We were joined by Kumbirai Chipadza the co-founder of Kuchera a startup that is looking to improve mining efficiency and reduce costs through vehicle and equipment tracking backed by Augmented Intelligence. The startup came about the BEAM, an initiative run by Beumer Group, one the largest intralogistics firms in the world under their venture builder program.

Kumbirai himself is no stranger to business across Europe and Africa as he was the former CEO of DeutschConnect, a business match-making platform for African startups to access European Markets.

He has not transitioned into this role at Kuchera and we spoke about:

• What is Kuchera trying to achieve in a market with a solid number of competitors?
• How the startup's product offering is going to compete with what's available on the market?
• What Augmented Intelligence means in the context of mining operations.
• How the Beumer Group's wealth of connections and money are helping the Venture Builder Enterprise
• Is VB an alternative to going VC, what are the pitfalls and opportunities?

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Bakari Sibanda, the Head Designer and Founder of By Bakari a Zimbabwean Fashion Brand, joined us to talk about the exciting yet challenging world of fashion in Zimbabwe.

Entrepreneurship is not easy and it's harder still in the creative industry. Bakari answered some fundamental questions and they included:

• How he creates and sources material
• Processes and costs that influence the price of his designs
• Trying and failing to sustain an e-commerce website
• Dependency on social media as the only conceivable alternative to committing to an e-commerce platform
• How he manages cashflow in Zimbabwe's unpredictable operating environment
• The viability of "off the rack" vs custom/bespoke
• Dealing with client demands and how to navigate tricky interactions
• Managing "High-Value Clients" and honouring the reputation of the By Bakari Brand
• What's hindering collaboration in the creative space in Zimbabwe

You can check out his work with the links below:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/by_bakari/?hl=en

WhatsApp Catalogue

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I had the absolute pleasure of interviewing Leroy Nyangani the co-founder and Team Lead at Need Energy, a SADC (but Zim-born) startup that was selected for the Techstars Equinor Accelerator. This makes it only the second startup with a Zimbabwean founder to be selected for a US-based accelerator. The only other startup is Afriblocks which has Zim's very own Tongayi Choto as a co-founder.

On this episode we talked about:

• What is Need Energy as a startup and its origins
• Why Need Energy is "betting the farm" on smart meters
• How the startup is using data to create renewable energy markets at the end of the grid
• The way Need Energy's platform allows Independent Power Producers (IPPs) to sell energy to end users

• How it created Zimbabwe's first Virtual Energy Grid
• Need Energy's work with traditional gas and electricity providers to create a smart energy mix for its SADC markets

• The future of Renewables in Africa and the world over
• What this opportunity means to Need Energy as it scales

Techstars Equinor Announcement: https://www.techstars.com/newsroom/announcing-the-2023-equinor-and-techstars-energy-accelerator-class

Need Energy's website: https://www.needenergy.io/

Leroy Nyangani's LinkedIn: https://zw.linkedin.com/in/leroy-t-nyangani

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• Is Simba a secret service agent because he is everywhere where there is an innovation program or activity?
• How pitching can become a drug...
• Do Hackathons (like the ones POTRAZ does) actually help the ecosystem or are they just another easy payday for the seasoned "pitchists"?
• What do you have to do to attract VC money in Zim?
• Do Zim startups get that they have to tell a good story to get money from international investors?
• Where is the money going in the Zim and African startup ecosystem?
• Are there any African startups left because everyone seems to be registered in Delaware (Zim startups included)?
• What is Deal Flow and how can startups get "QUALITY DEAL FLOW"?
• Who are the big Venture Capital and Venture Builders in Southern Africa?
• Why isn't Econet Group the biggest Venture Builder or VC in SADC because they don't have to build everything?
• How do we get more VC Money for Southern Africa?

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I was joined by Kudzai Mukute the Chief Operating Officer at Akiba Digital, a South African startup that has an alternative credit scoring system that unlocks financing (credit or loans) for underserved individuals and SSMEs through transaction histories.

In this episode we covered:

• What is Akiba Digital?
• How their alternative credit scoring system works
• The impact of the system on the lending industry
• Akiba's other SAAS (Software as a Service) product for lenders
• How Akiba helps SMEs with market and business insights
• How Akiba generates revenue from all of its operations and which product makes the most money
• The impending or current recession and what predictions Kudzai has about credit demand
• Funding and how Akiba is going over and above the US$1.1 million it raised in 2021
• How Akiba has incorporated mobile money into its alternative credit scoring engine
• Akiba's expansion into Kenya

a .zedw podcast project

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The design and brand space in Zimbabwe is chaotic right now, everyone wants everything quickly and the best principles for visual design are not being followed. To get more about this we spoke to Sherman Baloyi, the Creative Director at OnaDsgn, a brand strategy and design studio in Harare, Zimbabwe to go over:

• What is OnaDsgn?
• How did Sherman start OnaDsgn and what were the challenges he faced in the local market?
• What are people earning in Africa as opposed to Zimbabwe?
• How to quantify the price of the design process to sceptical customers.
• The values of good design.
• Creative freedom in the creative process?
• The design landscape in Zimbabwe as opposed to the rest of Africa.
• What are we doing right and wrong in Zim when it comes to visual communication of companies and products?
• Who are the players in the brand strategy and design space in Zimbabwe?
• Why sometimes Zimbabwean products look inferior to their continental and international counterparts.
• Which local companies, blue chip or startup, have designed international-grade brands?
• Is Zimbabwe as a product packaged well? Which government ministries have brand style guides?

You can check out Sherman's work and OnaDsgn with the links below:

• https://shermanbaloyi.com/
• https://www.instagram.com/onadsgn/?hl=en

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• What EcoCash meant to the Zimbabwean Payments Ecosystem?
• Why are startups in Zim fighting for 5.47% of the value of transactions in the National Payment System?
• What can we expect from the AfCTA in terms of payment rails
• Why is there no interoperability in payments across SADC?
• Is Chipper Cash preparing for a proper push in SADC?
• Why is there no ZIPIT API available to the public?
  
  

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• What the hell is Thumeza?
• How much is the logistics space worth on the continent?
• What it meant to transition from last-mile delivery to fintech
• What fintech looks like in logistics B2B
• Being a CEO and selling dreams
• How to plug into the value chain
• Are you ready for the Africa Free Trade Area?

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