Untapped Opportunities
By Untapped Global
Untapped Opportunities Aug 05, 2021
Blockchain, Crypto and Web3 in Africa: Meet the Trailblazers with Momint, Ejara and Carry1st
We’re thrilled to kick off our new Twitter spaces series, where we’ll host engaging conversations about investing in entrepreneurship in emerging markets, especially Africa. Join us every Thursday on Twitter @UntappedGlobal at 9 am PDT/4 pm GMT/6 pm SAST.
In this episode, we spoke to some of Africa’s #Blockchain and #Crypto entrepreneurs leading the way on the fastest-growing continent on earth; Ahren Posthumus - CEO at Momint, Nelly Chatue Diop - Co-Founder and CEO at Ejara and George Payne - Business Development at Carry1st.
Untapped Global connects global investors to entrepreneurs in emerging markets by offering profitable, data-driven investment opportunities for global investors to finance high-growth businesses across Africa.
*Stay up to date with Untapped, subscribe to our newsletter -------> http://bit.ly/untappedupdates
*Our investment platform is live. Create your account and start investing in the worlds fastest growing market! -------> https://untapped-global.com/
Blockchain, Crypto and Web3 in Africa: Impact Unpacked with Untapped Global, Mercy Corps Ventures and MFS Africa
We’re thrilled to kick off our new Twitter spaces series, where we’ll host engaging conversations about investing in entrepreneurship in emerging markets, especially Africa. Join us every Thursday on Twitter @UntappedGlobal at 9 am PDT/4 pm GMT/6 pm SAST.
In this episode, we spoke to some of Africa’s most prominent leaders in Web3 about the use cases, opportunities, and growth of Crypto across the continent; Gwera Kiwana - Crypto Founder in Residence at MFS Africa, Ken Kou - Web3 Lead at Mercy Corps Africa and Toffene Kama - Principal Investor at Mercy Corps Africa.
Untapped Global connects global investors to entrepreneurs in emerging markets by offering profitable, data-driven investment opportunities for global investors to finance high-growth businesses across Africa.
*Stay up to date with Untapped, subscribe to our newsletter -------> http://bit.ly/untappedupdates
*Our investment platform is live. Create your account and start investing in the worlds fastest growing market! -------> https://untapped-global.com/
Gluwa x Untapped: Connecting Digital Investing to Real-world Assets
Jim Chu, CEO and Founder at Untapped joined Toby Bromer, Editor at Gluwa to chat about investing in emerging markets (and why you should get in on it!), what open finance can do for real world assets, and how the Gluwa & Untapped partnership is set to change who invests and how they invest!
---------------------
Untapped Global is reshaping profitable investing in emerging markets through digitization and network effects. Based in San Francisco, Africa, and Europe with an all-female investment team, the company aims to empower the next billion entrepreneurs to scale to their full potential by connecting frontier market innovators to global investors online and in-person. Find out more at untapped-global.com
A Q/A Session with the Untapped Global Team
Over the past ten months, Untapped Global has introduced an innovative investment model called Smart Asset Financing™ that provides flexible capital for fast-growing companies in emerging markets like Paga, Asaak, and FlexClub.
For investors, Smart Asset Financing™ leverages IoT technology to make investments safer and more profitable by tracking assets and capturing revenue in real-time.We’ve proven that it works: we’ve financed hundreds of entrepreneurs in over half a dozen countries, and have become profitable in the 10 short months since we launched. So far, we’ve only been able to make this investment opportunity available to “accredited” (ie. wealthy) investors willing to write big checks. Now, we want to make the opportunity to profitably invest in emerging markets available to anyone, anywhere.
We are raising $1M on WeFunder to build an online platform that allows any type of investor – big or small – to invest in Smart Asset Financing™ for fast-growing small businesses in Africa, Latin American, and Asia.We’ll be hosting public Q&A sessions over the next several weeks to allow anyone, anywhere to speak directly to our CEO and Founder, Jim, and other members of our team to learn more about the Untapped movement.
-------------------------------------------
[00:07] - Introduction: Meet the Untapped Global team
[11:18] - What is Untapped’s Investment model, and how do you manage the assets?
[16:20] - What is the relationship between the Untapped investment fund and investment platform?
[20:09] - To invest in Untapped Global’s crowdfund and investment platform, do you have to be a US-based accredited investor?
[23:01] - Who is the target market for the untapped investment platform?
[25:08] - Is the Smart Asset Financing model exclusive to emerging markets?
[32:46] - What is the potential exit criteria for Untapped equity investors?
[39:12] - How does Untapped source the startups you invest in?
[46:15] - What is untapped’s risk management strategy?
[53:25] - Can non-US- based investors invest in Untapped without going through the Crowdfund?
[56:28] - Do Untapped investors get to choose which businesses they invest in on the investment platform?
[1:03:52] - How does Untapped plan on motivating more women to invest?
[1:08:55] - Is Untapped crowdfunding at the same valuation as before the Reg-D raise?
[1:09:46] - How does Untapped plan on reaching the next generation of investors?
Register to Join the next Q/A session with the Untapped team LIVE on December 3rd at 8am PST/ 3pm GMT/ 7pm EAT!
The Nest on Clubhouse: Building Global Teams in a Remote World
The unprecedented outbreak of COVID19 has accelerated remote working over the past two years, presenting a unique opportunity for companies to build diverse teams that combine global mindsets with on the ground presence in the most promising markets around the world!
Remote working, however, presents some challenges. Building a cohesive local team is hard enough, but communication can quickly deteriorate when team members come from diverse cultures and work across different, often conflicting time zones. In this episode of the Nest on Clubhouse, we'll discuss what it takes to build a global team in today's remote environment, its impact on diversity in the workplace, and how we communicate and create.
We were joined by panelists Tobi Lafinhan Co-founder at Venture for Africa, Grace Njunge - Global Chief of Staff at Dalberg and Lundie Strom, Partnerships and Communications Lead at Untapped Global.
Untapped Global's goal is to connect international investors to high-growth frontier markets. We host The Nest investment network and have monthly discussions each first Thursday of the month on investing and entrepreneurship in emerging markets on Clubhouse.
Subscribe to our newsletter to learn more about what our portfolio companies and global investor network are up to, updates from our team, upcoming events for The Nest network to join, and other thoughts about the interesting people, places, and things we come across: http://bit.ly/untapped-news
How Africa Built This: Tech Giants
This month, we've introduced a new series, 'How Africa Built This' to our Clubhouse conversations! 'How Africa Built This' explores the stories behind some of the continent's groundbreaking innovators, entrepreneurs, and companies.
On this episode, we focused on tech startups developing solutions for continent-wide and international markets with the panelists; Melvyn Lubega (Director of South Africa's first Unicorn, Go1), Toyin Bajomo (CEO of rising Nigerian eCommerce company BabyBliss), and Falgu Shah (BizOps and Expansion at Paystack)
Untapped Global's goal is to connect international investors to high-growth frontier markets. We host The Nest investment network and have monthly discussions each first Thursday of the month on investing and entrepreneurship in emerging markets on Clubhouse.
Subscribe to our newsletter to learn more about what our portfolio companies and global investor network are up to, updates from our team, upcoming events for The Nest network to join, and other thoughts about the interesting people, places, and things we come across: http://bit.ly/untapped-news
Financing 2021: Success Stories from SHYFT and Ampersand
Ugwem Eneyo CEO at SHYFT Power Solutions and Josh Whale CEO at Ampersand discuss their recent financing rounds, e-mobility in Africa and investing on the continent.
Untapped Global's goal is to connect international investors with high growth frontier markets. We host The Nest investment network and have weekly discussions each Thursday on investing and entrepreneurship in frontier markets on Clubhouse, and in-person in cities around the world. We also host The Nest, a monthly in person and on-line pitch platform highlighting the most promising startups from emerging markets.
Visit our website to learn more about Untapped Global: https://untapped-global.com/
Are African Startups Overvalued or Undervalued?
From misperceptions of risk in Africa to local investors undervaluing local startups, valuations in startups in Africa vary widely. Are they under valued or over valued? We discussed this topic with panelists; Adenike Sherriff - Principal at Future Africa , Stephen Deng -Co-founder & Partner at DFS Lab, Laurent Lamothe -former Prime Minister of Haiti and Jim Chu- CEO at Untapped Global.
Untapped Global's goal is to connect international investors with high growth frontier markets. We host The Nest investment network and have weekly discussions each Thursday on investing and entrepreneurship in frontier markets on Clubhouse, and in-person in cities around the world. We also host The Nest, a monthly in person and on-line pitch platform highlighting the most promising startups from emerging markets.
Visit our website to learn more about Untapped Global: https://untapped-global.com/
Venture Debt for African Startups
Over $2B in venture capital went to Africa in 2020, but the opportunity for financing goes well beyond VC. We will look at venture debt and the role it can play in scaling startups in Africa with key panelists Camila Nestor - CEO at MCE Social Capital, Kwami Williams - CEO and Co founder at MoringaConnect, and Rob Eloff - Co founder of Lateral Capital.
Untapped Global's goal is to connect international investors with high growth frontier markets. We host The Nest investment network and have weekly discussions each Thursday on investing and entrepreneurship in frontier markets on Clubhouse, and in-person in cities around the world. We also host The Nest, a monthly in person and on-line pitch platform highlighting the most promising startups from emerging markets.
Visit our website to learn more about Untapped Global: https://untapped-global.com/
Meet The Entrepreneur by Invest Africa- Mohamed Abdou on The Disruptive Potential of Technology in Africa
This week on Meet the Entrepreneur, our partners Invest Africa spoke to Mohamed Abdou, founder of Pravica, the first blockchain email service provider in the MENA region. They discussed the disruptive potential of the technology to solve some of Africa's most pressing challenges including trust in institutions, financial inclusion and underreported data.
Mohamed Abou pitched Pravica on The Nest in March: To watch Mohamed's pitch click here.
Learn More about Pravica: https://pravica.io/
Learn More about Invest Africa: https://www.investafrica.com/
This year, Untapped Global has partnered with Invest Africa to boost investment in African startups through The Nest, a hybrid online and in-person monthly pitch series. Join us every month online and across the globe as we hear from Africa's high-impact and high-growth startups.
Register for the next pitch event on 22nd April: bit.ly/untappedthenest
Get in touch at connect@findthenest.org for more information about how you can get involved in pitching or investing through The Nest.
Join our network of like-minded global investors and entrepreneurs on our WhatsApp channel: https://chat.whatsapp.com/HHMGGUwEVuQ7dL33CJ3EXU
African Companies Going Global
More and more African companies are speeding to global markets as services turn digital and migrate to the cloud. What does this mean for Africa’s tech firms? We explore this topic with key panelists Bob Skinstad, Keet van Zyl, Christophe Viarnaud and Alfa Bumhira.
Untapped Global's goal is to connect international investors with high growth frontier markets. We host The Nest investment network and have weekly discussions each Thursday on investing and entrepreneurship in frontier markets on Clubhouse, and in-person in cities around the world. We also host The Nest, a monthly in person and on-line pitch platform highlighting the most promising startups from emerging markets.
Why Women Do It Better: Investing & Entrepreneurship in Africa
A Harvard Business Review study found that in general, women were better rated than men as leaders, not just for the more stereotypical or obvious reasons on their training skills. Women leaders were better rated on all levels of business success, including problem analysis, solving problem solving and Innovation Initiative.
In this episode Hope Ditlhakanyane, founder of We Fund Women, Sarah Dusek founder of Enygma Ventures and Louise Mitchell from Take My Word discuss investing and entrepreneurship for female founders and investors.
Untapped Global's goal is to connect international investors with high growth frontier markets. We host The Nest investment network and have weekly discussions each Thursday on investing and entrepreneurship in frontier markets on Clubhouse, and in-person in cities around the world. We also host The Nest, a monthly in person and on-line pitch platform highlighting the most promising startups from emerging markets.
The Rise (and Fall?) of Crypto in Africa
Cryptocurrencies in Africa have attracted strong interest. But with the introduction of new government restrictions, what does the future hold for crypto in Africa?
Untapped Global's goal is to connect international investors with high growth frontier markets. We host The Nest investment network and have weekly discussions each Thursday on investing and entrepreneurship in frontier markets on Clubhouse, and in-person in cities around the world. We also host The Nest, a monthly in person and on-line pitch platform highlighting the most promising startups from emerging markets.
Alternative Investment Models for Africa
In this episode, Geetha Tharmaratnam, Raj Kulasingam, Vivian Nwakah Christophe Viarnaud, Luni Libes discuss alternatve investment models in Africa
Untapped Global's goal is to connect international investors with high growth frontier markets. We host The Nest investment network and have weekly discussions each Thursday on investing and entrepreneurship in frontier markets on Clubhouse, and in-person in cities around the world. We also host The Nest, a monthly in person and on-line pitch platform highlighting the most promising startups from emerging markets.
Meet The Entrepreneur by Invest Africa- Jim Chu on Smart Asset Financing™
Meet the Entrepreneur, a podcast series by Invest Africa, spoke to Jim Chu, our Founder of Untapped Global, about Untapped Global's new collaboration with Invest Africa and his plan to use Smart Asset Financing™ to tap into the $4T opportunity in the fastest-growing economies.
This year, Untapped Global will be partnering with Invest Africa to boost investment in African startups through The Nest, a hybrid online and in-person monthly pitch series. Join us every month online and across the globe as we hear from Africa's high-impact and high-growth startups.
Register for the next pitch event on 18th March: bit.ly/untappedthenest
Get in touch at connect@findthenest.org for more information about how you can get involved in pitching or investing through The Nest.
Join our network of like-minded global investors and entrepreneurs on our WhatsApp channel: https://chat.whatsapp.com/HHMGGUwEVuQ7dL33CJ3EXU
Scaling Informal Markets Through Digitization
Digitization has transformed the world in almost every aspect in the last few decades. Internet access, mobile phones, social media, and other services have changed how people communicate and work. In Africa and other emerging markets, the vast majority of economic transactions are happening informally, that is, not through formal companies or services, but between one person to another.
Digitizing these transactions creates opportunities to use technology to make them more efficient – better matching of supply and demand (e-ride hailing services like Uber), eliminating inefficient intermediaries with mobile money giants such as MPESA in Kenya, predictive analytics (estimating seasonal demand from past data), e-wallets for the unbanked, among others. Africa is leapfrogging many developed markets in this regard.
Untapped Global's goal is to connect international investors with high growth frontier markets. We host The Nest investment network and have weekly discussions each Thursday on investing and entrepreneurship in frontier markets on Clubhouse, on zoom, and in-person in cities around the world.
Does Equity Crowdfunding Work?
In this episode, Geetha Tharmaratnam, Derrick Ashong, Kiendel Burritt, Ope Adeoye, and Raj Kulasingam discuss their experiences on The Nest and if alternative channels of funding such as crowdfunding and help drive growth in Africa.
Hosted by Jim Chu, CEO of Untapped Global and Producer of The Nest.
Untapped Global's goal is to connect international investors with high growth frontier markets. We host The Nest investment network and have weekly discussions each Thursday on investing and entrepreneurship in frontier markets on Clubhouse, on zoom, and in-person in cities around the world.
Is VC the Right Model for Africa?
Stephen Gugu (Managing Principal at InVhestia Africa Limited), Ahmed El Alfi (Founder and Chairman at The GrEEK Campus), Brenda Wangari (Program Manager, Africa at Village Capital), Sam Ajadi (Senior Insights Manager - Ecosystem Accelerator at GSMA) and Roble Musse (CEO of Transalytics and Author of Un-Silicon Valley) discuss venture capital in Africa with host Jim Chu.
The success of technology startups, especially. those from the US, has become legendary. It’s not a surprise that, whether through muscle memory or through deliberate choice, we’ve copy and pasted that model for investing in other areas: impact investing, investing Africa, etc.
So, is Venture Capital model the right model for Africa?"
Does it work?
Is it the kind of investment that Africa needs for economic development?
Listen to learn more!
Untapped Global's goal is to connect international investors with high growth frontier markets. We host The Nest investment network and have weekly discussions each Thursday on investing and entrepreneurship in frontier markets on Clubhouse, on zoom, and in-person in cities around the world.
The Nest Investment Pitch: UTU, RiseSafe, and SolShare
This episode features AI to make trust easier, tech that allows low-income Bangladeshi households sell their excess solar power, and rapid response for motorcycle accidents throughout Africa. Two ventures receive investments in this episode!
Untapped Global's goal is to connect international investors with high growth frontier markets. We host The Nest investment network and have weekly discussions each Thursday on investing and entrepreneurship in frontier markets on Clubhouse, on zoom, and in-person in cities around the world.
The Nest Investment Pitch: InsectiPro, Ilara Health, and MarketForce360
This episode of The Nest features insect protein for animal feed for the growing millions of people in Africa, medical asset leasing to make life-saving procedures available to the poorest, and modern sales tools for the retail sales in the developing world.
Race and Entrepreneurship in Africa
Timbo Drayson (Co-Founder and CEO of OkHi), Mark Kuria (Chief Executive of Kuria Capital), Edith Njage (CEO of Arielle for Africa), and Tonee Ndungu (CEO of Kytabu) discuss the effect race has on entrepreneurship in Africa with host Jim Chu.
Untapped Global's goal is to connect international investors with high growth frontier markets. We host The Nest investment network and have weekly discussions each Thursday on investing and entrepreneurship in frontier markets on Clubhouse, on zoom, and in-person in cities around the world.
Introduction
Untapped Global is starting a podcast! Find out what it's all about. We host an in person conversation on Club house every Thursday at 8am PDT/ 4pm GMT/ 7 pm EAT.
Untapped Global's goal is to connect international investors with high growth frontier markets. We host The Nest investment network and have weekly discussions each Thursday on investing and entrepreneurship in frontier markets on Clubhouse, on zoom, and in-person in cities around the world.