Labari Media Podcast

On today's episode, we talked to Kristen Wilson, co-founder of the Innovate Africa Fund, an angel investment fund that supports early-stage founders in funding life-changing ideas, taking startups from conception to product and financing innovative ventures.The fund was co-founded by Kristin Wilson and Christian Idiodi and aims to support up to 20 startups in its first year to solve complex, recognised problems such as insecurity, unemployment, and poverty with purpose-driven technology.We discussed the fund, why they started it and what the current landscape for VC investments looks like in Africa.

Emmanuel Adegboye is the Head of Madica. He is a technology executive and leader with a thorough knowledge of Africa’s entrepreneurial and political landscape. He has significant experience designing and managing large technology projects and initiatives in emerging markets.He has previously worked with reputable organisations such as Andela, Venture Garden Group, and Flourish Ventures. On this episode, we discussed Madica's investment in three startups from Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa. We touched on Madica's mission to invest in early-stage startups, what they look for when investing, and more.

On today's episode, we talked to Ifelade Ayodele, CEO and Founder of Blaaiz, an early-stage cross-border payments company based in Canada and offering financial services and remittance payments to African countries.The company is only five months in operations but has so far secured a $1.5M pre-seed investment round to fuel its expansion and innovation. Before founding Blaaiz, Ifelade distinguished himself as a leader in the management consulting arena at Accenture UK. We discussed regulation, challenges, technology, and competition in remittance payments in Africa and their plans for the future.

On today's we spoke to Perseus Mlambo, co-founder and CEO of Union54, about ChitChat, the startup's recently launched social commerce platform. We discussed various topics including the current challenges and opportunities of sending money across borders in Africa, how ChitChat had a goal of trying to help solve the issue, partnerships and compliance, and much more.

On today's episode, we talk to the founders of the African Animation Studio, Kugali Meda. The studio created the new Disney+ animated series "Iwaju" which has received critical acclaim for its depiction of a futuristic Lagos.We talked to the founders about the inspiration behind the creation of their studio, how the Iwaju project came to be, and the current state of African animation on the continent.You can learn more about the company on their website and social media pages: https://kugali.com/Trailer for the Iwaju series: Video Trailer

On today's episode, we talk to  Weyinmi Aghadiuno, Bolt's Senior Public Policy Manager for West and Central Africa.For International Women's Day, we discussed encouraging women in tech and transportation, the safety initiatives Bolt has on their platform, and other initiatives Bolt is doing to encourage more female participation.