The Trajectory Africa
The Trajectory Africa is a pop-up podcast exploring the trajectory — or pathway — of venture capital and startup formation in Africa. Modeled on the concept of a mixtape, each episode features a conversation with a "guest artist." Three seasons, 45 episodes. Click any episode to listen.
Season 3 · Digital Commerce & Logistics
The finale. The Trajectory Africa wraps up its run as a pop-up podcast designed to explore the first principles of VC and tech entrepreneurship in Africa as they emerge in real time.
Lydia Idem, COO of LoftyInc Capital and MD of FM Capital Group, on what "point of sale" really means in African markets and the investment thesis emerging from digital commerce.
Nick Joshi, founder and CEO of Leta, on how AI optimizes delivery routes and tracks shipments in real time — and why efficiency compounds differently at African logistics scale.
Bamba Lo, CEO and co-founder of Paps, on building technology-enabled logistics across Francophone Africa and why end-to-end infrastructure is the only way to solve the continent's trade bottlenecks.
Logistics account for up to 75% of the price of goods in Africa. A deep dive into why moving goods across the continent remains one of its toughest economic challenges — and what Lori is doing about it.
Samora Kariuki, CEO of Frontier Fintech and former Director at Sote, on building digital logistics and supply chain infrastructure — and what the business model for freight forwarding in Africa actually looks like.
Mark Kiarie, Co-founder and CEO of Chpter, on conversational commerce and how AI helps businesses sell through social channels — reframing what digital commerce means for African merchants.
Kelvin Umechukwu, founder and CEO of Bumpa, on providing sellers with integrated digital commerce tools — and what it means to be a one-stop shop for small business in Nigeria.
Keturah Ovio, CEO of Dukka, on changing how small businesses operate in Nigeria — integrating inventory, payments, and customer management into a single platform built for African merchants.
Ismael Belkhayat, CEO and founder of Chari, on building a B2B e-commerce and fintech platform for traditional retailers in French-speaking Africa — and the hard economics of the path to profitability.
Sidy Niang and Jessica Long, co-founders of Maad, on connecting FMCG brands and retailers in Senegal — and why asset efficiency is the key to cracking B2B e-commerce in single African markets.
Firas Ahmad, CEO of Sarafu and AzamPay in Tanzania, on why informal retailers aren't informal at all — and how B2B e-commerce can capture the value they create.
Kikonde Mwatela, former COO of Twiga, on how the company tackled a fundamental problem in Kenya's banana supply chain — and what it takes to make a complex, asset-heavy operation repeatable at scale.
Stephen Deng, General Partner at DFS Lab, introduces a framework explaining why technology transitions on the continent follow different curves — and why realistic optimism is the right posture for investors.
Season 2 · The Engine of African Venture
The second series' capstone — a two-part exploration of what powers fundamental value creation in African venture, bridging fintech and digital commerce.
A synthesis episode exploring the drivers and assumptions underlying investable opportunities in fintech — working towards a coherent investment thesis for African venture.
A deep dive into the payment rails and trade infrastructure that make African fintech possible — and why the "boring" infrastructure layer is often the most consequential investment.
A conversation on how MAX is applying fintech thinking to electric vehicle access — and what democratizing mobility infrastructure means for Africa's next wave of growth.
An exploration of savings-led consumer finance models and whether "save now, buy later" is a more culturally resonant alternative to BNPL for African consumers.
How community-based social intelligence can underwrite microbusiness lending in contexts where formal credit data is scarce — a conversation on alternative credit models in African fintech.
Kiiru Muhoya and Judith Bogonko of Fingo on building a partner-powered neobank — and why cultivating Africa's ambitious youth as the next generation of consumers is the real growth thesis.
Yele Oyekola, Co-founder and CEO of Duplo, on streamlining financial operations for African businesses — and how B2B payments can unseat cash by embedding into existing value chains.
David Ogundeko, Founder of Funema, on last-mile infrastructure and why venture building — not just venture investing — may be the right model for certain African markets.
Ola Oyetayo, co-founder and CEO of Verto, on cross-border payments for African corporates and the alchemy of managing price and currency volatility across fragmented markets.
How Worldline is translating payments infrastructure into solutions across African markets — a look at what a coherent payments strategy from rails to end user actually looks like.
Wiza Jalakasi, Director for Africa Market Development at EBANX, on why consumer payments remain one of the hardest problems in African fintech and what infrastructure-building really requires.
Samora Kariuki, CEO of Frontier Fintech, lays the conceptual foundation for this series — asking what financial systems in Africa actually look like and what it takes to build them.
Abraham Augustine of trendsAf and Norrsken on how physical infrastructure constraints shape the ceiling for Africa's digital economy — and why "long arm, no mouth" syndrome is a trap.
Season 1 · The First Principles of African Venture
Dans les Coulisses, Episode 5. A look at the regulatory and cultural complexity of venture building in Francophone Africa — and how founders navigate a market that rewards those who do the homework.
Dans les Coulisses, Episode 4. An exploration of unmet market need in Francophone Africa, where access, distribution, and trust dynamics differ sharply from Anglophone markets.
Omar Cissé, founder, investor, and ecosystem builder, on VC opportunities in Francophone markets, the role of local capital, and what it takes to grow the continent's own startup champions.
A capstone episode synthesizing the key principles for understanding African venture that emerged across Season 1 — connecting threads from founders, fund managers, and LP conversations.
Babacar Seck of Proparco on how DFI LPs evaluate and support African VC funds — and what development finance institutions contribute to the broader venture ecosystem.
Danai Musandu on the fundraising process, how it differs by LP type, what LPs look for in fund managers, and why the best fundraising goes far beyond what's in the deck.
Adenike Sheriff, co-founder of Future Africa, on charting an unlikely path into VC and why "blank slate" thinking can produce surprisingly durable investment philosophies.
Eghosa Omoigui, Managing General Partner of EchoVC Partners, on what it takes to design high-performing Africa-focused funds — and how exits actually work on the continent.
Barbara Iyayi, CEO & Founding Partner of Unicorn Growth Capital, on fintech as a cross-cutting enabler and investment opportunity — and the gap between perception and reality in African markets.
A look at building a tech-enabled ecosystem to connect African SME borrowers to capital — and why lending infrastructure for small business remains one of the continent's most critical gaps.
A deep dive into the SME investment opportunity in Africa — how it compares to tech VC, what tech-enabled SMEs and venture-backed companies share, and why the distinction matters less than you'd think.
How Stears became the "Bloomberg of Africa" — on the proper size of consumer and B2B markets, the economics of disposable income, and what enabling consumption really requires.
Jake Kendall on his path to Africa-focused investing, why digital commerce is a robust opportunity, and what "consumer markets" actually means when you look past the aggregate numbers.
Dr. Dotun Olowoporoku on his path to Africa-focused investing, the mental models he brought to the work, and why the case for African startup success is ultimately a homegrown one.
Tony Chen, Partner at Verdant Frontiers and co-founder of Kinyungu Ventures, on his journey to Africa-focused investing and a contrarian take on what it means to truly chase outliers.