African Small Businesses Have Many Challenges. Can These Platforms Help?

There are millions of Moniepoint point-of-sale terminals in use across Nigeria. These point-of-sale devices power Nigeria’s offline economy, and while there are many competitors in this space, Moniepoint appears to beating them all. How did they do it? How did Moniepoint grow so quickly? And why has it become the preferred choice for agents and merchants across Nigeria?In this episode, we hit the streets of Lagos with Ezekiel Sanni, Moniepoint's Senior Vice President of Distribution Network Sales.Moniepoint has been recognized as Africa's fastest-growing fintech by the Financial Times in 2023 and 2024. Last year, they processed over $182 billion in payments. Moniepoint (formerly TeamApt) was founded by Tosin Eniolorunda in 2015. 00:00 - Moniepoint is winning Nigeria's fintech battle01:28 - What do agents want?02:19 - Nigeria's banking challenges03:34 - Moniepoint's business banking strategy04:49 - Moniepoint's distribution strategyCheck out our roundtable conversation with Monieponit's CEO, Tosin Eniolorunda, Kuda's Babs Ogundeyi, and FairMoney's Laurin Hainy - https://theflip.africa/podcast/nigerian-neobank-roundtable-moniepoint-kuda-fairmoney Our Links -🎥  YouTube - https://youtube.com/@TheFlipAfrica💻 Website - https://theflip.africa🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/theflipafrica👥 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/theflipafrica/📸 Instagram - https://instagram.com/theflipafrica

Small retailers in Nigeria power the economy. But they’re going through some tough times. Devaluation, food inflation, and overall poor economic conditions have made it especially hard for these small businesses to operate.To better understand how retail works, and how these small businesses can grow, we hit the streets of Lagos with Deepankar Rustagi, CEO of OmniRetail.OmniRetail was ranked Africa's #1 Fastest Growing Company in 2024 by Financial Times.In this episode, Deepankar explains small retailers' working capital challenges and how OmniRetail is helping them grow their business by turning over their inventory faster.00:00 - Intro01:00 - Working capital02:08 - Faster inventory turnover02:48 - Lack of credit03:39 - Understanding consumer demand04:57 - Building a Systematically Important PlatformRead more from Deepankar -  Rethinking Metrics in B2B Commerce: https://theflip.africa/newsletter/rethinking-metrics-in-b2b-ecommerce Learn more about OmniRetail here: https://omniretail.africaOur Links -🔔 Youtube - https://youtube.com/@theflipafrica 💻 Website - https://theflip.africa🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/theflipafrica👥 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/theflipafrica/📸 Instagram - https://instagram.com/theflipafrica

One of the African tech ecosystem's largest exits was the 2020 sale of Sendwave to WorldRemit for $500 million. Sid Sridhar was Sendwave's Head of Business at the time, and in this episode, Sid shares his M&A lessons for the African tech ecosystem.Sid is now the Head of Business at Wave, the mobile money company spun out of Sendwave that's competing head-on with the telcos in Francophone West Africa. Wave raised a $200 million Series A in 2021, valuing the company at $1.7 billion. 00:00 - Introduction01:32 - Every deal is different02:16 - Know the business model that you're building for02:40 - Companies get bought not sold03:41 - How to qualify a deal04:53 - Be smart & strategic with information05:31 - Be transparent06:24 - Stay close to potential buyers07:39 - Alignment with investorsFollow Sid on TwitterCheck out other episodes from the Fintech in Africa Summit:Nigerian Neobank Roundtable: Moniepoint, Kuda, FairMoneyWhy Are Cross-Border Payments So Hard?Tackling Africa’s $330 Billion Credit GapOur Links - 🎥 YouTube - https://youtube.com/@theflipafrica 💻 Website - https://theflip.africa🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/theflipafrica👥 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/theflipafrica/📸 Instagram - https://instagram.com/theflipafrica

There is a $330 billion credit gap, according to the IFC. But why is it so hard to lend in African markets? We explore that question with Chijioke Dozie, Co-founder and CEO of Carbon, and Mark Straub, CEO of Smile Identity.This episode was recorded live from the FT Partners Fintech in Africa Summit in New York City. Download their FinTech in Africa research report, published in March 2024.00:00 - Introduction01:36 - The credit infrastructure problems in Africa02:28 - Carbon's approach to lending03:51 - SmileID's perspective on credit infrastructure08:10 - Ability to pay vs. willingness to pay10:06 - Private sector solutions17:36 - The challenges of scaling lending without infrastructureFollow Chijioke on Twitter.Follow Mark on Twitter.This episode was the third in our series of interviews recorded live from the Fintech in Africa Summit.Nigerian Neobanks with Moniepoint's Tosin Eniolorunda, Kuda's Babs Ogundeyi & Fairmoney's Laurin Hainy: https://theflip.africa/podcast/nigerian-neobank-roundtable-moniepoint-kuda-fairmoneyCross-Border Payments with NALA's Benjamin Fernandes & GTXN's Dan Kleinbaum: https://theflip.africa/podcast/why-are-cross-border-payments-so-hardOur Links - 🎥 YouTube - https://youtube.com/@theflipafrica 💻 Website - https://theflip.africa🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/theflipafrica👥 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/theflipafrica/📸 Instagram - https://instagram.com/theflipafrica

In this episode, the third in our docuseries on jobtech platforms and the future of work, we dive deeper into the value chain, because the problems that small businesses have across the continent are multi-layered. In an environment of demand constraints and a lack of infrastructure, platforms need to solve multiple problems across the value chain. This is what makes jobtech platforms so hard to build in Africa. But for those who can solve problems across the value chain, it not only unlocks growth opportunities for their users, but it also unlocks additional revenue streams for platforms to achieve greater profitability. Check out the first two episodes in this series:What We Get Wrong About Jobs in AfricaThe Future of Work Will Be Bootstrapped00:00 - Intro01:43 - Jobtech platforms in Africa need to solve multiple problems across the value chain.02:31 - One sector with challenges across the value chain is fashion.03:51 - How Fitted is solving problems for tailors in Nigeria.05:51 - Unlocking revenue opportunities for SMEs and platforms alike.Watch this episode on YouTube.Learn more about the Jobtech Alliance.Check out last year's podcast series on the future of work.Our Links - 🎥 YouTube - https://youtube.com/@theflipafrica 💻 Website - https://theflip.africa🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/theflipafrica👥 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/theflipafrica/📸 Instagram - https://instagram.com/theflipafrica

Benjamin Fernandes, the Founder and CEO of the remittance platform NALA, likes to say that payments are just 1% built in Africa. Why are cross-border payments so hard? In this episode, we're joined in conversation with Benjamin Fernandes and Dan Kleinbaum, a co-founder of Beyonic, which sold to Onafriq, and now the Founder of the FX platform GTXN. This episode was recorded live from the FT Partners Fintech in Africa Summit in New York City. Download their FinTech in Africa research report, published in March 2024.00:00 - Intro01:29 - Payments are 1% built in Africa06:32 - How to solve problems in Cross-Border payments08:28 - Do we need more payment apps?15:51 - Navigating regulatory challenges17:03 - Why are Benji & Dan solving these problems?20:30 - What's the cross-border payments pitch to investors?25:39 - Benji & Dan turn the tables on JustinThis episode was the second in our series of interviews recorded live from the Fintech in Africa Summit. Our first episode was with the Nigerian Neobanks: https://theflip.africa/podcast/nigerian-neobank-roundtable-moniepoint-kuda-fairmoneyEpisode Links:Follow Benji on TwitterFollow Dan on TwitterRead Benji's Medium post: Are African Remittances Finished?Our Links - 🎥 YouTube - https://youtube.com/@theflipafrica 💻 Website - https://theflip.africa🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/theflipafrica👥 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/theflipafrica/📸 Instagram - https://instagram.com/theflipafrica

In this episode, we're joined in a panel conversation with the CEOs of three of Nigeria's biggest digital banks: Moniepoint's Tosin Eniolorunda, Kuda's Babs Ogundeyi, and FairMoney's Laurin Hainy.This episode was recorded live from the FT Partners Fintech in Africa Summit in New York City. Download their FinTech in Africa research report, published in March 2024.00:00 - Intro01:18 - Moniepoint's distribution-first strategy02:45 - FairMoney's credit-led approach04:46 - Kuda's neobank strategy06:48 - Banks, product, competition, expansion25:45 - Growth, VC returns33:56 - What does success look like?Our Links - 🎥 YouTube - https://youtube.com/@theflipafrica 💻 Website - https://theflip.africa🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/theflipafrica👥 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/theflipafrica/📸 Instagram - https://instagram.com/theflipafrica

In our first episode of this series on jobtech platforms and the future of work, we argued that the future of work is a tech-enabled portfolio of work. But what does a portfolio of work really look like? And what happens next? We know we need to create more formal jobs in Africa, and we need to boost the productivity of the informal sector. But how do we get there? Considering the context of the markets in question, the future of work isn’t going to be designed or endowed; it’s going to be bootstrapped. 00:00 - Intro01:17 - Bootstrapping Development01:53 - Bootstrapping a portfolio of work05:48 - Pathways for jobtech users06:45 - This is how development happensWatch the first episode of this series on jobtech platforms: https://theflip.africa/podcast/what-we-get-wrong-about-jobs-in-africaTo learn more about the Jobtech Alliance, visit https://jobtechalliance.comCheck out last year's podcast series on the future of work: https://go.theflip.africa/future-of-workOur Links -🔔 Youtube - https://youtube.com/@theflipafrica 💻 Website - https://theflip.africa🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/theflipafrica👥 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/theflipafrica/📸 Instagram - https://instagram.com/theflipafrica

In January 2024, we hosted a live show in Lagos with The Subtext's Osarumen Osamuyi on the relationship between the tech ecosystem and the media. It was a follow-up to a 2020 episode we published entitled Much Ado About the Media.A lot of founders still feel the media is acting in bad faith amidst more accountable media coverage. In this episode, we explore this tension and have an important discussion with the ecosystem players themselves.00:00 - Intro01:22 - Reflecting on 2020's episode08:20 - Paga's Tayo Oviosu's founder perspective12:20 - TechCabal's Tomiwa Aladekomo's media perspective19:04 - What about business models?22:20 - Stears Nchedolisa Akuma on subscriptions24:58 - Moniepoint's Didi Uwemakpan's marketing perspective28:14 - The global perspective from TechCrunch's Tage Kene-Okafor30:49 - FT's Aanu Adeoye36:20 - How to give local context to a global audience42:02 - Local vs. global media45:43 - Who keeps the media in check?46:36 - Editorial perspectives from TechCabal's Olumuyiwa Olowogboyega50:03 - Negative stories about advertising partners53:03 - Osarumen & Justin's retrospectiveMuch Ado About the Media, part one: https://theflip.africa/podcast/s2e9Our Links - 🎥 YouTube - https://youtube.com/@theflipafrica  💻 Website - https://theflip.africa🐦 Twitter -  https://twitter.com/theflipafrica👥 LinkedIn -  https://www.linkedin.com/company/theflipafrica/📸 Instagram - https://instagram.com/theflipafrica

Live from the BIG Summit, a platform hosted by investor and 2x NBA All-Star Baron Davis, at the 2024 NBA All-Star Game, a conversation with three operators connecting Africa to the world through culture and commerce. In this conversation, we're joined by Clare Akamanzi, the CEO of NBA Africa, Abdul Karim Abdullah, the Founder and CEO of AfroFuture music festival, and entrepreneur and private equity investor Tuyee Yeboah. 00:00 - Intro02:38 - NBA Africa05:32 - AfroFuture08:34 - Investing across Africa and the US10:55 - Basketball's role in Africa's development12:20 - Changing perceptions about the continent17:35 - How do we get more investors involved?21:20 - African talentEpisode Links - AfroFuture - https://www.afrofuture.com/BAL - https://bal.nba.com/BIG Summit - https://www.teambig.io/Our Links - 🎥 YouTube - https://youtube.com/@theflipafrica  💻 Website - https://theflip.africa🐦 Twitter -  https://twitter.com/theflipafrica👥 LinkedIn -  https://www.linkedin.com/company/theflipafrica/📸 Instagram - https://instagram.com/theflipafrica