The Akro Podcast: Recent Episodes
Akro Holdings (Pty) Ltd
Akro is an early-stage accelerator for African startups - this is its podcast, which aims to provide a portal into the minds of key players in the early-stage scene for the next generation of entrepreneurs and investors. The go-to podcast for serious discussions on all things startup in Africa, we put Africa in the spotlight and provide transparency into successes, weaknesses and learnings for all who believe in innovation on the continent.
This episode is part of a series of startup profiles we're doing to showcase the businesses in Akro's first township accelerator. This means that all the startups in this cohort either have a founder who grew up in, or is based in a township, or, that the startup does business within the township economy.
This time we have on Hiten Keshave the founder and CEO of Shop Online Today .
This episode is part of a series of startup profiles we're doing to showcase the businesses in Akro's first township accelerator. This means that all the startups in this cohort either have a founder who grew up in, or is based in a township, or, that the startup does business within the township economy.
This time we have on Rodney Roskruge, the CEO and founder of Khangelani Business College.
This episode is part of a series of startup profiles we're doing to showcase the businesses in Akro's first township accelerator. This means that all the startups in this cohort either have a founder who grew up in, or is based in a township, or that the startup does business within the township economy.
This time we have on Lindelo Magubane, the CEO and Cofounder of Urban Farm KwaZulu Natal Agro.
This episode is part of a series of startup profiles we're doing to showcase the businesses in Akro's first township accelerator. This means that all the startups in this cohort either have a founder who grew up in, or is based in a township, or that the startup does business within the township economy.
This time we have on Kanya Mtsaka and Piwe Qangule, the CEO and COO of East Jaguar International which is an award-winning call answering and telemarketing service provider.
https://www.eastjaguar.co.za
We chat to Leonard Moliki in the first of a series of startup profiles we're doing to showcase the businesses in Akro's first Township Accelerator. This means that all the startups in this cohort either have a founder who grew up in, or is based in a township, or that the startup does business within the township economy.
Up first we have Leonard Moliki from Faded Black Innovations.
Endeavor is like a startup accelerator, but they have a global presence and they are focused further down the line than Akro is, this means they work with small to medium-sized post-revenue businesses and they provide them with high quality mentorship from CEOs, entrepreneurs, industry experts and academics. This mentorship network helps select high-impact entrepreneurs that run potential venture-scale startups and then through a series of programmes, Endeavor quips them with the resources needed to scale.
In this interview we cover Alison's background in INtrepreneurship and what brought her to Endeavor, what Endeavor does in depth, the spirit of mentorship in south africa, and we
end with a quickfire round of questions.
Alison's LinkedIn
Endeavor's Website
This episode, we have on Idan Jaan who is CEO and Cofounder of Fundrr. A platform that uses tech to provide easy and simple access to finance for SMEs in South Africa. The sound quality isn't our usual standard in this episode, but it's well worth sticking with, because Idan gives us a taste of what it was like to startup and get rejected by investors around 60 times, and how it isn't all rainbows and unicorns. We also go into the Dunning-Kruger Effect and how it contributed to both our developments.
Find out more about Fundrr here: www.fundrr.co.za
Dylan Fletcher reads an article from our blog that takes you through the basics of fundraising and where to start in South Africa.
Theo Kitshoff is a Cofounder and Head of Commercial at Sticitt, which aims to simplify financial services, from first principles i.e. from the customer need first.
Financial Services evolved from the start around the competitive and regulatory space rather than around the actual customer need, from first principles, as Sticitt puts it.
In our discussion, we start off covering Theo’s education in Quantitative Risk Management and his CFA, background in the banking space, accounting, and his early ambitions in golf.
We then move onto why Sticcit was founded and the vision, the back end, cofounding team, regulation and more..
For more info visit www.sticitt.co.za
Dylan Fletcher reads an article from www.venturescale.co that is a collection of quotes from the greats on how to pick cofounders... all in one place.
Julian is a Director at WhereIsMyTransport which works in emerging markets around the world, using data and technology to improve the experience of using informal public transport for billions of people.
Julian also has a long history of supporting startups and small businesses as an advisor and coach. For the uninitiated, this means that he brings a little grey hair to the table when brilliant, energetic young companies need wisdom and experience to develop their business and scale up. Julian has coached and advised small and medium-sized companies in the UK, the US, France and South Africa.
In our discussion we cover many topics including the advisor-startup relationship and how to make it work for you, pitching for funding and for new business, why your choice of cofounders really matters, why you should break up the boys’ club early, and the fundamental importance of storytelling.
Tomi is a Nigerian British investor, speaker, author, entrepreneur, philanthropist and advisor to technology companies. As a tech advisor, he has outstanding experience building large-scale technology-enabled systems in the US, Europe, and Africa gained from a variety of executive leadership roles with global brands including Ernst & Young, Marks & Spencer, Elf Aquitaine, Sapient and the One Laptop Per Child project.
As a speaker he has delivered more than 100 key-note speeches all over the world, and as an angel investor, he co-founded the Lagos Angel Network, is president of the African Business Angel Network and is a board member of the World Business Angels Forum and the Global Business Angels Network and invests in startups through his accelerator TVCLabs based in Lagos, Nigeria.
for more info or to reach out, check out tomidavies.com
Hannah has been investing in Africa for the past 7 years, mainly as a portfolio manager in a large private equity firm and more recently in her personal capacity as an angel investor in a prominent gender angel fund in South Africa. Hannah has also recently been appointed as a senator to represent South Africa in the Grand Assembly of the World Business Angels Investment Forum.
Dylan Fletcher reads an article from our blog, outlining the advantages of being part of an accelerator program.
Jason Basel explains his history, what he's up to lately and all about AKRO Accelerate.
He's then put on the spot during a series of no-think YES/NO rapid-fire Questions.