African Tech Roundup Podcast

Latest Episodes:

UNAJUA Throwback S1 EP2: Can gaming startups compete with Facebook & Tencent? ft. Lucy Hoffman Aug 17, 2021

Show notes

Part 2 of this UNAJUA Throwback series takes us back to when Lucy Hoffman, co-founder and head of operations at the Cape Town-based mobile content development startup Carry1st, joined Andile Masuku and Osarumen Osamuyi for an extended insight-rich chat—published on March 10th 2020. (Since then, Carry1st has gone on to close a $6 million Series A led by Colorado-based VC firm, Konvoy Ventures.) In this episode, Lucy Hoffman outlines Carry1st's user adoption strategy and suggests how startups like hers plan to compete against the likes of Facebook and Tencent. Lucy is an experienced American business operations specialist who, prior to joining Carry1st, spearheaded operations at impact investment facilitation startup Nexii and the African Leadership Academy. Before that, she interned for the global diversity and inclusion team at Credit Suisse and spent three and a half years embedded at Morgan & Stanley, where she worked on M&A and capital markets transactions for global power and utility companies. You can listen to the full original episode here: www.africantechroundup.com/lucy-hoffman-carry1st/ HAVE YOUR SAY (https://telbee.io/channel/uuatbnkraty1vn-nkazpcg/index.html): Leave us a 60-sec voice note with your reactions to any of the topics raised in the UNAJUA Series. (We will include some of your audio takes in future follow-up episodes.) Image Credit: Shaw Fields (Unsplash)

UNAJUA Throwback S1 EP1: Does African mobile gaming have super-platform potential? ft. Lucy Hoffman Aug 09, 2021

Show notes

This UNAJUA Throwback episode takes us back to when Lucy Hoffman, co-founder and head of operations at the Cape Town-based, American mobile content development startup Carry1st joined Andile Masuku and Osarumen Osamuyi for an extended insight-rich chat (published on March 10th 2020). Since recording this conversation, Carry1st has closed a $6 million Series A led by Colorado-based VC firm Konvoy Ventures. Listen in to learn why, as glitzy ecosystem trends like fintech and mobility continue to dominate headlines, Lucy and the rest of her team at Carry1st are quietly bullish on the mobile gaming industry’s low-key commercial case and 'super-app/super-platform' potential. Lucy is an experienced American business operations specialist who, prior to joining Carry1st, spearheaded operations at impact investment facilitation startup Nexii and the African Leadership Academy. Before that, she interned for the global diversity and inclusion team at Credit Suisse and spent three and a half years embedded at Morgan & Stanley, where she worked on M&A and capital markets transactions for global power and utility companies. You can listen to the full original episode here(https://www.africantechroundup.com/lucy-hoffman-carry1st/) Click here (https://telbee.io/channel/uuatbnkraty1vn-nkazpcg/index.html) to leave us a 60-sec voice note with your reactions to any of the topics raised in the UNAJUA Series. (We will include some of your audio takes in future follow-up episodes.) Image credits: Kojo Kwarteng

UNAJUA S4 EP3: Can Africa's agri-supply chain be fixed? ft. Karidas Tshintsholo Aug 02, 2021

Show notes

This UNAJUA podcast is the third and final episode of a three-part series featuring agri-tech founder, Karidas Tshintsholo. In this episode, Karidas addresses how access to market might be improved for African farmers, and how the playing field might be levelled for new entrants. Prior to founding KHULA!, Karidas co-founded a South African media company called the Money Tree Group and is currently an Advisory Board Member of the prestigious Anzisha Prize. HAVE YOUR SAY: https://telbee.io/channel/uuatbnkraty1vn-nkazpcg/index.html Leave us a 60-sec voice note with your reactions to any of the topics raised in the UNAJUA Series. (We will include some of your audio takes in future follow-up episodes.) PROMO: In case you’re new to the UNAJUA concept, this is where we offer minimal actionable responses to important questions in 15 minutes or less. Do yourself a favour and check out some of our previous episodes— like this one featuring Derin Adebayo, a Nigerian researcher & analyst who shared his take on the question ‘What is driving the capital boom in Africa’s tech ecosystem?’ Image Credit: https://unsplash.com/photos/JkGq84BiHm0?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditShareLink

UNAJUA S4 EP2: Does access to certified inputs impact farmer success? feat. Karidas Tshintsholo Jul 26, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, South African agritech startup founder Karidas Tshintsholo addresses questions like What effect does access to certified inputs have on overall farmer success? and How can easier access to technical advisory & services improve yields? Prior to founding KHULA!, Karidas co-founded a South African media company called the Money Tree Group and is currently an Advisory Board Member of the Anzisha Prize for young African entrepreneurs. Click here (https://telbee.io/channel/uuatbnkraty1vn-nkazpcg/index.html) to leave us a 60-sec voice note with your reactions to any of the topics raised in the UNAJUA Series. (We will include some of your audio takes in future follow-up episodes.) Useful References: ARTICLE: Winning in Africa’s agricultural market by Lutz Goedde, Amandla Ooko-Ombaka and Gillian Pais (McKinsey) REPORT: GSMA Mobile Economy 2020 by GSM Association ARTICLE: E-commerce in Africa by Simona Varrella (Statista) Promo: In case you’re new to the UNAJUA concept, this is where we offer minimal actionable responses to important questions in 15 minutes or less. Do yourself a favour and check out some of our previous episodes— like this one featuring Derin Adebayo, a Nigerian researcher & analyst who shared his take on the question ‘What is driving the capital boom in Africa’s tech ecosystem?’ Image credit: Mansado Louis (https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=ghost&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=api-credit)

UNAJUA S4 EP1: What lies are often told about Africa's agriculture sector? ft. Karidas Tshitshonlo Jul 19, 2021

Show notes

This UNAJUA series features a South African agritech founder called Karidas Tshitshonlo. Karidas has a lot of insight to share from his agribusiness adventure thus far, but before we get to that. Karidas T. shares his take on how innovation in agriculture is providing new opportunities not only to the farmers but to the consumers as well. Khula App is a South African app that connects farmers to a formal marketplace. By using the app, African farmers can now list and track the delivery of their products in real time. Karidas is the founder & CEO of Khula app, an agritech startup he founded 4 years ago. Prior to this venture, he co-founded a South African media company called the Money Tree Group. He is also currently an Advisory Board Member of prestigious Anzisha Prize. Karidas sees agriculture as the backbone of our everyday life. For instance, food, clothing are just two major industries that stem from agriculture. He believes that how we frame the agriculture sector is key to raising proper awareness of its importance. No doubt, Karidas’ outsider status in the business has helped fan his ambition to disrupt the industry. Sub-question breakdown: What are the BIG LIES about agriculture in the continent? HOW BIG is the agriculture opportunity in the continent, really? What is going to be the ROLE OF TECH in achieving great success in agriculture? Promo: In case you’re new to the UNAJUA concept, this is where we offer minimal actionable responses to important questions in 15 minutes or less. Do yourself a favour and check out some of our previous episodes— like the one featuring Derin Adebayo, a Nigerian researcher & analyst who shared his take on the question ‘What is driving the capital boom in Africa’s tech ecosystem?’

UNAJUA S3 EP2: Does Brachiaria trump Napier grass? feat. Mwihaki Mundia Jul 12, 2021

Show notes

Mwihaki Mundia gives a perspective of how brachiaria grass is exceptionally suited for the Sub-Saharan African livestock farmers especially looking at what climate and soil type does it thrive in. She further weighs in on the dynamic “rivalry” with fodder options such as the popular Napier and Brachiaria grass. On this instalment, Mwihaki Mundia argues that Brachiaria grass is well-suited for Sub-Saharan African livestock farming and unpacks which climates and soil types are best suited to grow the indigenous fodder. Mwihaki Mundia is a Communications Specialist currently working at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) Nairobi where she advocates for different technologies that improve smallholder farmers’ livelihoods in the Africa region. HAVE YOUR SAY: Click on the UNAJUA tab at AfricanTechRoundup.com (www.africantechroundup.com/unajua/) and leave us a 60-second voice note with your reaction to this episode. (We will include some of your audio takes in future follow-up episodes.) PROMO: African Tech Roundup has partnered with Socialstack to launch the $ATRU social token on the Celo blockchain. Listen in to hear African Tech Roundup Co-founder Andile Masuku and Socialstack Co-founder and CEO Andrew Berkowitz unpack the rationale underpinning the token (https://www.africantechroundup.com/unpacking-the-atru-token-part-1/) SUPPORT US: Support our independent media-making efforts by becoming a Patreon. (https://www.africantechroundup.com/patreon/) Image credit: Clara Beukes https://unsplash.com/@clarabeukes

UNAJUA S3 EP1: Should brachiaria grass be a big(ger) deal across Africa? feat. Mwihaki Mundia Jun 29, 2021

Show notes

This UNAJUA Series - presented by Kenyan die-hard environment advocate and comms pro, Mwihaki Mundia - offers a minimum actionable response to the question: "Could the adoption of Brachiaria grass be a game-changer for livestock farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa?" As part of her Communications Specialist role at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) Nairobi, Mwihaki distils expert research into technologies that improve smallholder farmers' livelihoods in Sub-Saharan Africa. Her advocacy work helps farmers utilise limited space to grow crops and rear animals for sustenance. In this episode, Mwihaki outlines the state of play in Sub-Saharan African subsistence farming and explains why she and the research scientists at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) Nairobi are bullish about the climate change-resistant potential of indigenous brachiaria grass. *pun intended* HAVE YOUR SAY: Click on the UNAJUA tab at AfricanTechRoundup.com (www.africantechroundup.com/unajua/) and leave us a 60-second voice note with your reaction to this episode. (We will include some of your audio takes in future follow-up episodes.) PROMO: African Tech Roundup has partnered with Socialstack to launch the $ATRU social token on the Celo blockchain. Listen in to hear African Tech Roundup Co-founder Andile Masuku and Socialstack Co-founder and CEO Andrew Berkowitz unpack the rationale underpinning the token (www.africantechroundup.com/unpacking-t…ken-part-1/). In case you missed it, check out the press release (www.africantechroundup.com/atru-token/) SUPPORT US: Back our independent media-making efforts by becoming a Patreon (www.africantechroundup.com/patreon/). Image credit: Gio's Studio

BONUS: Unpacking The $ATRU Social Token With Andrew Berkowitz Part 2 - How To Earn $ATRU Token Jun 25, 2021

Show notes

In this bonus, episode (the second of a two-part conversation), Socialstack Co-founder and CEO Andrew Berkowitz joins African Tech Roundup Co-founder and Executive Producer Andile Masuku to discuss some of the technicalities of the $ATRU launch. They discuss the merits of launching the token on the Celo blockchain and share details about how you can ready yourself to earn the token in the coming weeks. PART 1: Unpacking the $ATRU Token with Andrew Berkowitz Part 1: Re-imagining Media Ownership (https://www.africantechroundup.com/unpacking-the-atru-token-part-1/) CREATE A CELO ACCOUNT: https://celowallet.app PRESS RELEASE: www.africantechroundup.com/atru-token/ RESOURCES ON SOCIAL TOKENS AND THE CELO BLOCKCHAIN: Social Tokens: Get Ready for the Next Massive Crypto Trend by William White for Nasdaq (https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/social-tokens%3A-get-ready-for-the-next-massive-crypto-trend-2021-04-29) Exploring the social token revolution by Andrew Steinwold for ZIMA RED (https://andrewsteinwold.substack.com/p/-exploring-the-social-token-revolution) Social Tokens: A Potential Growth Opportunity For Your Brand by Loomly Blog (https://blog.loomly.com/social-tokens/#:~:text=Social%20tokens%20%E2%80%93%20also%20known%20as,cryptocurrencies%20like%20Bitcoin%20or%20Ether.) You had me at “Celo” — Why build on the Celo blockchain by Celo (https://medium.com/celoorg/why-build-on-the-celo-blockchain-9ceab3d11b70) SUPPORT US: Back our independent media-making efforts by becoming a Patreon (www.africantechroundup.com/patreon/). Photo credit: Ilias Chebbi

UNAJUA S2 EP2: Can an African research insights startup be commercially viable? feat. Peter Kisadha Jun 21, 2021

Show notes

This podcast is the second in the two-part UNAJUA series unpacking the question, "What does it take for a Ugandan research insights startup to become a commercial success?" presented by founder and researcher Peter Kisadha. In this episode, Peter speaks on whether it's possible for an African research insights company to be commercially viable and puts forward why he believes the business opportunity tied to servicing Africa's research gap is hugely underrated. HAVE YOUR SAY: Click on the UNAJUA tab at AfricanTechRoundup.com (https://www.africantechroundup.com/unajua/) and leave us a 60-second voice note with your reaction to this episode. (We will include some of your audio takes in future follow-up episodes.) PROMO: African Tech Roundup has partnered with Socialstack to launch the $ATRU social token on the Celo blockchain. Listen in to hear African Tech Roundup Co-founder Andile Masuku and Socialstack Co-founder and CEO Andrew Berkowitz unpack the rationale underpinning the token (https://www.africantechroundup.com/unpacking-the-atru-token-part-1/). In case you missed it, check out the press release (https://www.africantechroundup.com/atru-token/) SUPPORT US: Back our independent media-making efforts by becoming a Patreon (https://www.africantechroundup.com/patreon/). Image credit: Drew Wilson

BONUS: Unpacking the $ATRU Social Token with Andrew Berkowitz Part 1 - Re-imagining Media Ownership Jun 16, 2021

Show notes

In this special bonus episode (the first of a two-part conversation), Socialstack Co-founder and CEO Andrew Berkowitz joins African Tech Roundup Co-founder and Executive Producer Andile Masuku to unpack the rationale behind the launch of the $ATRU token—which the two organisations have partnered to launch on the Celo blockchain. PRESS RELEASE: www.africantechroundup.com/atru-token/ CREATE A CELO ACCOUNT: https://celowallet.app RESOURCES ON SOCIAL TOKENS AND THE CELO BLOCKCHAIN: Exploring the social token revolution (https://andrewsteinwold.substack.com/p/-exploring-the-social-token-revolution) Social Tokens: A Potential Growth Opportunity For Your Brand (https://blog.loomly.com/social-tokens/#:~:text=Social%20tokens%20%E2%80%93%20also%20known%20as,cryptocurrencies%20like%20Bitcoin%20or%20Ether.) Social Tokens: Get Ready for the Next Massive Crypto Trend (https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/social-tokens%3A-get-ready-for-the-next-massive-crypto-trend-2021-04-29) You had me at “Celo” — Why build on the Celo blockchain (https://medium.com/celoorg/why-build-on-the-celo-blockchain-9ceab3d11b70) HAVE YOUR SAY: Click on the UNAJUA tab at AfricanTechRoundup.com (www.africantechroundup.com/unajua/) and leave us a 60-second voice note with your reaction to this episode. (We will include some of your audio takes in future follow-up episodes.) SUPPORT US: Back our independent media-making efforts by becoming a Patreon (www.africantechroundup.com/patreon/). Image credit: Uriel SC

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