Available across every podcasting platform, Disrupt Podcast helps keep you in the loop on all that’s going on in the African tech startup ecosystem.
Co-hosts Gabriella Mulligan and Tom Jackson dig into all the major news and trends, while also bringing you interviews with key industry stakeholders, plus analysis and advice from those in the know.
“The month in VC” is a regular deep dive into the continent’s investment space, while regular mini-series dig into key aspects of the African startup landscape (ed-tech, fintech, PR, agri-tech, e-health, e-commerce, changemakers, VC)
DP #72: The month in VC, episode 20 – November 10, 2024 – Produced in partnership with Atlantica Ventures, this episode sees us speak to Zachariah George from Launch Africa Ventures, and we also discuss how we can get more Africa-based investors – be they angels or institutions – backing African tech startups.
DP #71: The month in VC, episode 19 – October 13, 2024 – Produced in partnership with Atlantica Ventures, this episode sees us speak to Mareme Dieng, Africa lead at 500 Global, and we’ll also be looking at the positives – and indeed negatives – of Africa-focused investors having previously been entrepreneurs or operators themselves.
DP #70: The month in fintech – episode 1 – October 6, 2024 – Produced in partnership with Africhange and Onafriq, “The month in fintech” is Disrupt Africa’s new podcast on the African fintech space. This episode sees us speak to Rachel Balsham, managing director for Southern and East Africa at omni-channel digital payments platform Onafriq, and Tega Ogigirigi, head of growth at Africhange, for a discussion around cross-border payments and remittances on the continent.
DP #69: The month in VC, episode 18 – September 8, 2024 – Produced in partnership with Atlantica Ventures and Goodwell Investments, this episode sees us speak to Tosin Faniro-Dada, partner at Breega Capital, about her career and her firm’s new Africa-focused fund, while we also dig into how a startup changes once it has secured venture capital with the help of Goodwell’s Wim van der Beek.
DP #68: The month in VC, episode 17 – August 4, 2024 – Produced in partnership with Atlantica Ventures and Goodwell Investments, this episode features an interview with Lexi Novitske from Norrsken22 and a deep-dive into Disrupt Africa’s recently-released “Diversity Dividend“.
DP #67: The month in VC, episode 16 – July 7, 2024 – Produced in partnership with Atlantica Ventures and Goodwell Investments, this episode features an interview with Lavanya Anand from pan-African PE and VC firm AfricInvest, and dig deep into the current “funding winter” and when we can finally expect it to end.
DP #66: The month in VC, episode 15 – June 2, 2024 – Produced in partnership with Atlantica Ventures and Goodwell Investments, this episode features an interview with Justin Stanford from 4Di Capital, about his career, company, and investment ethos, while we also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of specialisation within the African venture capital landscape.
DP #65: The month in VC, episode 14 – May 5, 2024 – Produced in partnership with Atlantica Ventures and Goodwell Investments, this episode features an interview with Emmanuel Adegboye, head of Madica, a sector-agnostic investment programme that has just made its first investments, about his career, company, and investment ethos, while we also discuss the relevance of “impact” within the African venture capital landscape.
DP #64: The month in VC, episode 13 – April 7, 2024 – Produced in partnership with Hlayisani Capital, Atlantica Ventures and Goodwell Investments, this episode features an in-depth interview with Wim van der Beek from Goodwell Investments about his career, company, and investment ethos, while we also discuss the importance of being “founder-friendly”, or whether indeed that is just a marketing phrase.
DP #63: The month in VC, episode 12 – March 3, 2024 – Produced in partnership with Katapult Africa, Hlayisani Capital, Atlantica Ventures and Endeavor South Africa, this episode features an in-depth interview with Antonia Bothner from Endeavor South Africa about her career and investment ethos, while we also discuss with importance of due diligence, and how different investors go about conducting it.
DP #62: The month in VC, episode 11 – February 4, 2024 – Produced in partnership with Katapult Africa, Hlayisani Capital, Atlantica Ventures and Endeavor South Africa, this episode features an in-depth interview with Ameya Upadhyay from Flourish Ventures and a discussion of the findings of Disrupt Africa’s recently-released African Tech Startups Funding Report 2023.
DP #61: Learning digitally – how ed-tech is boosting accessibility of education in Africa, episode 2 – January 21, 2024 – Disrupt Africa has teamed up with eLearn Africa to release a three-part deep-dive into the African ed-tech startup space. In episode three, we’re digging into the funding and support ecosystem that is helping ed-tech startups scale, and whether more needs to be done to help the space fulfil its potential.
DP #60: Learning digitally – how ed-tech is boosting accessibility of education in Africa, episode 2 – January 14, 2024 – Disrupt Africa has teamed up with eLearn Africa to release a three-part deep-dive into the African ed-tech startup space. In episode two, we’re digging into the potential of ed-tech, and discovering how COVID-19 was not such a bad thing for online learning on the continent.
DP #59: Learning digitally – how ed-tech is boosting accessibility of education in Africa, episode 1 – January 7, 2024 – Disrupt Africa has teamed up with eLearn Africa to release a three-part deep-dive into the African ed-tech startup space. In episode one, we’re digging into the scope of Africa’s educational challenges, and how ed-tech startups are working to address them.
DP #58: Finnovating for Africa, how African fintechs are solving for inclusion, episode 2 – December 19, 2023 – Disrupt Africa has teamed up with AZA Finance, Revio, EMURGO Middle East & Africa, and MoneyHash to release a two-part deep-dive into to African fintech startup space.
In episode two, we delve into the support available for fintechs on the continent – from investors, from incumbents, from governments – and look at the future potential of fintech in Africa.
DP #57: The month in VC, episode 10 – December 13, 2023 – Produced in partnership with Katapult Africa, Hlayisani Capital, and Atlantica Ventures, this episode features an in-depth interview with Erick Yong from GreenTec Capital Partners and a discussion around how VCs go about sourcing investments.
DP #56: Finnovating for Africa, how African fintechs are solving for inclusion, episode 1 – December 10, 2023 – Disrupt Africa has teamed up with AZA Finance, Revio, EMURGO Middle East & Africa, and MoneyHash to release a two-part deep-dive into to African fintech startup space.
In episode one, we look at the challenges around financial inclusion in Africa, the origins of the fintech revolution on the continent, and how startups are innovating in various areas within the sector.
DP #55: The month in VC, episode 9 – November 5, 2023 – Produced in partnership with Katapult Africa, Hlayisani Capital, ARM Labs Lagos Techstars Accelerator, and Atlantica Ventures, this episode features an in-depth interview with Aniko Szigetvari from Atantica Ventures, and chats to other investors about preconceptions founders often have about VC.
DP #54: Diversity dividend – Female fund managers in Africa – Eloho Omame – October 15, 2023 – Women have always been underrepresented in the venture capital space worldwide. Some of the earliest research from the US (2018) found that only nine per cent of VC decision makers were women. In Africa, new data by Disrupt Africa shows some more promising trends – 39.6 per cent of VCs actively investing on the continent in 2022 had a female partner or founder – yet less than 10 per cent of angels are women. With data demonstrating a direct link between gender diversity in teams, and increased profitability, the “Diversity dividend: Female fund managers in Africa” series looks at firms that recognise this truth, and put diversity front and centre.
In episode five, Gabriella talks to Eloho Omame, of FirstCheck Africa and TLcom Capital. This podcast is commissioned by Boost Africa Technical Assistance Facility and financed by the European Union under EDF Thematic Blending and Cotonou Investment Facility.
DP #53: The month in VC, episode 8 – October 8, 2023 – Produced in partnership with Katapult Africa, Hlayisani Capital, and ARM Labs Lagos Techstars Accelerator, this episode features Maya Horgan Famodu from Ingressive Capital, and digs into VC business models.
DP #52: Talking the talk – why African tech startups need effective PR, episode 2 – October 1, 2023 – Disrupt Africa has teamed up with Africa-focused public relations company Talking Drum Communications to discuss the value of PR to African tech startups, in good times and bad.
In the second installment of this two-part series, Bemi Idowu of Talking Drum Communications takes us through how PR can help African tech ventures cope in times of crisis.
DP #51: Talking the talk – why African tech startups need effective PR, episode 1 – September 24, 2023 – Disrupt Africa has teamed up with Africa-focused public relations company Talking Drum Communications to discuss the value of PR to African tech startups, in good times and bad.
In the first installment of this two-part series, Bemi Idowu of Talking Drum Communications takes us through how PR can help African tech ventures as they grow, and how an effective PR function is best developed.
DP #50: The month in VC, episode 7 – September 3, 2023 – Produced in partnership with Katapult Africa, Kalon Venture Partners, Hlayisani Capital, and ARM Labs Lagos Techstars Accelerator, this episode features Sapna Shah from Novastar Ventures, and delves into the importance of local capital.
DP #49: High tech health – how African startups are improving healthcare outcomes – episode 3 – August 20, 2023: Disrupt Africa has partnered Salient Advisory, Curacel and RxAll to put together a three-part podcast series on the African e-health space – the issues it is addressing, how it is innovating to improve healthcare outcomes, and what support startups are receiving from governments, donors and investors.
In episode three, we’re looking to the future, at what a tech-enabled African healthcare landscape looks like, and what best practices we can employ to make sure we get there.
DP #48: High tech health – how African startups are improving healthcare outcomes – episode 2 – August 13, 2023: Disrupt Africa has partnered Salient Advisory, Curacel and RxAll to put together a three-part podcast series on the African e-health space – the issues it is addressing, how it is innovating to improve healthcare outcomes, and what support startups are receiving from governments, donors and investors.
In episode two, we discuss how various stakeholders can best support e-health companies, and what is needed from governments, investors and donors to ensure they can scale their impact.
DP #47: High tech health – how African startups are improving healthcare outcomes – episode 1 – August 6, 2023: Disrupt Africa has partnered Salient Advisory, Curacel and RxAll to put together a three-part podcast series on the African e-health space – the issues it is addressing, how it is innovating to improve healthcare outcomes, and what support startups are receiving from governments, donors and investors.
In episode one, we looking at the challenges facing Africans when it comes to accessing quality, affordable healthcare, how startups are tackling those challenges.
DP #46: The month in VC, episode 6 – July 30, 2023 – Produced in partnership with Katapult Africa, Kalon Venture Partners, Hlayisani Capital, and ARM Labs Lagos Techstars Accelerator, this episode sees Gabriella talk to Eloho Omame from TLcom Capital and FirstCheck Africa, and look at exit strategies in the investment space.
DP #45: Feed the world – empowering African agriculture through tech entrepreneurship, episode 3 – July 23, 2023: Disrupt Africa has partnered IQ Logistica to put together a three-part podcast series on the African agri-tech space – where it has come from, where it is now, and where it is going. In episode three, we’re looking at the issues involved with scaling an agri venture, and how tech can speed that process.
DP #44: Feed the world – empowering African agriculture through tech entrepreneurship, episode 2 – July 16, 2023: Disrupt Africa has partnered IQ Logistica to put together a three-part podcast series on the African agri-tech space – where it has come from, where it is now, and where it is going. In episode two, we discuss the many areas in which agri-tech companies can innovate for impact, and what support is available to them.
DP #43: Feed the world – empowering African agriculture through tech entrepreneurship, episode 1 – July 9, 2023: Disrupt Africa has partnered IQ Logistica to put together a three-part podcast series on the African agri-tech space – where it has come from, where it is now, and where it is going. In episode one, we discuss the deep-seated challenges facing farming on the continent and how tech companies are starting to address them.
DP #42: The month in VC, episode 5 – July 2, 2023 – Produced in partnership with Katapult Africa, Kalon Venture Partners, Hlayisani Capital, and ARM Labs Lagos Techstars Accelerator, this episode sees Gabriella and Tom talk to Basil Moftah from financial inclusion focused fund Nclude, and look at gender diversity within the investment space.
DP #41: Diversity dividend – Digging into Disrupt Africa’s pioneering report on gender diversity – June 25, 2023 – Disrupt Africa has released the first ever publication focused on gender equality in the African tech startup landscape, in partnership with Africa-focused pre-seed investment programmes Madica, with the results demonstrating the lack of gender diversity both within startup teams and funding rounds on the continent.
This podcast episode, with help from various partners, discusses the figures that emerged from the publication.
DP #40: Diversity dividend – Female fund managers in Africa – The AfricInvest women – June 18, 2023 – Women have always been underrepresented in the venture capital space worldwide. Some of the earliest research from the US (2018) found that only nine per cent of VC decision makers were women. In Africa, new data by Disrupt Africa shows some more promising trends – 39.6 per cent of VCs actively investing on the continent in 2022 had a female partner or founder – yet less than 10 per cent of angels are women. With data demonstrating a direct link between gender diversity in teams, and increased profitability, the “Diversity dividend: Female fund managers in Africa” series looks at firms that recognise this truth, and put diversity front and centre.
In episode four, Gabriella talks to Patricia Rinke, Azza Khalfallah, and Hana Maalej from the Tunisia-based AfricInvest. This podcast is commissioned by Boost Africa Technical Assistance Facility and financed by the European Union under EDF Thematic Blending and Cotonou Investment Facility.
DP #39: The month in VC, episode 4 – May 28, 2023 – Produced in partnership with Katapult Africa, Kalon Venture Partners, Hlayisani Capital, and ARM Labs Lagos Techstars Accelerator, this episode sees Gabriella and Tom talk to ARM Labs Lagos Techstars Accelerator’s Oyin Solebo, and look at how venture capitalists go about building their portfolios.
DP #38: The month in VC, episode 3 – April 30, 2023 – Produced in partnership with Katapult Africa, Kalon Venture Partners and Hlayisani Capital, this episode sees Gabriella and Tom talk to Hlaysani’s Brett Commaille, and look at how venture capitalists go about raising their funds.
DP #37: Changemakers – Meet the Jack Ma Foundation’s African Business Heroes, episode 4 – April 16, 2023 – Disrupt Africa has partnered the Jack Ma Foundation’s Africa’s Business Heroes Programme to release a special four-part podcast series discussing the benefits of the initiative with previous winning founders. In episode four, co-hosts Gabriella and Tom chat to the two founders about their experiences running social impact businesses on the continent.
DP #36: Changemakers – Meet the Jack Ma Foundation’s African Business Heroes, episode 3 – April 2, 2023 – Disrupt Africa has partnered the Jack Ma Foundation’s Africa’s Business Heroes Programme to release a special four-part podcast series discussing the benefits of the initiative with previous winning founders. In episode three, co-hosts Gabriella and Tom chat to the Tesh Mbaabu, co-founder and CEO of Kenyan retail-tech startup MarketForce, about his experiences expanding his business into new markets since taking part in ABH.
DP #35: The month in VC, episode 2 – March 26, 2023 – Produced in partnership with Katapult Africa, Kalon Venture Partners and Hlayisani Capital, this episode sees Gabriella and Tom talk to Kalon’s Clive Butkow, and look at ways venture capitalists can best help their portfolio companies navigate the difficult current economic climate.
DP #34: Changemakers – Meet the Jack Ma Foundation’s African Business Heroes, episode 2 – March 19, 2023 – Disrupt Africa has partnered the Jack Ma Foundation’s Africa’s Business Heroes Programme to release a special four-part podcast series discussing the benefits of the initiative with previous winning founders. In episode two, co-hosts Gabriella and Tom chat to the founders of Ivory Coast-based e-commerce startup ANKA and Nigerian agri-tech company ThriveAgric about their fundraising experiences.
DP #33: Changemakers – Meet the Jack Ma Foundation’s African Business Heroes, episode 1 – March 5, 2023 – Disrupt Africa has partnered the Jack Ma Foundation’s Africa’s Business Heroes Programme to release a special four-part podcast series discussing the benefits of the initiative with previous winning founders. In episode one, co-hosts Gabriella and Tom will chat to two founders running two very different startups in markets as contrasting as Egypt and Zimbabwe.
DP #32: The month in VC, episode 1 – February 26, 2023 – Produced in partnership with Katapult Africa, Grindstone Ventures and Kalon Venture Partners, each episode of the series will wrap up the latest news in African VC, profile a leading investor, and dig into a key theme or trend in conversation with partner VCs. Episode one sees Gabriella and Tom talk to Katapult Africa’s Philip Gasaatura, and dig into the key findings from the recently-released African Tech Startups Funding Report 2022, which tracked a record year in which 633 ventures raised over US$3 billion in investment.
DP #31: Diversity dividend – Female fund managers in Africa – Janngo Capital – February 19, 2023 – Female fund managers are very much in the minority worldwide. In the US, only nine per cent of decision makers in the VC space are women. In Africa, no definitive numbers are yet available, but female fund managers are hard to come by – a big mistake for the VC world, as data clearly demonstrates a direct link between gender diversity in teams, and increased profitability. The “Diversity dividend: Female fund managers in Africa” series looks at firms that recognise this truth, and put diversity front and centre.
In episode three, Gabriella talks to Fatoumata Ba, managing partner of Janngo Capital. This podcast is commissioned by Boost Africa Technical Assistance Facility and financed by the European Union under EDF Thematic Blending and Cotonou Investment Facility.
DP #30: A digital future for African retail – episode 4 – December 18, 2022 – Disrupt Africa has partnered Omnibiz and MarketForce to put together a four-part podcast series on the African e-commerce and retail-tech space – where it has come from, where it is now, and where it is going.
In episode four, we discuss how the ecosystem is set to come under renewed interest as youth population and income growth, infrastructure improvements, and increasing uptake start combining to unlock the value of the e-commerce market on the continent over the coming years.
DP #29: A digital future for African retail, episode 3 – December 11, 2022 – Disrupt Africa has partnered Omnibiz and MarketForce to put together a four-part podcast series on the African e-commerce and retail-tech space – where it has come from, where it is now, and where it is going.
In episode four, we discuss the funding landscape for the space, and the different challenges involved with securing investment as an e-commerce startup.
DP #28: A digital future for African retail, episode 2 – December 4, 2022 – Disrupt Africa has partnered Omnibiz and MarketForceDisrupt Africa has partnered Omnibiz and MarketForce to put together a four-part podcast series on the African e-commerce and retail-tech space – where it has come from, where it is now, and where it is going.
In episode two, we’re talking e-commerce 2.0. We discuss how there has been a move away from efforts to achieve a consumer-facing Amazon for Africa, with entrepreneurs instead favouring regional and niche e-commerce. Retail-tech, focusing on B2B solutions, has also emerged as a key model.
DP #27: A digital future for African retail, episode 1 – November 27, 2022 – Disrupt Africa has partnered Omnibiz and MarketForce to put together a four-part podcast series on the African African e-commerce and retail-tech – where it has come from, where it is now, and where it is going.
Episode one looks at the challenges and opportunities presented by the sector, with weekly episodes to follow.
DP #26: Diversity dividend – Female fund managers in Africa – Alitheia Capital – July 10, 2022 – Female fund managers are very much in the minority worldwide. In the US, only nine per cent of decision makers in the VC space are women. In Africa, no definitive numbers are yet available, but female fund managers are hard to come by – a big mistake for the VC world, as data clearly demonstrates a direct link between gender diversity in teams, and increased profitability. The “Diversity dividend: Female fund managers in Africa” series looks at firms that recognise this truth, and put diversity front and centre.
In episode two, Gabriella talks to Tokunboh Ishmael, co-founder and managing partner of female-focused Lagos-based VC firm Alitheia Capital. This podcast is commissioned by Boost Africa Technical Assistance Facility and financed by the European Union under EDF Thematic Blending and Cotonou Investment Facility.
DP #25: Diversity dividend – Female fund managers in Africa – The TLcom Ladies – June 26, 2022 – Female fund managers are very much in the minority worldwide. In the US, only nine per cent of decision makers in the VC space are women. In Africa, no definitive numbers are yet available, but female fund managers are hard to come by – a big mistake for the VC world, as data clearly demonstrates a direct link between gender diversity in teams, and increased profitability. The “Diversity dividend: Female fund managers in Africa” series looks at firms that recognise this truth, and put diversity front and centre.
In episode one, Gabriella talks to Omobola Johnson and Andreata Muforo, who together make up half the management team at Africa-focused VC firm TLcom Capital. This podcast is commissioned by Boost Africa Technical Assistance Facility and financed by the European Union under EDF Thematic Blending and Cotonou Investment Facility.
DP #24: The essential guide to African VC, episode 4 – May 1, 2022 – Disrupt Africa has partnered Quona Capital, 10X Entrepreneur, Catalyst Fund, and Knife Capital to put together a four-part podcast series on the African venture capital space – how it works, what its dynamics are, and what is happening in the sector.
“The essential guide to African VC” educates listeners in the “A-Z of African VC”, digging into venture capital, looking at its business model, how startups and VCs can work together to build Africa’s tech ecosystem, and what issues still remain to be resolved.
Episode four, the last in the series, looks at VCs as people, and what makes them tick. It discusses what makes a good VC, their backgrounds and motivations, and the issue of diversity in the space.
DP #23: The essential guide to African VC, episode 3 – April 24, 2022 – Disrupt Africa has partnered Quona Capital, 10X Entrepreneur, Catalyst Fund, and Knife Capital to put together a four-part podcast series on the African venture capital space – how it works, what its dynamics are, and what is happening in the sector.
“The essential guide to African VC” educates listeners in the “A-Z of African VC”, digging into venture capital, looking at its business model, how startups and VCs can work together to build Africa’s tech ecosystem, and what issues still remain to be resolved.
Episode three covers the different ways in which startups and venture capitalists work together once a deal is done, whether a VC can interfere too much, and why startups need to do their due diligence on their investors just as much as investors need to do it on them.
DP #22: The essential guide to African VC, episode 2 – April 17, 2022 – Disrupt Africa has partnered Quona Capital, 10X Entrepreneur, Catalyst Fund, and Knife Capital to put together a four-part podcast series on the African venture capital space – how it works, what its dynamics are, and what is happening in the sector.
“The essential guide to African VC” educates listeners in the “A-Z of African VC”, digging into venture capital, looking at its business model, how startups and VCs can work together to build Africa’s tech ecosystem, and what issues still remain to be resolved.
Episode two takes listeners through the anatomy of a VC deal – discussing how investments are made, where VCs source their startups from, and what due diligence looks like. We also look at potential exit routes for VCs, and how they go about ensuring they are prepared for them.
DP #21: The essential guide to African VC, episode 1 – April 10, 2022 – Disrupt Africa has partnered Quona Capital, 10X Entrepreneur, Catalyst Fund, and Knife Capital to put together a four-part podcast series on the African venture capital space – how it works, what its dynamics are, and what is happening in the sector.
“The essential guide to African VC” educates listeners in the “A-Z of African VC”, digging into venture capital, looking at its business model, how startups and VCs can work together to build Africa’s tech ecosystem, and what issues still remain to be resolved.
Episode one takes listeners through the nuts and bolts of VC, defining what venture actually is, telling them where VC firms get their money from, how they make money themselves, and what an investor actually does all day. It also addresses misconceptions entrepreneurs may have about venture capital, why it is there, and what it can do for them.
DP #19+20 – April 10, 2021 – Tom and Gabriella are joined by representatives of Flutterwave, Kuda and ImaliPay to discuss Nigerian fintech funding, while Justin Drennan of South Africa’s Parcelninja discusses his company’s recent acquisition. Episode also includes a wrap of all the latest African tech startup happenings, while Pieter Erasmus of South African fintech startup Ctrl “pitches the pod”.
DP #18 – February 14, 2021 – Tom and Gabriella are joined by Johan Bosini from the fintech-focused Quona Capital to discuss the founding round raised by Nigerian startup Cowrywise, while Philip Kiracofe from Startupbootcamp AfriTech discusses the return of Africa’s premier corporate-backed accelerator programme. Episode also includes a wrap of all the latest African tech startup happenings, while Adetolani Eko of Nigerian dating startup Vybe “pitches the pod”.
DP #17 – January 24, 2021 – Gabriella and Tom dig into the data from the newly-released African Tech Startups Funding Report 2020, which tracks a record year for investment into the ecosystem, and are joined by EchoVC’s Eghosa Omoigui to discuss the US$85 million funding round announced by Kenyan AI company Gro Intelligence. The episode also includes a wrap of all the latest African tech startup happenings, while Vincent Edigin of Nigeria’s Traindemy “pitches the pod”.
DP #16 – January 10, 2021 – Tom and Gabriella present Disrupt Africa’s 12 African startups to watch in 2021, and are joined by Timbo Drayson of Kenyan digital addressing startup OkHi. Episode also includes a wrap of all the latest African tech startup happenings, while Louis van Biljon of South Africa’s eVuna “pitches the pod”.
DP #15 – December 6, 2020 – Gabriella and Tom are joined by Lexi Novitske of Acuity Ventures and Aaron Fu of Sherpa Ventures. Episode also includes a wrap of all the latest African tech startup happenings, while Sydney Aigbogun of Nigerian fintech startup Cashbox “pitches the pod”.
DP #14 – November 22, 2020 – Tom and Gabriella are joined by angel investor Zach George, and Antoine Paillusseau of South African AI startup FinChatBot. Episode also includes a wrap of all the latest African tech startup happenings, while Amahle Ntshinga of South African e-commerce startup Luntu “pitches the pod”.
DP #13 – November 8, 2020 – Gabriella and Tom are joined by Peter Njonjo of Kenyan agri-tech company Twiga Foods, and Dr. Emmanuel Okeleji from Nigerian HR-tech startup SeamlessHR. Episode also includes a wrap of all the latest African tech startup ecosystem news, while Olamide Akomolafe of Kenya-based e-health startup Nadia “pitches the pod”.
DP #12 – October 25, 2020 – Gabriella and Tom are joined by Maelis Carraro of the fintech-focused Catalyst Fund, and Craig Buckley from South African prop-tech startup reOS. The episode also includes a wrap up of all the latest African tech startup happenings, including that Paystack news, while Moses Kimani of Kenyan agri-tech startup Lentera “pitches the pod”.
DP #11 – October 4, 2020 – Gabriella and Tom are joined by Etop Ikpe, CEO of Nigerian automotive technology startup Autochek, and Kofo Samusi, COO at corporate-backed accelerator Founders Factory Africa. The episode also includes a wrap up of all the latest African tech startup news, while Emmanuel Chatina of Malawian e-health startup Ocliya “pitches the pod”.
DP #10 – September 6, 2020 – Tom and Gabriella are joined by Emeka Ajene of West African startup Gozem as it transitions into a “super app” for Africa, while Frans Kronje of South African AI startup DataProphet takes us through his company’s US$6 million Series A round. The episode also includes a wrap up of all the latest African tech startup news, while Apollo Eric of Kenyan P2P remittances startup BitLipa “pitches the pod”.
DP #9 – August 23, 2020 – Gabriella and Tom are joined by Paul Kimani of Kenyan HR tech startup WorkPay in the wake of the company’s US$2.1 million funding round, while Jon Stever of i4policy tells us why Startup Acts are increasingly being put into place across the continent. The episode also includes a wrap up of all the latest African tech startup news, while Adeshina Adewumi of Nigerian retail-tech startup One Kiosk Africa “pitches the pod”.
DP #8 – August 9, 2020 – Tom and Gabriella are joined by Tevis Howard and Tiffany Card from Kenya-based conservation-tech startup Komaza to discuss the company’s US$28 million Series B investment, while Philani Sangweni, managing director of newly-founded South African VC firm E4E tells us how important it is for investors to bring more than just money to the table. The episode also includes a wrap up of all the latest African tech startup news, while Mouhamadou Sall of Senegalese digital addressing startup NIMA Codes “pitches the pod”.
DP #7 – July 26, 2020 – Tom and Gabriella are joined by Onyekachi Izukanne, CEO of Nigerian B2B e-commerce startup TradeDepot, in the wake of its US$10 million pre-Series B funding round, and Isis Nyong’o Madison, founder of Kenyan mothering platform MumsVillage, talks mergers after her company joined forces with Nigeria’s BabyBliss. Also includes a wrap of all the latest African tech startup news, while Ahmad Al-Kabbany of Egyptian e-health startup VRapeutic “pitches the pod”.
DP #6 – July 12, 2020 – Gabriella and Tom are joined by Luke Kyohere, co-founder of East African fintech startup Beyonic, in the wake of his company’s acquisition by the Johannesburg-based MFS Africa. Tomi Davies, president of the African Business Angel Network (ABAN), joins to discuss the ins and outs of valuing your tech startup. The episode also includes a wrap up of all the latest African tech startup news, while Emeka Mba-Kalu of Nigerian startup E Dey Shop “pitches the pod”.
DP #5 – June 28, 2020 – Tom and Gabriella are joined by a host of founders in the African e-health space as the team marks the release of the latest edition of its High Tech Health report with a deep dive into the sector. Also features Nnena Nkongho of growth capital firm DiGAME Investment Company and a wrap up of all the latest African tech startup news, while Gabriel Ekman of Rwandan ed-tech startup BAG Innovation “pitches the pod”.
DP #4 – June 14, 2020 – Gabriella and Tom are joined by Abe Cambridge, founder and CEO of Sun Exchange, and Medea Degbe, president of the Benin Business Angel Network. Also includes a wrap of all the latest African tech startup news, while Daisy Myburgh of South African prop-tech startup Roundr “pitches the pod”.
DP #3 – May 31, 2020 – Co-hosts Tom Jackson and Gabriella Mulligan are joined by Jim Chu, founder of Zoom-based pitching initiative The Nest, and Jeremy Leach, CEO of South African insurtech startup Inclusivity Solutions, to discuss the company’s recent funding round and its MNO partnerships model. The episode also includes a wrap up of all the latest African tech startup news, while Simon Githinji of CashBackApp “pitches the pod”.
DP #2 – May 17, 2020 – In the second episode of the Disrupt Podcast, co-hosts Tom Jackson and Gabriella Mulligan are joined by Helium Health CEO Adegoke Olubusi in the wake of its $10 million fundraise, as well as EWB Ventures investment director Muthoni Wachira to talk survival in the time of COVID. Also includes a wrap up of all the latest African tech startup news, while Isidore Kpotufe of stabus “pitches the pod”.
DP #1 – May 3, 2020 – In episode one of the Disrupt Podcast, co-hosts Gabriella Mulligan and Tom Jackson are joined by Iyinoluwa Aboyeji of the Future Africa Fund and Lungisa Matshoba, CTO of Yoco. Includes a wrap up of all the latest African tech startup news, including a detailed look at how the sector is adjusting to COVID-19, while Ayazona co-founder Samson Otieno is the first person to “Pitch the Pod”.