Investing in Africa: Hitting Highs and Lows on a Rapidly Developing Continent

"Let’s get one thing straight, some of the entrepreneurs I’ve encountered in Africa are among the best I’ve ever met. The fantastic DIY attitude and incredible amount of motivation are driving the developing continent faster than ever before. I’m intrigued by homegrown startups like BRCK, which is creating a router that can run without electricity, and Kopo Kopo, which is removing friction for SMEs in adopting mobile payments.

Unsurprisingly, IDC predicts investments in African tech will increase this year, with both public and private spending in the sector rising. 2014 holds the potential for African companies to continue along the road of rapid growth, yet there’s one element African entrepreneurs think is holding them back — funding...."

 http://venturebeat.com/2014/06/19/investing-in-africa-hitting-highs-and-lows-on-a-rapidly-developing-continent/?utm_content=buffer49e9e&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Can corporate venture capital plug Africa's funding gap?

"Early stage funding for businesses in Africa is still a huge problem. This is clear given the recent example of Jacana Partners to halt the fundraising efforts for its US$75m small and medium enterprise private equity fund. Jacana Partners has been one of the prominent players in this space over the last two years.

Can corporate venture capital (CVC) be the solution to plug this funding gap? CVC is the practice of a large company taking an equity stake in a small but innovative or specialist firm, to which it may also provide management and marketing expertise. The objective is to gain a specific competitive advantage and is usually done to top up the efforts of the research and development department..."

 http://www.howwemadeitinafrica.com/?p=39335