Limitless Africa

 "There's more change that can be made, more impact, more positive impact in people's lives through this kind of work, and plenty of money to be made."On this episode of Limitless Africa, we speak to Luni Libes, CEO and founder of agriculture investment company Africa Eats.  As of December 2024, Africa Eats was listed on the Mauritius Stock exchange. Luni Libes is an intrepid investor and the real deal: the 23 active companies in the Africa Eats portfolio had a combined revenue of $44 million dollars last year - up from only one million when he started investing. Luni has surprising thoughts on what investment model works best for Africa - no VC funds for him.Plus: Why trade barriers on the continent could offer opportunity for growth. 🌟 IN THIS EPISODE:2:53 Building the largest agro vet supply company in Malawi3:50 Building the biggest sausage supplier in Rwanda5:09 From tens of thousands of dollars to a million in six years9:10 The reality of farming in Africa11:39 Banks don't lend12:46 From software to farming15:19 The problem with VC19:53 How investors cash out23:10 Risk in Africa27:06 Berkshire Hathaway VS Africa Eats30:49 How trade barriers help💬 QUOTES TO REMEMBER:"We're beating the S&P 500 and we're doing it with chickens and potatoes""It doesn't have any competition because those borders are there.""There's no charity work here."🌍 ABOUT LIMITLESS AFRICAThe podcast that asks how Africans and Americans can work together for shared prosperityEvery Monday: 15-minute episodes that dive into an issue that matters to AfricansEvery Thursday: extended interview with someone unlocking Africa's limitless potential➕ WANT MORE?"Resilience is very African" - The entrepreneur moving 20,000 trucks across Africa https://trueafrica.co/article/podcast/resilience-is-very-african-the-entrepreneur-moving-20000-trucks-across-africa/How I made it: the entrepreneur bringing refrigeration to Africa https://trueafrica.co/article/podcast/how-i-made-it-the-entrepreneur-bringing-refrigeration-to-africa/💗 LOVE LIMITLESS AFRICA?Subscribe on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcastsLeave a 5⭐ review – it helps get the word outShare with someone passionate about entrepreneurship in Africa🚀 FOLLOW LIMITLESS AFRICAInstagram: @_trueafricaWebsite: https://trueafrica.co/Substack: https://limitlessafrica.substack.com/

"The VC model is just fundamentally the wrong fit for Africa."In this episode of Limitless Africa, Claude Grunitzky and Dimpho Lekgeu speak with American investor Luni Libes, founder of Africa Eats and Fledge, and Tanzanian entrepreneur Haika Mtei, CEO of Golden Pot. Together, they explore how long-term thinking, patient capital, and culturally adapted funding models are reshaping business across the continent. Plus: How one woman is building the go-to cereal brand in Tanzania🌟 IN THIS EPISODE:00:42 Why don't African start-ups exit?3:13 Why Warren Buffet could hold the answer4:52 The cereal brand that holds the answer6:16 The value of travelling to the U.S.10:24 Small cheques not big ones12:24 Investors need to get brave💬 QUOTES TO REMEMBER: "The VC model is just fundamentally the wrong fit for Africa. You have to do something different.""Harder than getting to Harvard." "Far fewer failures in Africa than in the States"🌍 ABOUT LIMITLESS AFRICAThe podcast that asks how Africans and Americans can work together for shared prosperityEvery Monday: 15-minute episodes that dive into an issue that matters to AfricansEvery Thursday: extended interview with someone unlocking Africa's limitless potential➕ WANT MORE?Does foreign aid fuel corruption, dependence, weak governance? Interview with investor Maya Horgan Famodu https://trueafrica.co/article/podcast/foreign-aid-has-fuelled-corruption-dependence-weak-governance/Adam Grant on the skills African entrepreneurs need to succeed https://trueafrica.co/article/podcast/adam-grant-on-the-skills-that-african-entrepreneurs-need-to-succeed/💗 LOVE LIMITLESS AFRICA?Subscribe on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcastsLeave a 5⭐ review – it helps get the word outShare with someone passionate about entrepreneurship in Africa🚀 FOLLOW LIMITLESS AFRICAInstagram: @_trueafricaWebsite: https://trueafrica.co/Substack: https://limitlessafrica.substack.com/Limitless Africa is sponsored by the US Department of State and the Seenfire Foundation.

We thought we'd give you a taster of what's still to come. We're still talking to the best and brightest Africans and finding out the surprising ways they're working with American business, tech and creative talent to be the best they can be. Because Africa is the future. And Americans - and Africans - know that.So tune in for the rest of Limitless Africa, Season 3.

"We're only now coming around to fully cracking what it takes to reach the African consumer."Jean-Claude Homawoo is the CEO of logistics firm Lori Systems. Founded in 2017, the company has now managed over 20,000 trucks across 12 African countries, moving goods worth more than $10 billion. Jean-Claude is an entrepreneur finding solutions to really practical problems: transport across Africa and across national borders... And that means potholes, border police, and variable road networks. Plus: Why 'Buy Now Pay Later' is key to success in Africa🌟 IN THIS EPISODE:2:51 How to transport $10 billion-worth of goods across Africa7:17 From Harvard back to Africa11:35 What Lori's done so far13:45 American money14:46 Eight and a half years without profit19:01 The number one problem for founders23:51 Financing your customer27:06 Why resilience matters29:17 Why Africa should prize diversity💬 QUOTES TO REMEMBER:"We're only now coming around to fully cracking what it takes to reach the African consumer.""Resilience... It is something that is truly pretty quintessentially American. And it is also very African.""If you come to the continent, and you speak to a dozen founders, I suspect that 10 of them will tell you that one of the biggest challenges they face is financing working capital.""Keeping the lights on as a CEO is your number one job, period""What built Silicon Valley was diversity. It was diversity of thinking."🌍 ABOUT LIMITLESS AFRICAThe podcast that asks how Africans and Americans can work together for shared prosperityEvery Monday: 15-minute episodes that dive into an issue that matters to AfricansEvery Thursday: extended interview with someone unlocking Africa's limitless potential➕ WANT MORE?How to stop food waste in Africa https://trueafrica.co/article/podcast/how-i-made-it-the-entrepreneur-bringing-refrigeration-to-africa/Adam Grant on the skills needed for African entrepreneurs to succeed https://trueafrica.co/article/podcast/adam-grant-how-to-rethink-africas-hidden-potential/💗 LOVE LIMITLESS AFRICA?Subscribe on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcastsLeave a 5⭐ review – it helps get the word outShare with someone passionate about entrepreneurship in Africa🚀 FOLLOW LIMITLESS AFRICAInstagram: @_trueafricaWebsite: https://trueafrica.co/Substack: https://limitlessafrica.substack.com/Limitless Africa is sponsored by the US Department of State and the Seenfire Foundation.

"Every Clark Kent can become Superman"Owusu Akoto is the Ghanaian entrepreneur tackling one of Africa’s most overlooked problems: cold chain logistics. In this episode of Limitless Africa, host Claude Grunitzky speak with Owusu about how his company, Freezelink, is solving food and medicine waste by building Africa’s temperature-controlled transport and storage network from the ground up. Owusu shares what African entrepreneurs need to succeed and why Africa’s uncultivated land may be its most powerful untapped asset. He also breaks down the mindset shift needed to embrace failure, build legacy, and scale solutions across the continent. Whether you're interested in agribusiness, logistics, entrepreneurship or building the future of food in Africa, this episode offers grounded insights from the frontlines.Plus: Why failure can be the best teacher.🌟 IN THIS EPISODE:1:40 The problems of mango farmers3:26 The story of farmer Eric6:19 The two things needed for success9:12 The American mindset11:59 The importance of the African mindset💬 QUOTES TO REMEMBER:"Every Clark Kent can become Superman""America is the biggest advert in history for how success compounds.""Africa contains the most amount of uncultivated arable land in the world."🌍 ABOUT LIMITLESS AFRICAThe podcast that asks how Africans and Americans can work together for shared prosperityEvery Monday: 15-minute episodes that dive into an issue that matters to AfricansEvery Thursday: extended interview with someone unlocking Africa's limitless potential➕ WANT MORE?Adam Grant on the skills African entrepreneurs need to succeed https://trueafrica.co/article/podcast/adam-grant-on-the-skills-that-african-entrepreneurs-need-to-succeed/Has foreign aid fuelled corruption, dependence, weak governance? Interview with investor Maya Horgan Famodu https://trueafrica.co/article/podcast/foreign-aid-has-fuelled-corruption-dependence-weak-governance/💗 LOVE LIMITLESS AFRICA?Subscribe on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcastsLeave a 5⭐ review – it helps get the word outShare with someone passionate about entrepreneurship in Africa🚀 FOLLOW LIMITLESS AFRICAInstagram: @_trueafricaWebsite: https://trueafrica.co/Substack: https://limitlessafrica.substack.com/Limitless Africa is sponsored by the US Department of State and the Seenfire Foundation.

"The NBA's on the continent. NFL was just here in Cairo, and you also have Formula One thinking about coming."Ibrahim Sagna is a Senegalese businessman and chairman of Silverbacks Holdings, the Mauritius-based private investments firm. It focuses on start-ups in tech, sports entertainment and the creative economy. These include businesses we featured on Limitless Africa, businesses like the FinTech payment system Flutterwave and the online marketplace ANKA. Silverbacks has also invested in the African Warriors Fighting Championship, a martial arts entertainment brand.Plus: How Ibrahim secured the Hollywood film producer Sandy Kleiman as an AWFC investor and advisor. Kleiman has worked with the Oscar-winning Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio. It’s a perfect example of how Africans and Americans can work together for shared prosperity. 🌟 IN THIS EPISODE:2:36 Why African wrestling is the next big thing4:20 Why Dambe is popular in Brazil6:09 The size of the African sports market8:40 The UFC trouble with Africa12:30 The African companies serving other continents15:19 Getting Hollywood producers on board19:29 The one principle guiding Ibrahim's career27:06 What Rwanda and Singapore have in common29:47 What people get wrong about Africa 💬 QUOTES TO REMEMBER:"When quality manifests itself, capital follows.""Capital is very very selfish: it just looks at quality and sustainability.""No continent that is perfect. Continents make themselves look perfect.""If you look at the data, even the last 50 years, the most profitable companies in Africa are all exporters.""You have this continent that tends to be presented as a dark continent  that's just doubling at all metrics.""We've always contributed, but it just was never recognized."🌍 ABOUT LIMITLESS AFRICAThe podcast that asks how Africans and Americans can work together for shared prosperityEvery Monday: 15-minute episodes that dive into an issue that matters to AfricansEvery Thursday: extended interview with someone unlocking Africa's limitless potential➕ WANT MORE?Why Hollywood moguls are investing in African wrestling https://trueafrica.co/article/podcast/how-hollywood-moguls-are-investing-in-african-wrestling/How Africa is basketball’s next big business move https://trueafrica.co/article/podcast/why-nba-africa-means-business/Michael Finley - "If the infrastructure for basketball was anywhere near what it's like in America, Africans would dominate the NBA." https://trueafrica.co/article/podcast/if-the-infrastructure-for-basketball-was-anywhere-near-what-its-like-in-america-africans-would-dominate-the-nba/💗 LOVE LIMITLESS AFRICA?Subscribe on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcastsLeave a 5⭐ review – it helps get the word outShare with someone passionate about sports and money in Africa🚀 FOLLOW LIMITLESS AFRICAInstagram: @_trueafricaWebsite: https://trueafrica.co/Substack: https://limitlessafrica.substack.com/Limitless Africa is sponsored by the US Department of State and the Seenfire Foundation.

"I take your Hulk Hogan and I raise you Coronavirus, one of our best fighters"Imagine a combat sport so ancient its moves were once used in spear and shield warfare. Now imagine it on a global stage. In this episode of Limitless Africa, we interview Maxwell Kalu, founder of African Warriors Fighting Championship. He’s on a mission to build Africa’s UFC, taking Nigeria’s traditional Dambe boxing from dusty marketplaces to packed stadiums and global broadcasts. Discover why fighters like “Coronavirus” are becoming local legends, how American investors from Hollywood are backing African combat sports, and why Maxwell believes Africa’s cultural power is its greatest strength.Plus: 🌟 IN THIS EPISODE:1:28 What is dambe?5:08 Dambe fans around the world6:05 The origins of Coronavirus9:14 Getting funding from the US12:42 Why African culture is so popular💬 QUOTES TO REMEMBER:"So he took the name Coronavirus because he came to prominence during COVID. And the fans nicknamed him that because his style was deadly.""We featured the first ever international white Dambe fighter, a guy called Luke Leyland, brought him all the way over from sunny Liverpool and he competed in front of 10,000 people in Katsina, Northern Nigeria.""We have an outsized level of cultural power."🌍 ABOUT LIMITLESS AFRICAThe podcast that asks how Africans and Americans can work together for shared prosperityEvery Monday: 15-minute episodes that dive into an issue that matters to AfricansEvery Thursday: extended interview with someone unlocking Africa's limitless potential➕ WANT MORE?Building a basketball industry in Africa https://trueafrica.co/article/podcast/why-nba-africa-means-business/How Africans can build their own NBA with the man leading it in Kenya https://trueafrica.co/article/podcast/if-the-infrastructure-for-basketball-was-anywhere-near-what-its-like-in-america-africans-would-dominate-the-nba/💗 LOVE LIMITLESS AFRICA?Subscribe on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcastsLeave a 5⭐ review – it helps get the word outShare with someone passionate about sport in Africa🚀 FOLLOW LIMITLESS AFRICAInstagram: @_trueafricaWebsite: https://trueafrica.co/Substack: https://limitlessafrica.substack.com/Limitless Africa is sponsored by the US Department of State and the Seenfire Foundation.

"How do we continue to grow the pie for us and for everybody?"Chris Maurice runs Yellow Card, Africa's most funded cryptocurrency exchange. It operates in 20 African countries, working with approximately 30,000 businesses. This year alone, they've traded more than $3 billion dollars worth of crypto so far. He goes into what it takes to build a successful business in Africa and why there's no substitute for being on the ground.Plus: Chris's classified sections for Nigerian men.🌟 IN THIS EPISODE:2:25 An unusual start in the industry4:33 DMs full of Nigerian men6:51 Defining crypto12:18 Bigger than Nigeria14:54 419 fraud20:43 The need for Stablecoin26:00 Avoiding fraud34:42 Advice for American entrepreneurs💬 QUOTES TO REMEMBER:"Nigerians are the most convincing people on the face of this planet.""What blockchain technology unlocks for the world is the ability to settle transactions with 100% confidence without a third party intermediary.""We wanted to make sure that this technology is available to anybody that needs it, no matter where they are, no matter, you know, what country they were born in, what currency they were born into.""I think that sometimes people over-index for innovation.""You just need to understand the local context and be able to apply that in a smart way to business models that work."🌍 ABOUT LIMITLESS AFRICAThe podcast that asks how Africans and Americans can work together for shared prosperityEvery Monday: 15-minute episodes that dive into an issue that matters to AfricansEvery Thursday: extended interview with someone unlocking Africa's limitless potential➕ WANT MORE?Adam Grant on the skills African entrepreneurs need to succeed https://trueafrica.co/article/podcast/adam-grant-on-the-skills-that-african-entrepreneurs-need-to-succeed/How crypto bypasses extortionate bank transfer fees https://trueafrica.co/article/podcast/how-crypto-is-making-sending-money-cheaper-in-africa/💗 LOVE LIMITLESS AFRICA?Subscribe on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcastsLeave a 5⭐ review – it helps get the word outShare with someone passionate about fin-tech in Africa🚀 FOLLOW LIMITLESS AFRICAInstagram: @_trueafricaWebsite: https://trueafrica.co/Substack: https://limitlessafrica.substack.com/Limitless Africa is sponsored by the US Department of State and the Seenfire Foundation.

"I just became obsessed with this problem"Africa is rewriting the rules of global finance, not with aid, but with code. In this episode of Limitless Africa, we unpack how crypto is changing the way millions move money across borders. From Ghana to Nigeria, people are turning to Bitcoin and stablecoins to bypass high fees, long delays, and complex banking systems. Claude Grunitzky is joined by three voices at the heart of this shift: Chris Maurice, the co-founder of Yellow Card, a crypto exchange operating in over 20 African countries; Peter Peregbakumo, a Nigerian entrepreneur who relies on peer-to-peer platforms to run his business and support his family; and Frank Eleanya, a tech journalist tracking the rise of digital currencies at TechCabal.Plus: How to stay safe using crypto.🌟 IN THIS EPISODE:1:06 From Alabama to Africa1:55 The difficulties of transferring money6:30 Why blockchain matters8:29 Using crypto IRL9:38 The growth of crypto on the continent💬 QUOTES TO REMEMBER:"Crypto is booming across Africa.""Nigerians are the most convincing people on the face of this planet.""What blockchain technology unlocks for the world is the ability to settle transactions with 100% confidence without a third party intermediary.""Because of the anonymity of the cryptocurrency market, it tends to attract people of shady characters."🌍 ABOUT LIMITLESS AFRICAThe podcast that asks how Africans and Americans can work together for shared prosperityEvery Monday: 15-minute episodes that dive into an issue that matters to AfricansEvery Thursday: extended interview with someone unlocking Africa's limitless potential➕ WANT MORE?Adam Grant's tips for African entrepreneurs https://trueafrica.co/article/podcast/adam-grant-how-to-rethink-africas-hidden-potential/“Foreign aid has fuelled corruption, dependence, weak governance” - we speak to Maya Horgan Famodu https://trueafrica.co/article/podcast/foreign-aid-has-fuelled-corruption-dependence-weak-governance/💗 LOVE LIMITLESS AFRICA?Subscribe on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get your podcastsLeave a 5⭐ review – it helps get the word outShare with someone passionate about fintech in Africa🚀 FOLLOW LIMITLESS AFRICAInstagram: @_trueafricaWebsite: https://trueafrica.co/Substack: https://limitlessafrica.substack.com/Limitless Africa is sponsored by the US Department of State and the Seenfire Foundation.