Building The Future Podcast Dotun Olowoporoku

This season of Building the Future was made possible by Moniepoint

My guest today is Bode Abifarin, one of the leading startup operators I know on the continent.
I first met Bode in 2017 when she had just joined Flutterwave, where she served as Chief Operating Officer. I've been continually impressed by Bode’s unique ability to blend operational dexterity with high level strategic thinking. Bode has a background in consulting for KPMG and worked closely with banks in Nigeria to develop and articulate their go to market strategies. Flutterwave gave her the opportunity to operationalize many of her PowerPoint presentations in a high growth, high intensity startup environment. Bode joined the company in its early days, and since then, it has become one of the few unicorns on the continent, valued at $3 billion in its most recent fundraising round. This conversation was recorded while she was still the COO.

In this episode, we discuss: 

The key mental frames and thought process for transitioning from a large corporation to a startup. Including: 1/ the challenges she faced during this transition, 2/ the relationships and other advantages she brought from her corporate experience, as well as, 3/ her learning curve in adapting to the startup environment.Efficiency, operations standardization, and the evolution of the COO role as a company scales.Key actions to take while penetrating into a new market:, blending experienced personnel with local talent, adapting to cultural and regulatory nuances as well as continuous learning and improving. Her approach to finding, shaping, and mentoring talent as a business leader on the continent.Book: Imagine Africa
Quote: “Once your strategy, in terms of go-to-market, product, and focus is crisp and clear. Spend time getting that crispiness and the clarity in your own local markets, right? Go deep, go wide, listen to customers, iterate, and be the champion of that market.

CREDITS
Host: Dr. Dotun OlowoporokuProduced by: The SubtextEditing: Osarumen Osamuyi, Chinedu AnatuneShow Notes: Grace ObaloluwaDesign: Jonathan NwachukwuVoice Overs & Project Coordination: Damilola TeidiSeason Intro Video: Chukwuka Ezeiruaku

This season of Building the Future was made possible by Moniepoint
My guest today is Mark Straub, founder & CEO of Smile ID. 
Smile ID is building identity verification infrastructure for businesses in Africa.
Mark and I were connected by a mutual friend, but I’ve always been fascinated by his transition from being a venture investor to becoming a startup founder — especially considering that I made the transition in the other direction.
With Smile ID, Mark is building an important layer of trust for digital transactions across the continent. The company raised a $20M Series B and completed 100 million identity checks in 2023. Mark’s thoughtfulness, deep sector expertise and capacity to attract top talents seems to give him an unfair advantage in the space. In this episode, we explore:
The role of fintech as a driver of economic development, and the role of digital identity as an important building block for fintech innovation.The crucial components needed for a successful digital identity systemThe strategic framework behind the company's expansion and how Smile ID has built differentiation in a crowded marketMark’s framework for attracting and retaining top talentLessons from his experience as both an investor and entrepreneurBook Recommendation::
 Leaving the Tarmac: Buying a Bank in Africa by Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, providing an insightful resource for those interested in African business ventures. 
High Growth Handbook by Elad Gil a comprehensive guide for scaling startups, covering critical topics such as hiring, management, product development, and fundraising.
Quote: “Having payment rails is like having a car.You can drive really fast and you can go from one place to another. You can send value from one place to another. Having good ID systems in place is like having a seatbelt and brakes that work. So you can stop the car from driving off the road and destroying everything in it.”
I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did.
Transcript
CREDITS
Host: Dr. Dotun OlowoporokuProduced by: The SubtextEditing: Osarumen Osamuyi, Chinedu AnatuneShow Notes: Grace ObaloluwaDesign: Jonathan NwachukwuVoice Overs & Project Coordination: Damilola TeidiSeason Intro Video: Chukwuka Ezeiruaku

My guest today is Anu Adedoyin-Adasolum, the co-founder and CEO of Sabi.
Sabi is a B2B e-commerce startup that provides digital infrastructure to Africa's informal economy. In October 2023, they announced reaching $1B annual GMV.
I've always been fascinated by Sabi, especially their ability to bring seemingly disjointed and complex pieces together in a connected business model. In this episode, we discussed:
The unique challenges and differentiation strategies of operating a B2B e-commerce platform in Africa. Anu emphasizes the importance of understanding market needs and tailoring solutions to address customer needs. We also covered Sabi's approach to building trust, providing logistics, quality services, access to credit, and other resources to businesses. The surprising sophistication of the informal market, including lessons learned from Anu’s past experiences at Jumia and RensourceThe decision to adopt an asset-light model, and the critical role of detailed data analysis and segmentation for achieving scale. We also touched on identifying the right expansion strategies, the complexities of fundraising, and Anu’s approach to cohort analysis.
I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did.
Quote: “No one cares about your app. Literally no one cares about that application. [Merchants are] just trying to make money. Help them make money, or don't.”

Book Recommendation: Emotion by Design: Creative Leadership Lessons from a Life at Nike. By Greg Hoffman
The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company by Bob Iger
CREDITS
This season of Building the Future was made possible by Moniepoint 
Host: Dr. Dotun OlowoporokuProduced by: The SubtextEditing: Osarumen Osamuyi, Chinedu AnatuneShow Notes: Grace ObaloluwaDesign: Jonathan NwachukwuVoice Overs & Project Coordination: Damilola TeidiSeason Intro Video: Chukwuka Ezeiruaku
Transcript: https://share.transistor.fm/s/0d6e5d28/transcript.txt

My guest today is Shola Akinlade. I met Shola in 2016, while he and his co-founder, Ezra, were at the YC accelerator program. It was the beginning of their Paystack journey, and even then, I was struck by his clarity of thought and radical focus on product development.
Today, Paystack has scaled to seven markets and is responsible for over 40x the value processed online in Nigeria at the time of their founding. Their $200M+ acquisition by Stripe marked a significant milestone for the tech ecosystem in October 2020.
In this episode, which is Shola’s second appearance on BTF, we reflected on:
Stripe’s acquisition of Paystack, and its impact on Shola, his team, and broader tech ecosystemHiring and managing startup talent at scale, including the necessary changes in management style required at different stages of a startup’s lifeHis seven-year benchmark for measuring startup success, and the importance of a long term view in company building
We also discussed the opportunity with “community project” Sporting Lagos FC, and how his experience at Paystack serves as leverage in his new venture of owning a football club. Listen to Episode 11 (Season 1) as context for this one.
Quote: “In the realm of business, prioritizing shared values over personal friendships is paramount when selecting collaborative partners.”

Recommended Books:  
The Away Game: The Epic Search for Soccer’s Next Superstars  by Sebastian Abbot
Radical Candour: How to Get What You Want by Saying What You Mean  by Kim Scott


CREDITS
This season of Building the Future was made possible by Moniepoint
Host: Dr. Dotun OlowoporokuProduced by: The SubtextEditing: Osarumen Osamuyi, Chinedu AnatuneShow Notes: Grace ObaloluwaDesign: Jonathan NwachukwuVoice Overs & Project Coordination: Damilola TeidiSeason Intro Video: Chukwuka Ezeiruaku

My guest today is Tosin Eniolorunda, CEO and co-founder of Moniepoint. I met Tosin in Kigali at the Africa Tech Summit in 2020, just before the world went into lockdown. We spent hours discussing the offline distribution of fintech products after our introduction. Since then, I've had the opportunity to be an investor, C-level executive, and board observer at Moniepoint. This has allowed me to understand the company from both external and internal perspectives.
In this episode, you'll get a glimpse of the typical conversation I have with Tosin during our working days.
Here are five key takeaways from this episode:
Data Driven Decision Making: Utilizing data analytics and insights is fundamental for informed decision-making, optimizing operations, and identifying growth opportunities in a rapidly changing market landscape.First Mover Advantage: Being the first to market is crucial for gaining a competitive edge and establishing a strong position.Customer-focused Approach: Prioritizing customer experience and integrating their feedback enhances loyalty, fosters long-term relationships, and improves brand reputation.Talent Development and Leadership: It's essential to invest in talent development and promote strong leadership for building a resilient, high-performing workforce capable of overcoming challenges and driving the organization forward.4M Framework: Mastery, Membership, Meaning, and Money are critical components for personal and professional growth.Quote: "People are at their best when they are entrepreneurial, when they say ‘I’m doing this for myself and not necessarily for my boss.’"
Book Recommendation: "Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done" by Lawrence Bossidy and Ram Charan.

It's been a while. I haven't held the podcast mic for a long time. I must admit, I'm a bit rusty. I’m overwhelmed by the advancements in the podcast space since my sabbatical. The African tech ecosystem has also grown in leaps and bounds, with its fair share of troughs too. And I'm still privileged to be an active participating observer in it. 
Several people have asked me privately and publicly when I'm restarting the podcast. I've attributed the delay to my busy schedule, but I'm more eager to return than those who've inquired about it. 
 At last, I'm back. 
This season, I aim to revisit the raison d'être of the podcast, and highlight the significant progress in the African tech ecosystem. I'll do this through the perspectives of key players who have raised substantial capital, generated millions in revenue, or added significant value to their businesses. 
Please enjoy the Season 5 Intro and my interview with the Producer, Osarumen Osamuyi, who collaborated with me on this project.