Allocator Media Podcast

After studying history at Yale, Ryan Floyd moved to Mumbai to work at Mahindra & Mahindra. His time in India convinced him that he wanted a career allocating capital in developing markets, places that still felt unfamiliar, and even scary, to many American investors. On returning to the US, he joined Auerbach Grayson, training in New York and travelling extensively across Africa and South Asia. He founded Barca Capital, an investor adviser, in 2008. In this episode, Ryan explains Barca's core investment thesis, how he thinks about mispricing, why curiosity may be an investment advantage, and what lacrosse can teach you about markets. Enjoy!Learn more about Ryan Floyd | Barca Capital LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-lazar-3015372Website: https://www.barcacapital.comLearn more about Chipo Muwowo | Allocator Media PodcastLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chipomuwowo/Website: https://allocator.media/

eFinance Investment Group has become part of the financial plumbing of Egypt’s economy. Its systems sit beneath a significant share of the country’s government and financial transactions, supporting the collection and movement of money across tax, customs, subsidies, public payroll and other critical services. But once a company becomes that embedded, where does the next phase of growth come from? In this episode, Ahmed Sobhy, Deputy CEO, explains how the firm plans to use the data flowing through its infrastructure to enable new financial products, the rationale behind the recent acquisition of Tamweely Financial Services, and how management approaches capital allocation. Enjoy!Learn more about Ahmed Sobhy | eFinance Investment Group LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ahmed-m-sobhy-67b30b6Website: https://www.efinanceinvestment.comLearn more about Chipo Muwowo | Allocator Media PodcastLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chipomuwowo/Website: https://allocator.media/

Africa’s venture capital ecosystem is still evolving, and Laura Davis, Co-CEO & Managing Partner at Renew Capital, believes solving the continent’s capital distribution challenge will be critical to what comes next. Renew Capital backs technology companies that hold valuable data on SMEs and helps them build lending products or partner with lenders to improve financing access for underserved SMEs. Laura also shares why founder resilience matters so much to her, and how venture debt could play a much larger role in Africa’s VC ecosystem. Enjoy!Learn more about Laura Davis | Renew Capital LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-davis-25764430Website: https://www.renewcapital.comLearn more about Chipo Muwowo | Allocator Media PodcastLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chipomuwowo/Website: https://allocator.media/

African frontier public equity markets remain deeply under-researched, but that is precisely where Greg Barker sees opportunity. In this episode, Barker, Co-Founder of Sustainable Capital, explains how his firm uses concentrated portfolios, fundamental analysis and deep on-the-ground research to identify mispriced businesses within this asset class. We also discuss why valuation sits at the heart of the process, how Sustainable moved away from “deep value” investing, what it takes to build conviction when the market disagrees with you. Enjoy!Learn more about Greg Barker | Sustainable CapitalLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-barker-411a473b4/Website: https://www.sustainablecapital.muLearn more about Chipo Muwowo | Allocator Media PodcastLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chipomuwowo/Website: https://allocator.media/

Africa is not short of capital. The harder challenge is building the instruments, structures and markets that can put it to productive use. Anne-Marie Chidzero, Chief Investment Officer at FSD Africa Investments, the investment arm of FSD Africa, explains how her organisation uses risk capital to test new models, unlock local savings and create pathways for private investors to follow. We also discuss additionality, when development capital should step aside, and why building replicable financial infrastructure matters more than simply being first. Enjoy!Learn more about Anne-Marie Chidzero | FSD Africa InvestmentsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-marie-chidzero-8077a61 Website: FSD Africa InvestmentsLearn more about Chipo Muwowo | Allocator Media PodcastLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chipomuwowo/Website: https://allocator.media/

After 17+ years in frontier market equities, Sruti Patel is pursuing what she calls a “quiet revolution” in African public markets – helping listed companies take greater control of how global investors see them. In this episode, she narrates why strong African businesses remain “interesting but misunderstood,” what investors underestimate about African management teams, and why better storytelling, communication and transparency matter. We also discuss her move from equity sales to building her company, Alignment. Enjoy!Learn more about Sruti Patel | AlignmentLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sruti-patel-014a1287Learn more about Chipo Muwowo | Allocator Media PodcastLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chipomuwowo/Website: https://allocator.media/

After 17 years in the British Army, Wayne Hennessy-Barrett made an unlikely move into African fintech. Today he leads 4G Capital, a fintech lender that provides millions of working capital loans to small businesses across Kenya and Uganda. In this episode, Wayne shares how the army shaped him as an entrepreneur, why 4G is betting on Africa’s smallest businesses, what 8 million loans have taught 4G about underwriting, how the firm blends tech with on-the-ground relationships, and what the digital lending industry still gets wrong today. Enjoy!Learn more about Wayne Hennessy-Barrett | 4G CapitalLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/waynehennessybarrett/ Website: 4G Capital Learn more about Chipo Muwowo | Allocator Media PodcastLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chipomuwowo/Website: https://allocator.media/

At 23, Finn Walker is probably one of the youngest people managing an Africa-focused public equity fund. In this episode, he explains why he believes African equities are “priced for catastrophe” and where the market may be getting it wrong. He discusses Heron’s core investment thesis, finding undervalued businesses with durable advantages, his contrarian exposure to Zimbabwe, and why time on the ground matters when investing across Africa’s fragmented public markets. Enjoy!Learn more about Finn Walker | Heron PartnersLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/finn-walker-618164145/Website: https://www.heron.africa/Learn more about Chipo Muwowo | Allocator Media PodcastLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chipomuwowo/Website: https://allocator.media/