Unicorn

9 out of every 10 start-ups fail globally. With a statistic like that, it is almost impossible to build a career as a first-time founder. This strengthens the idea of 2nd-time founders being a near-mandatory part of any tech founder’s journey. In Africa, it has trapped a lot of founders between a rock and a hard place, as 2nd-time founders may be trusted more because of their experience; however, on the other hand, we have seen a trend on the continent of founders not being afforded the grace to fail with the possibility of finding investment again. Ultimately, this dilemma has seen many people come up with their own definitions of a 2nd-time founder, based on where they feel they have had a total rebuild or reset of their career. So, what is a 2nd-time founder? In the final episode of season 2- Thulani, Kopano and Bubu shed light on the definition of a 2nd-time founder, while reflecting on their own journey and whether or not they consider themselves 2nd-time founders. What are the expectations that are placed on a 2nd-time founder? Why the hype around them? Is it ideal to have the experience of a failed start-up, or does it taint your reputation, particularly in Africa? Tune in to find out more on this episode of Unicorn: brought to you by Engage Africa Media!

A dilemma that a lot of African founders in the technology industry face is the idea that living abroad makes one a much more attractive prospect. Is that the case, and if it is- why? Could it be the expertise you are exposed to when living in the Valley? Could it be the quality of accelerators and VC funds you have been in contact with or a part of? Does the experience of tech developers in SA somehow differ from that of someone overseas? In this episode, Kopano, Thulani and Bubu go over the possibility of the existence of the “International Stint Dilemma”, and the possible reasons for its existence. They bring it home by trying to understand how this dilemma affects the African Tech market and how one can circumvent it, if possible. Brought to you by Engage Africa Media!

When creating a tech startup, it’s important to know the audience that you want to serve. Do you supply services to individual customers (B2C) or do you go for other businesses (B2B)? With Business to Consumer (B2C), one may find barriers to markets very difficult to overcome, as the Cost of Customer Acquisition proves too expensive for them to keep up with big corporations. On the other hand, while Business to Business (B2B) may seem to have more opportunity for success, landing the clients in the first place becomes a huge obstacle when you don’t have a reputation or resources to land your first big client.  So, which one do we go with? In this episode, our hosts take us through the opportunities and difficulties each business model comes with, and how to navigate the two models. Is the market for B2C big enough? Does B2B offer a higher chance of success? Join Thulani, Kopano and Bubu as they look to investigate this further.

When we look at countries like the USA, China and even India, we can agree that containing a large population goes a long way in aiding tech companies in their pursuit of “Unicorn Status”. Being able to service a large customer-base without having to take multiple governments, laws and policies into consideration allows tech founders to expand their companies much easier, thus reaching the Unicorn phase quicker.  Barring the likes of Nigeria, Africa has within it a large number of smaller-sized countries, with relatively smaller populations. It is this very notion that sees many founders struggle to reach Unicorn Status by serving their own countries, and see a need for rapid expansion across the continent. This while having to consider different governments and the ways in which they operate, makes the idea of “Rapid Expansion” in Africa a considerably more difficult objective to achieve. In this episode, we find out more about why even with a large continental population, tech companies find it difficult to expand, as we draw parallels between the African tech market and markets abroad.

According to Mike Lazaridis, founder of BlackBerry: “a Super-App is a closed ecosystem of many apps that people would use every day because they offer such a seamless, integrated, contextualized and efficient experience”. In today’s episode, we talk about Super-Apps in Africa and their rise in popularity as businesses look to create multi-layered solutions in order to reach Unicorn status on the continent. In the first episode of this season, Kopano, Bubu and Thulani walk us through what Super-Apps are, why they exist (while comparing the African market to others around the world), and whether or not the “Super-App” business model is sustainable in Africa. By covering this, they want to figure out whether this trend is a viable option for entrepreneurs to use in their pursuit of Unicorn status.

Season 2 is here, and the podcast is better than ever! Your favourite hosts Thulani Masebenza, Kopano Mere & Bubu Buna are bringing you more trends in the African tech space as they take a deeper dive into what it takes to build Africa’s next Unicorn! “What is a Super-App and why do they exist?”, “Can seeing Africa as a country aid tech companies in expanding rapidly?”; your hosts will hold conversations around the current Afro-technological landscape, and whether they believe these will lead our continent to witnessing the birth of its next Unicorn. Stay tuned, and WELCOME BACK!

In this bonus episode we invited Karidas Tshintsholo the CEO and Co-Founder of Khula!, a leading B2B agri-tech company based in South Africa. The company has built a tech ecosystem servicing farmers, food buyers, agri-input suppliers, funders and other key role players. We cover the journey that Karidas took in building Khula, the importance of co-founders, a few food puns and the toughest challenges one faces when trying to build a startup within South Africa  Let us know what you think of our conversation or any questions you may have about the challenges you face in your community. We’d love to hear from you: http://bit.ly/3cJr8yM Music By Jeff Kaale – For Love – https://youtu.be/tPGtKpvR72s Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Jeffkaale/ Twitter – https://twitter.com/jeff_kaale Soundcloud – https://soundcloud.com/jeff-kaale More episodes here ---> Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2CCUIHO More episodes here ---> Stitcher - https://bit.ly/2NsRwRk More episodes here ---> Apple Podcast - https://apple.co/2Z9aAt0

We took a trip around the world on a tractor and we’re finally circling back to where we started. This season we looked at Food Insecurity, a billion-dollar opportunity in Africa. If there was ever a crash course on agri & agri-tech, this season of Unicorn would definitely be it. In the final episode of the season, we reflect on our learnings and the conversations we’ve had with extraordinary entrepreneurs, idealists & innovators. Let us know what you think of our conversation or any questions you may have about the challenges you face in your community. We’d love to hear from you: http://bit.ly/3cJr8yM Music By Jeff Kaale – For Love – https://youtu.be/tPGtKpvR72s Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Jeffkaale/ Twitter – https://twitter.com/jeff_kaale Soundcloud – https://soundcloud.com/jeff-kaale More episodes here ---> Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2CCUIHO More episodes here ---> Stitcher - https://bit.ly/2NsRwRk More episodes here ---> Apple Podcast - https://apple.co/2Z9aAt0

In this episode, we talk to the stupendous Sean and Kristi Rennie. This power couple were the brains behind a startup called Stockman.  This episode goes to a whole load of different places, from chatting around global warming and what effect grazing has on that, to alternatives to veganism to whether the impossible burger is good for you or not! We also cover some really poignant lessons on what being a part of an early-stage startup is like and how to make tough decisions. Let us know what you think of our conversation or any questions you may have about the challenges you face in your community. We’d love to hear from you: http://bit.ly/3cJr8yM Music By Jeff Kaale – For Love – https://youtu.be/tPGtKpvR72s Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Jeffkaale/ Twitter – https://twitter.com/jeff_kaale Soundcloud – https://soundcloud.com/jeff-kaale More episodes here ---> Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2CCUIHO More episodes here ---> Stitcher - https://bit.ly/2NsRwRk More episodes here ---> Apple Podcast - https://apple.co/2Z9aAt0

In this episode we talk to exceptional women in agriculture, Palesa Motaung and Bonolo Molewa. They take us on a rapid learning curve on the incredibly vast and interesting agri field. From the value chain of farming to identifying some of the biggest problems that face smallholder farmers and possible solutions that could go a long way in addressing our food insecurity problems. Bonolo is a seed forecast planner at Bayer Crop Science and Palesa holds her masters degree in soil science and is a soil scientist and researcher. Links to Check Out Music By Jeff Kaale – For Love – https://youtu.be/tPGtKpvR72s Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Jeffkaale/ Twitter – https://twitter.com/jeff_kaale Soundcloud – https://soundcloud.com/jeff-kaale Let us know what you think of our conversation or any questions you may have about the challenges you face in your community. We’d love to hear from you: https://bit.ly/3jeDXD8 More episodes here ---> Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2CCUIHO More episodes here ---> Stitcher - https://bit.ly/2NsRwRk More episodes here ---> Apple Podcast - https://apple.co/2Z9aAt0

In this eFood Insecurity: A Hunger for Success w/Siyanda Mthethwapisode we talk to Siyanda Mthethwa, founder of Kuloola, a startup that is on a mission to digitise Africa’s rural FMCG supply chain, while delivering groceries & inventory to households & Spazashops. We chat to Siyanda about his journey on solving food insecurity and how a few random moments of kindness laid the seeds of his vision to have an impact on the people of South Africa Links to Check Out Siyanda’s Startup: https://kuloola.com/ Music By Jeff Kaale – For Love – https://youtu.be/tPGtKpvR72s Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Jeffkaale/ Twitter – https://twitter.com/jeff_kaale Soundcloud – https://soundcloud.com/jeff-kaale Let us know what you think of our conversation or any questions you may have about the challenges you face in your community. We’d love to hear from you: https://bit.ly/3jeDXD8 More episodes here ---> Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2CCUIHO More episodes here ---> Stitcher - https://bit.ly/2NsRwRk More episodes here ---> Apple Podcast - https://apple.co/2Z9aAt0

In the first official episode on the new Unicorn season, we chat about what is food security, and what causes it. We also delve into the ins and outs of the agri value chain and of course, what startups are doing in the space. Music By Jeff Kaale – For Love – https://youtu.be/tPGtKpvR72s Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Jeffkaale/ Twitter – https://twitter.com/jeff_kaale Soundcloud – https://soundcloud.com/jeff-kaale Let us know what you think of our conversation or any questions you may have about the challenges you face in your community. We’d love to hear from you: https://bit.ly/3jeDXD8 More episodes here ---> Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2CCUIHO More episodes here ---> Stitcher - https://bit.ly/2NsRwRk More episodes here ---> Apple Podcast - https://apple.co/2Z9aAt0

In today’s episode, we’re discussing change! Changes in our lives, changes in our startups and changes in the podcast. Links to Check Out Conversation about why we put so much stock in what we do - https://open.spotify.com/episode/32pmosrpgfsBKeYnjdxKzT?si=pLs6iv6tRBG4hzBKh90CvQ Music By Jeff Kaale – For Love – https://youtu.be/tPGtKpvR72s Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Jeffkaale/ Twitter – https://twitter.com/jeff_kaale Soundcloud – https://soundcloud.com/jeff-kaale Let us know what you think of our conversation or any questions you may have about the challenges you face in your community. We’d love to hear from you: https://bit.ly/3jeDXD8 More episodes here ---> Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2CCUIHO More episodes here ---> Stitcher - https://bit.ly/2NsRwRk More episodes here ---> Apple Podcast - https://apple.co/2Z9aAt0

Europe, the travel capital of the world, the home of the Champions League, the mecca of sports cars, super cars and hypercars, with a whopping GDP of over $20.5 trillion, you’d think that they would have the world's most thriving startup ecosystem, right? But what if I told you that startups that were founded in the 2000s from the US, on average raised $7.3 billion compared to a mere $1.6 billion by startups from the EU? The US has over 135 Unicorns whereas the EU has 160, but, the EU is made up out of 27 countries Why is this the case? Linkshttps://flutterwave.comhttps://heliumhealth.comhttps://sweepsouth.com Ecosystem Components1. Experienced Mentors2. Regulatory Environment3. A Collaborative Culture4. Visible Successes5. Availability of Capital6. Risk Tolerance7. Technical Skills8. Entrepreneurial Culture Music ByJeff Kaale – For Love – https://youtu.be/tPGtKpvR72sFacebook – https://www.facebook.com/Jeffkaale/Twitter – https://twitter.com/jeff_kaaleSoundcloud – https://soundcloud.com/jeff-kaale Let us know what you think of our conversation or any questions you may have about the challenges you face in your community. We’d love to hear from you: https://forms.gle/sj7sksMvxYW4umVX8  More episodes here ---> Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2CCUIHOMore episodes here ---> Stitcher - https://bit.ly/2NsRwRkMore episodes here ---> Apple Podcast - https://apple.co/2Z9aAt0

Mumbai, Jakarta, Zurich, Greater Helsinki, Guangzhou, Barcelona, Madrid, Philadelphia, Manchester & Liverpool. What do all these cities have in common? Well, according to Startup Genome - A policy advisory and research firm, these are the top 10 Emerging Startup Ecosystems in the world. If you’re wondering what’s the highest ranking African city? It’s Cairo. And you know what’s really sad? They are not even in the top 50... But wait, what is an ecosystem? Why is it so important? And Why is there no African City in the top 10?? LinksHow Twitch Started - https://www.businessinsider.com/the-story-of-video-game-streaming-site-twitch-2014-10?IR=T Music ByJeff Kaale – For Love – https://youtu.be/tPGtKpvR72sFacebook – https://www.facebook.com/Jeffkaale/Twitter – https://twitter.com/jeff_kaaleSoundcloud – https://soundcloud.com/jeff-kaale Let us know what you think of our conversation or any questions you may have about the challenges you face in your community. We’d love to hear from you: https://forms.gle/sj7sksMvxYW4umVX8  More episodes here ---> Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2CCUIHOMore episodes here ---> Stitcher - https://bit.ly/2NsRwRkMore episodes here ---> Apple Podcast - https://apple.co/2Z9aAt0

Within one week, Brain Chesky, the co-founder and CEO of AirBnB, went from planning their IPO to figuring out what to do with over 1 billion dollars worth of reservations that guests wanted to cancel. In the meantime, Eric Yuan, the founder and CEO of Zoom saw the number of meetings go from 10 million to a staggering 300 million meetings per day in just 3 short months. The novel coronavirus has had a dramatic impact on all facets of our lives, but it has had an incredibly interesting effect on Unicorns. Some, like Amazon, Google and Netflix have thrived and surged during the pandemic, while others, like WeWork, Uber and Lyft have had to make tough decisions in these last few months which we will probably feel the effect of for many years to come. Music By Jeff Kaale – For Love – https://youtu.be/tPGtKpvR72s Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Jeffkaale/ Twitter – https://twitter.com/jeff_kaale Soundcloud – https://soundcloud.com/jeff-kaale Let us know what you think of our conversation or any questions you may have about the challenges you face in your community. We’d love to hear from you: https://forms.gle/sj7sksMvxYW4umVX8 More episodes here ---> Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2CCUIHO More episodes here ---> Stitcher - https://bit.ly/2NsRwRk More episodes here ---> Apple Podcast - https://apple.co/2Z9aAt0

In 1975, a Harvard University student dropped out of school to pursue his business, today that company is worth billions of dollars. Can you guess who the student is? If you said Bill Gates, you’re absolutely correct. And there’s been many other examples, think about Steve Jobs or recently even Mark Zuckerberg. This trend has indirectly created the odd view that formal education and entrepreneurship cannot co-exist. But is this true? In this episode we will explore whether there is a link between education and entrepreneurship. Music ByJeff Kaale – For Love – https://youtu.be/tPGtKpvR72sFacebook – https://www.facebook.com/Jeffkaale/Twitter – https://twitter.com/jeff_kaaleSoundcloud – https://soundcloud.com/jeff-kaale Let us know what you think of our conversation or any questions you may have about the challenges you face in your community. We’d love to hear from you: https://forms.gle/sj7sksMvxYW4umVX8  More episodes here ---> Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2CCUIHOMore episodes here ---> Stitcher - https://bit.ly/2NsRwRkMore episodes here ---> iTunes - https://apple.co/2Z9aAt0

Since the last decade, Africa has been hailed as the world’s last frontier market. By 2055, the continent’s youth population is expected to be more than double, by 2030, 43% of Africans will belong to the middle or upper classes and it seems the whole world knows that Africa is riddled with problems that could unlock economic value. Just last year, Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Twitter was playing around with the idea of moving to Africa for up to 6 months. In this episode, we start our journey of exploring the African landscape & the unique problems faced in Africa.  Let us know what you think of our conversation or any questions you may have about the challenges you face in your community. We’d love to hear from you: https://forms.gle/sj7sksMvxYW4umVX8   

10 years ago, WeWork, Lyft & InstaCart did not exist but today are valued at over $1 Billion each. Over 40 years ago, Shoprite, a retail giant in South Africa, was founded. Today, Shoprite is valued at about $7 Billion. How crazy is that? In this episode, we learn about the stories of the hosts, what led them to entrepreneurship and how they eventually made the jump. We also take a look at the key differences between a “start-up” and a “small business”, and why there is a particular hype around Unicorns.   Let us know what you think of our conversation or any questions you may have about building/working with a start-up. We’d love to hear from you: https://forms.gle/sj7sksMvxYW4umVX8