Diaspora Opportunities

BY  GABRIELLA MULLIGAN   For the first time African startups are invited to apply to Mastercard’s Start Path Global programme, seeking later-stage startups innovating in the banking and payments space. The six-month digital Start Path programme aims to support innovative startups developing the next generation of commerce solutions, and to help these businesses grow faster than they could alone. Start Path targets later-stage startups – who have raised either a significant seed round, or Series A funding. For the first time, Mastercard has opened applications to startups from anywhere in the world, in a bid to expand the organisation’s activity to new geographies and industries. “Fintech startups around the world are designing a digital future,” said Amy Neale, vice president at Mastercard Start Path. “They’re bringing a different approach to enhance customer choice and experience across the industry. Our work with these startups helps connect new t...

Vice Dean Catherine Duggan will lead sessions on how changes in the global economy are creating new challenges and opportunities for African firms and investors, and how innovative startups are helping to solve some of the continent’s toughest challenges. You will emerge with insights about the state of the world and Africa’s position in it, inspirational stories about Africans doing well by doing good, and framework for helping to build critical thinking skills. Each session will conclude with a networking mixer for rising managers and seasoned business leaders. Attendees interested in the ALUSB MBA for themselves or for their employees will be able to speak with representatives from the business school.   Things to expect Connect with other rising professionals and seasoned business leaders. Learn how changes in the global economy are creating new challenges and opportunities for African firms and investors. Analyze how innovative African start-ups are...

Over the last two decades of building and running businesses, and the last couple of years working full time with dozens of startup founders and CEOs on their strategies and funding plans in my consultancy business, I have observed that there are a common set of reasons that startups struggle and fail, and a consistent set of factors that make startup companies successful. I wondered if my observations were supported by hard data, and my curiosity around startup success and failure eventually got the best of me. I decided to do some in-depth investigation around this topic. I wondered if there were any research studies that showed why startups succeed and fail? I found several articles that were filled with unsubstantiated opinions and a few sources that had really great hard research around the topic.  Why do companies fail? According to an article in FastCompany,  Why Most Venture Backed Companies Fail , 75 percent of venture-backed startup...

Thirty selected start-ups are going to pitch their ideas in front of President Muhammad Buhari on Friday September 2,2016 in Aso Rock.The Aso Rock Villa Demo will see the emergence of one startup as winner. The startups are going to have the opportunity of exposing their ideas to business angels,joint venture capitalists,incubators,accelerators, etc. There will be speakers from many sectors to enliven the event.

Melt Water Entrepreneurial School of Technology based in Ghana is having an a meet with upcoming Tech startups in Lagos on August 23,2016.MEST is an incubator hub based in Ghana for upcoming startups in Africa. www.meltwater.org MEST started in 2008 and over the years have invested $2m on 200 startups.Some of the startups have showcased their idea on techcrunch and other startup contests. Venue:Cafe Neo - Adeyemi Lawson Street, Ikoyi, Lagos - Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mest-talks-lagos-investing-in-tech-startups-tickets-27167905938

The world is witnessing a high wave of innovation in terms of products and information.Over the years the European,Asian and American countries have led in this Tsunami. Presently Africa has joined the bandwagon of startups.Startups are new companies set up to rapidly break the norm and start making money within a short time.Herman Chiney-Hesse a Ghanaian programmer was among the first to start the wave in 1991.Herman has two companies:Soft Tribe and Black Star line. In Nigeria the likes of Tony Elumelu(Tony Elumelu foundation),Seun Osewa(Nairaland),Wakanow,Printivo,Tuteria are making Africa proud.