No bull sh*t business talk from the unfortunate souls building startups and selling dreams
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
Kuchera: "Augmented Intelligence" to improve mining operations, how this German-based, Zim-named startup is making it happen
We were joined by Kumbirai Chipadza (https://de.linkedin.com/in/kumbirai-chipadza-9a9b3b181) the co-founder of Kuchera (https://kuchera.global/) a startup that is looking to improve mining efficiency and reduce costs through vehicle and equipment tracking backed by Augmented Intelligence. The startup came about the BEAM, an initiative run by Beumer Group, one the largest intralogistics firms in the world under their venture builder program.
Kumbirai himself is no stranger to business across Europe and Africa as he was the former CEO of DeutschConnect, a business match-making platform for African startups to access European Markets.
He has not transitioned into this role at Kuchera and we spoke about:
What is Kuchera trying to achieve in a market with a solid number of competitors?
How the startup's product offering is going to compete with what's available on the market?
What Augmented Intelligence means in the context of mining operations.
How the Beumer Group's wealth of connections and money are helping the Venture Builder Enterprise
Is VB an alternative to going VC, what are the pitfalls and opportunities?
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
11 Jun 2023
By Bakari: Zim's Prince of African Print + the hustle and economics of fashion entrepreneurship.
Bakari Sibanda, the Head Designer and Founder of By Bakari a Zimbabwean Fashion Brand, joined us to talk about the exciting yet challenging world of fashion in Zimbabwe.
Entrepreneurship is not easy and it's harder still in the creative industry. Bakari answered some fundamental questions and they included:
How he creates and sources material
Processes and costs that influence the price of his designs
Trying and failing to sustain an e-commerce website
Dependency on social media as the only conceivable alternative to committing to an e-commerce platform
How he manages cashflow in Zimbabwe's unpredictable operating environment
The viability of "off the rack" vs custom/bespoke
Dealing with client demands and how to navigate tricky interactions
Managing "High-Value Clients" and honouring the reputation of the By Bakari Brand
What's hindering collaboration in the creative space in Zimbabwe
You can check out his work with the links below:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/by_bakari/?hl=en (https://www.instagram.com/by_bakari/?hl=en)
WhatsApp Catalogue (https://l.instagram.com/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwa.me%2Fc%2F263777959459&e=AT2Tne1aEmnxp_X8k97mm-okF4bSGW8vJ7dBezfuRA0LB3WVbSe9niw9LNmQ06pAtkxtMCzVBtManzzHR0E596QmZktHkJsLgaLE-1SI4hG1bQhq52y5nA)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
20 Mar 2023
EXCLUSIVE: Need Energy is now a Techstars-backed startup! Another Zimbo makes it with the very very best!
I had the absolute pleasure of interviewing Leroy Nyangani the co-founder and Team Lead at Need Energy, a SADC (but Zim-born) startup that was selected for the Techstars Equinor Accelerator. This makes it only the second startup with a Zimbabwean founder to be selected for a US-based accelerator. The only other startup is Afriblocks which has Zim's very own Tongayi Choto as a co-founder.
On this episode we talked about:
What is Need Energy as a startup and its origins
Why Need Energy is "betting the farm" on smart meters
How the startup is using data to create renewable energy markets at the end of the grid
The way Need Energy's platform allows Independent Power Producers (IPPs) to sell energy to end users
How it created Zimbabwe's first Virtual Energy Grid
Need Energy's work with traditional gas and electricity providers to create a smart energy mix for its SADC markets
The future of Renewables in Africa and the world over
What this opportunity means to Need Energy as it scales
Techstars Equinor Announcement: https://www.techstars.com/newsroom/announcing-the-2023-equinor-and-techstars-energy-accelerator-class
Need Energy's website: https://www.needenergy.io/
Leroy Nyangani's LinkedIn: https://zw.linkedin.com/in/leroy-t-nyangani
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
25 Feb 2023
"Investors get FOMO" but you have to know how to play the game with Simba Mswaka
On this episode, I was joined by the man, the myth, the almost legend, Simba Mswaka (MBA) or you might know him as @DrMswagga (https://twitter.com/DrMswagga) on Twitter, to go over the state of Zim startups as well as the African startup landscape as a whole:
Is Simba a secret service agent because he is everywhere where there is an innovation program or activity?
How pitching can become a drug...
Do Hackathons (like the ones POTRAZ does) actually help the ecosystem or are they just another easy payday for the seasoned "pitchists"?
What do you have to do to attract VC money in Zim?
Do Zim startups get that they have to tell a good story to get money from international investors?
Where is the money going in the Zim and African startup ecosystem?
Are there any African startups left because everyone seems to be registered in Delaware (Zim startups included)?
What is Deal Flow and how can startups get "QUALITY DEAL FLOW"?
Who are the big Venture Capital and Venture Builders in Southern Africa?
Why isn't Econet Group the biggest Venture Builder or VC in SADC because they don't have to build everything?
How do we get more VC Money for Southern Africa?
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
10 Jan 2023
Unlocking loans for the underserved through transactions with Kudzai Mukute from Akiba Digital
I was joined by Kudzai Mukute the Chief Operating Officer at Akiba Digital (https://www.akibadigital.com/), a South African startup that has an alternative credit scoring system that unlocks financing (credit or loans) for underserved individuals and SSMEs through transaction histories.
In this episode we covered:
What is Akiba Digital?
How their alternative credit scoring system works
The impact of the system on the lending industry
Akiba's other SAAS (Software as a Service) product for lenders
How Akiba helps SMEs with market and business insights
How Akiba generates revenue from all of its operations and which product makes the most money
The impending or current recession and what predictions Kudzai has about credit demand
Funding and how Akiba is going over and above the US$1.1 million it raised (https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/akiba-digital) in 2021
How Akiba has incorporated mobile money into its alternative credit scoring engine
Akiba's expansion into Kenya
a .zedw podcast project
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
6 Jan 2023
Why do Zim products & brands look inferior? We need to change that! with Sherman Baloyi from OnaDsgn
The design and brand space in Zimbabwe is chaotic right now, everyone wants everything quickly and the best principles for visual design are not being followed. To get more about this we spoke to Sherman Baloyi, the Creative Director at OnaDsgn, a brand strategy and design studio in Harare, Zimbabwe to go over:
What is OnaDsgn?
How did Sherman start OnaDsgn and what were the challenges he faced in the local market?
What are people earning in Africa as opposed to Zimbabwe?
How to quantify the price of the design process to sceptical customers.
The values of good design.
Creative freedom in the creative process?
The design landscape in Zimbabwe as opposed to the rest of Africa.
What are we doing right and wrong in Zim when it comes to visual communication of companies and products?
Who are the players in the brand strategy and design space in Zimbabwe?
Why sometimes Zimbabwean products look inferior to their continental and international counterparts.
Which local companies, blue chip or startup, have designed international-grade brands?
Is Zimbabwe as a product packaged well? Which government ministries have brand style guides?
You can check out Sherman's work and OnaDsgn with the links below:
https://shermanbaloyi.com/
https://www.instagram.com/onadsgn/?hl=en
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
21 Dec 2022
You're a startup & you're in payments? In SADC?! You must be out of your f*&king mind!
Ex-Paynow Project Manager and Developer Harvey Binamu joined us to talk about the Payments Wild West in Zimbabwe and Southern Africa. It's not for the weak and even the strong get chewed up.
What EcoCash meant to the Zimbabwean Payments Ecosystem?
Why are startups in Zim fighting for 5.47% of the value of transactions in the National Payment System?
What can we expect from the AfCTA in terms of payment rails
Why is there no interoperability in payments across SADC?
Is Chipper Cash preparing for a proper push in SADC?
Why is there no ZIPIT API available to the public?
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
16 Dec 2022
Getting a cut of the BILLIONS in the African logistics space with Thumeza CEO Gugu Siso
Plugging into the billion-dollar logistics value chain is not a small task. We hear from logistics fintech Thumeza CEO, Gugu Siso about the following:
What the hell is Thumeza?
How much is the logistics space worth on the continent?
What it meant to transition from last-mile delivery to fintech
What fintech looks like in logistics B2B
Being a CEO and selling dreams
How to plug into the value chain
Are you ready for the Africa Free Trade Area?
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Contact Fighting Founder
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of Fighting Founder?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
