Before the year comes to a close, we spoke with Sherpa Investment Associate Fellows Nanthini Kumarajan and Tiffany Monthe-Siewe about their backgrounds, experience working with Sherpa, and tips for breaking into the African VC space. Nanthini and Tiffany joined us in May and were part of the first batch of…

Take a closer look into ZUMI and their work with apparel retailers — Sector Background Although they form the backbone of African economies, microretailers (small shops) across the continent struggle to operate and grow their businesses. Chief among the challenges microretailers face include their poor access to wholesale markets. For apparel retailers in Kenya — a vital group that ZUMI’s platform is well-equipped to impact — the challenges are striking. Retailers wake up at the crack of dawn, arrive at a crowded wholesale market, compete for…

Take a closer look into Boost Technology and their work with small retailers — Small businesses fuel African economies. In Africa, there are over 100 million small businesses that contribute to 70% of the continent’s employment. They are the neighborhood grocer, pharmacist, restaurant, or clothier, all of whom are fixtures in vibrant urban landscapes from Lagos to Cape Town. They are predominantly informal, lying within the so-called ‘missing majority.’…

At BfE, we aspire to see a more inclusive and sustainable future built by social entrepreneurs driving local change. From our early days at the University of Cambridge, we recognised that the world’s challenges are bigger than ourselves. No one person, organisation, or government can tackle climate change, gender equality, poverty or any other global issue alone. Instead, we believe in the power of collaboration — between social entrepreneurs…

I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago but felt a bit trapped in high school. My town was small and homogenous, and most people attended state universities and worked downtown after graduation. …

The bills are sweeping across Africa without any indication the continent’s largest ecosystem will benefit next. — Economic contractions induced by the COVID-19 pandemic could have serious implications for many Nigerian startups. A September report by Endeavor Nigeria, one of the country’s largest startup accelerators, found that nearly 80% of Nigerian startups have less than six months of cash runway left in their bank accounts. …

Olivier van Beemen’s book puts a stain on the beer brewer. — I’ve been interested in how business is conducted in Africa since 2017. I believe that the continent is either underappreciated or grossly misrepresented by people in the U.S. The continent is often viewed purely through the lens of poverty, safaris, or brutal dictators instead of business opportunities. I never understood why a continent with six of the world’s ten fastest growing economies…

Bridges for Enterprise (BfE) began as a small student society at the University of Cambridge in late 2015. With an initial vision to enable students to make a difference in the world regardless of their career aspirations, BfE provided a unique opportunity to gain practical skills while generating real-world impact. …