Welcome to Crown Castê, your financial literacy podcast for small businesses. We publish inspiring, insightful conversations with investors and stewards of capital, about why they decided to make placements into a specific portfolio company of theirs. In today's episode, we are joined by Rumbi Makanga, with special guest host, Paasha Ahmed.
Rumbi is the co-founder of Origin Twenty, which is focused on building a community of the next generation of Africa-focused investors. She has spent much of the last decade scaling startups across the globe, democratising access to entrepreneurship and capital, and investing in and scaling exponential solutions in Africa. She is also a venture partner at Republic, a financial technology company that specialises in investment-related services in the private markets and provides access to startup, real estate,crypto, and video game investment opportunities.
In this episode, we discuss:
1. Rumbi's Journey and the Foundation of Origin Twenty:
How did Rumbi shift her career from commercializing deep tech innovation to the world of fintech and machine learning startups?
What were the motivations behind the creation of Origin Twenty, and how does it address the need for investment in African startups?
2. Challenges and Opportunities in the African Startup Ecosystem:
What are the current challenges African startups face in accessing capital and the implications of these challenges?
How are global accelerators like Y Combinator and large global venture capital firms impacting the African startup ecosystem?
Why does Rumbi advocate for building relationships with investors early, and how can startups go about doing this?
3. The Risk Perception and Realities of Investing in Africa:
What are the real risks that come with investing in African startups, and how does this risk perception affect the level of capital these companies receive?
How do stereotypes and the perception of Africa as a homogenous whole impact investment decisions?
What kind of opportunities does Rumbi see for investors in the African startup scene, given the quality and resilience of African founders?
4. The Future of the African Startup Ecosystem:
How does Rumbi see the African startup ecosystem evolving, and what are the potential implications of the current funding slowdown?
What would she like to see in terms of funding options and innovation around different funding mechanisms for African startups?
Contact Info:
Rumbi’s Profile：https://www.linkedin.com/in/rumbi-makanga-89518369
