Episodes
Amir Farha is a prominent figure in MENA VC. Having previously co-founded the first and largest early-stage VC firm in the region [BECO Capital, $500m AUM].
Timestamps:
(1:49) Building a second VC firm
(3:02) What does 'strong founder' even mean?
(4:29) Investing in underdogs
(6:15) Aren't we all improvising?
(7:05) The evolution of Amir 1.0, Amir 2.0, Amir 3.0
(11:18) Aren't VCs just monetizing access?
(13:26) Raising $50m as a solo-GP
(15:16) KSA/UAE/Egypt, too many startups, beyond the...
Published 08/06/24
Tamer Azer is a partner at Shorooq Partners, a prominent VC firm in MENA.
Timestamps:
(1:12) Finding your true investor self
(4:30) Building reputation in a new geography
(6:21) Is Egypt gonna recover, startup-wise?
(9:31) Breaking down fintech models via P&L items
(10:50) Why infra/API plays are tough to build in the region?
(13:27) The 'western vs. local' VC disagreement around lending
(16:56) The void venture debt funds aren't filling
(18:29) Climatetech: too early for the...
Published 05/16/24
Johan Bosini is a partner at Quona Capital, a $800 million pan-emerging-markets fintech VC firm.
Timestamps:
(1:58) Quona overview in numbers
(4:05) Imposter syndrome and self-assessment
(5:08) Investing in LatAm vs Africa: different mental models
(8:07) Lose-lose situation: too many VCs backing a model/space
(10:38) Africa & LatAm: similar [but delayed] growth trajectories
(12:49) Do not expand across continents! [for most startups]
(13:49) Fintech 1.0, Fintech 2.0, Fintech 3.0
(17:21)...
Published 04/04/24
Enrique Martinez-Hausmann is a principal at Speedinvest, a €1 billion European VC firm, with a stellar track record in Africa, the Middle East, and emerging markets at large.
Timestamps:
(1:54) Speedinvest's key success factors in emerging markets
(5:54) Portfolio winners, in numbers
(7:14) Using a different lens for emerging markets vs. Europe
(9:18) Embracing lending models while others shy away from it
(11:18) Funding predatory lenders?
(13:26) Raising debt in emerging markets
(15:26) The...
Published 03/16/24
Omair Ansari is the co-founder and CEO of Abhi, one of the fastest-growing fintech companies in South Asia and the Middle East.
Timestamps:
(1:36) Quick background on Omair and Abhi
(2:32) Abhi's performance in numbers
(4:12) Dirtiest MVP and figuring out the market need
(6:12) Early Wage Access is a tax on the poor?
(08:19) The moment when numbers went exponential
(11:58) Does SME lending scale?
(13:34) Key factor for a successful market expansion
(15:44) Preferring mercenaries over...
Published 03/03/24
Lexi Novitske is a General Partner at Norssken22, who just launched Africa's second-largest VC fund.
Timestamps:
(1:05) How to raise a $205m fund during a global downturn
(3:50) Current growth stage valuations and how to deal with unreasonable prices
(5:38) Growth deals that require restructuring
(9:44) Debt requirements for growth-stage companies
(11:28) Norrsken's thesis in financial services
(13:27) Thesis behind investing in Shara
(14:18) Overfunded fintech models
(15:53) Thesis behind...
Published 03/03/24