curve, and remain on track to attracting investment into the continent.  Follow us LinkedIn  https://www.linkedin.com/company/scalefintechagency/  Instagram https://www.instagram.com/enabling_scale?igsh=MTR0OHllbG82ODdrNg==  Youtube https://youtube.com/@scale_Media?si=YfJJ1x9l7n6t3w_b LinkTree http://linktr.ee/enablingscale

In this inspiring episode, we dive into the remarkable journey of Ashmita Singh. Starting with her roots in Phoenix, the South African-Indian township in Durban, Ashmita shares her decision to leave for Johannesburg, a move that sparked significant personal and professional growth. She discusses her innovative "Party for Change" initiative, reflecting her commitment to social impact.  Ashmita then takes us through her corporate path, highlighting her transition from the corporate world to becoming a founder and to her passion for solving the problems within township communities.   A key topic is Swapvend, her venture that focuses on supporting and building the township economy, and the story behind the iconic yellow taxi. We get to deep dive into some of the problems Swapvend will solve, and the next steps for the product in the market Join us for this episode filled with insights on resilience, entrepreneurship, and making a difference. 00:00 - Introduction 04:08 - Ashmita's Background 19:30 - The Decision to Leave Durban 30:34 - Moving to Johannesburg 35:15 - The Party for Change Initiative 44:07 - Ashmita's Corporate Journey 57:11 - Transitioning from Corporate to Being a Founder 1:19:44 - What is Swapvend? 1:31:08 - Why The Yellow Taxi? 1:40:03 - What's Next for Swapvend? About Scale…. “We shorten the time to market, and speed to revenue for a fintech”  Scale is a people first business, that care about creating impact and taking fast action, in order to overcome fintech barriers in Africa.  We build and implement the Go-To-Market and Speed-To-Revenue strategies of fintechs in Africa using our skills , expertise and our solution & technical stack to achieve quick onboarding and product launch.  Our tech stack is named, “SOIL”- Scale’s Orchestration Issuing Layer.  More specifically, we act as the conduit between fintechs and the enabling ecosystem required to launch, scale and commercialize products, overcoming the fintech death curve, and remain on track to attracting investment into the continent.  Follow us LinkedIn  ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/scalefintechagency/⁠  Instagram ⁠https://www.instagram.com/enabling_scale?igsh=MTR0OHllbG82ODdrNg==⁠  Youtube ⁠https://youtube.com/@scale_Media?si=YfJJ1x9l7n6t3w_b⁠  LinkTree ⁠http://linktr.ee/enablingscale⁠

In this episode, we delve into the entrepreneurial journey of Tarek, the Founder of Affinity in Ghana. Tarek shares insights into the crucial elements that foster an entrepreneurial spirit, challenges faced by founders, and introduces a fascinating concept - Founder's Amnesia. We explore the true value of fintech in an ecosystem, addressing the disparity between funding and tangible results. The conversation also navigates the expectations of global investors versus the responsibilities of African startups, emphasizing the need for value addition where it matters. Tarek sheds light on educating founders about accessing the right investments and advocates for a collaborative approach among investors. The role of SMEs in the economy and a deep dive into Affinity's mission round out this insightful episode.