Namita Sahu’s Post

🌟 Wishing Everyone a Very Happy Dhanteras! 🌟 - Today marks a celebration of prosperity, wealth, and the beginning of a fresh chapter. - As we honor Dhanteras, let’s take a moment to reflect on the wealth that truly matters in a founder’s journey: innovation, resilience, and vision. Here’s my message to all startup founders this Dhanteras: 🔷 Learning: - True wealth in entrepreneurship isn’t just about raising funds—it's about creating value that lasts. Think of your startup as a long-term investment. Build foundations that can withstand storms, pivot with purpose, and innovate with impact. 🔷 Future Roadmap: - This year let’s focus on sustainable growth. Aim for milestones that not only boost revenue but also enhance customer satisfaction and brand loyalty. Remember, profits might measure your financial success, but purpose measures your brand’s longevity. 🔷 Scope for Founders: - With rapid digital adoption, expanding into uncharted territories is more possible than ever. Dhanteras signifies prosperity-channel that energy into growth, whether through exploring new markets, partnerships, or tapping into the power of technology. As we light the lamps today, let it be a symbol of enlightenment on our path forward. Here’s to a prosperous future filled with purpose-driven innovation! Happy Dhanteras! ✨ #dhanteras2024 #startupjourney #foundermindset #innovation #growth #startupmentor #ingrainscapital

Proud to have taken the stage as a keynote speaker at the transformative Techstars Startup Week-Harare, an event orchestrated by Great Zambezi Initiative and the Zimbabwe Youth Council at my alma mater University of Zimbabwe’s Innovation Hub. My role at the Eight2Five Innovation Hub, powered by Old Mutual, allowed me to shine a light on a topic that resonates deeply with us: “Cultivating Innovation: Strategies for Nurturing Zimbabwe’s Startup Ecosystem.” In a world where business intersects with societal needs, the essence of responsible business practices is a beacon that guides us at Old Mutual Zimbabwe. We believe in the power of sustainable growth, not just in economic terms, but as a holistic approach that encompasses community well-being, environmental stewardship, and ethical governance. Our discussion ventured beyond the success stories and milestones of the Eight2Five Innovation Hub . We explored the profound impact of fostering an ecosystem where responsible business is the norm, not the exception – one where startups thrive on the principles of transparency, inclusivity, and environmental consciousness. A heartfelt thank you to the Great Zambezi Initiative and the Zimbabwe Youth Council for creating this platform for dialogue and exchange, to Old Mutual for championing the cause of responsible business, and to all the changemakers who are sculpting the future of innovation in Zimbabwe. Together, we’re not just nurturing startups; we’re cultivating a landscape where responsible business flourishes, driving us towards a future where every entrepreneurial endeavor is a step towards a more sustainable and equitable Zimbabwe. Lillian Mbayiwa Samuel Matsekete [CA] Isiah Mashinya #Techstars #StartupWeekHarare #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #ResponsibleBusiness #Sustainability #Eight2FiveInnovationHub #OldMutual #Zimbabwe #Keynote #GreatZambeziInitiative #ZimbabweYouthCouncil

It is Summer in the Cape and we could feel the sizzle 🔥 at the Wine and Venture Summit: Building Bridges between Europe and Africa. What a great way to celebrate the burgeoning African ecosystem in the mother city. Shoutout to Michel Weiss from Counder and Mark Miller from Carlsquare for hosting us at this wonderful gathering of North meets South and in partnership with Norrsken22 (Natalie Kolbe and Hans Otterling) A couple of nuggets from the event: Neurohacking highlight started the day: connections are everything, stay open and be kind! A fantastic panel on “Expats in Cape Town: The Mother City Effect” with  stephan ekbergh (Founder of Travelstart and Innovation City Cape Town);  Lucas von Cranach (founder and investor of OneFootball) Victoria Engelhorn (Serial entrepreneur, Cape Heritage Hotel, HABITUS, Zip Zap Circus); and Justine Schafer (Creative director of Cape Cobra Leathercraft) The takeaways being:  - Wine, Weather and People are what brings people to the Cape and South Africa! - Advice to founders and entrepreneurs: keep working with passion, this will sustain you. - Opportunity is everywhere Other takeaways: Hans Otterling (Co-founder of Norrsken22 and early investor into Spotify) emphasized that the key to VC = “Don’t position yourself where the puck currently is, position yourself where the puck is going to be”. Where is Africa “going to be” in the next 15 years? 📈 Africa has the highest growth in youth population with the largest digital adoption rates: - By 2050, 2/3rds of all young people will be African. 📱 Technology adoption: high smartphone adoption, internet penetration rates and lower costs of data = a great opportunity for tech Founders to build solutions to real problems. - African start-ups are solving REAL problems, have access to large distribution and a market willing to quickly become early adopters. Shoutout to Janade Du Plessis & Zachariah George from Launch Africa Ventures (Africa’s most active VC) for the above stats. Although the African start-up ecosystem is still in its nascent stages, there is exciting growth happening, which the rest of the world is starting to see, acknowledge and anticipate. Onwards and upwards from here! A shout out to some of these great companies and investor that presented, check out: LULA (Velani Mboweni) - Transport & mobility Qwili (Thandwefika Radebe - Informal sector marketplaces Savant (Thaheer Mullins) - Deeptech investing in Africa Revelation Beats (Matthew Samson) - Afro stock music Credit to Ben Dryden for the summary. Antonia B. Marc Herson Alison Collier Maryanne Ochola Adrian Garcia-Aranyos Patrick S. Martin

So exciting to mobilize with partners in the Indian VC Ecosystem to fuel women-led innovation for the benefit of all. Along with all these returns-first investors, we know that "When you invest in women, you're in good company." And, with The Great Wealth Transfer seeing billions of dollars moving into the hands of women and Next-Gen investors, we believe we are living through a historical opportunity to address the egregious gender venture funding gap. #beyondthebillion #investinwomen #drivereturnsthroughdiversiy

The Unsung Heroes of Local Economies: Why SMBs Deserve Our Attention As we surf the complexities of a rapidly changing world, it's easy to overlook the backbone of our local economies: Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs). These unsung heroes are the lifeblood of our communities, providing employment, driving innovation, and fostering social connections. However, SMBs often face significant challenges in today's fast-paced, globalized economy. From limited access to resources and funding to intense competition from larger corporations, the odds can seem insurmountable. Why Local Economies Matter But here's the thing: local economies are the key to building sustainable, resilient communities. When we support local businesses, we're investing in: 1. Community Development: Local businesses create jobs, stimulate local investment, and contribute to the unique character of our neighborhoods. 2. Environmental Sustainability: By promoting local production and consumption, we reduce our carbon footprint and support more sustainable supply chains. 3. Social Cohesion: Local businesses help build stronger, more connected communities by providing gathering spaces, supporting local events, and fostering social connections. How WatuGot is Empowering SMBs At WatuGot, we believe that SMBs deserve our support and attention. That's why we're dedicated to providing innovative solutions that empower local businesses to thrive. Our platform is designed to help SMBs: 1. Reach New Customers: By providing access to digital marketing tools and local customer networks. 2. Build Stronger Communities: Through our social networking features and community-building initiatives. 3. Drive Sustainable Growth: By promoting environmentally conscious consumer choices and reducing carbon footprints. Join the Movement At WatuGot, we're committed to changing the world for the better, one local business at a time. Join us on this journey and let's work together to build stronger, more sustainable communities. build3 Varun Chawla Udbhav J. #SMBs #LocalEconomies #Sustainability #CommunityDevelopment #SocialCohesion #EnvironmentalSustainability #WatuGot #SupportLocal #ShopSmall #CommunityFirst #startup #smallbusiness

Loved bringing together this group in Auckland for a AfterWork Ventures One Conversation Dinner about Abundance. The kai (food) is living in my head rent free, as are some of the topics we covered! 🌳 Where do people find abundance? We talked about finding abundance in nature, on a mountain biking trail, in music, and in play. Some people found surprising abundance during parental leave - in the unstructured and magical moments with young kids. 👵 Where has scarcity snuck up on us? We talked about the realisation that after you move out of home, most people have spent 90% of the time they ever will with their parents. But we also talked about scarcity as a positive forcing function - which pushes us to think creatively, be resourceful, and do more with less. We talked about how Israel and Singapore punch above their weight in GDP; how their natural scarcity animates their pursuit of innovation. 🍀 Does abundance lead to complacency? We talked about how Australia, as a ‘lucky country’, is seen by some as resting on its laurels. We discussed how lucky countries can experience the Innovator’s Dilemma - where quality of life is sufficiently high in the present state that there is resistance to disruptions to the status quo - even when they may be necessary to shore up flourishing in the long term. We talked about the role of government in finding balance - between distributing the pie equally, and growing the pie overall - even if it widens inequality. 🤖 In an AI-powered world, where some forms of scarcity are dramatically reduced, what pursuits will people turn to? What endeavours will society assign social reward to? What ‘scarcity’ will we manufacture to create incentives for people? 📕 As leaders in an innovation ecosystem, how can we help individuals feel a sense of abundance about what’s possible for them to achieve? Big thanks to Desley Simpson, Mahesh Muralidhar, Phoebe Harrop, Richard Ngo, Mitch Cooper, Casey Flint, Harry Wilde, Saara Tawha, Steven Zinsli, David Eldor, Karina Nepia-Blyth, and Susie Wang for your insights and vulnerability. What are your thoughts on scarcity and abundance? I would love to hear about it in comments! #innovation #tech #startups #venturecapital

**Catalyzing Change: How Juicyhub Is Fostering Local Innovation In Brazil** =============== Forbes published an article highlighting Juicyhub's efforts to catalyze change in Brazil by fostering local innovation. The organization is creating a platform for entrepreneurs, startups, and local businesses to collaborate and drive growth. According to the article, Juicyhub is tackling some of Brazil's most pressing issues, such as poverty, inequality, and climate change. By providing resources, mentorship, and networking opportunities, Juicyhub is empowering innovators to develop solutions that benefit both the economy and the environment. The organization is also promoting digital literacy and skills development, with a focus on women and underrepresented groups. This not only helps individuals improve their employability but also contributes to a more diverse and inclusive innovation ecosystem. By supporting local innovation, Juicyhub is helping to create a more sustainable and resilient Brazil. The organization's work serves as a model for other countries looking to stimulate economic growth and social change. #innovation #sustainability #Brazil #socialchange #startups #entrepreneurship #digitalliteracy #inclusivity Source: https://lnkd.in/g2KCpg8g Update Date: 1 day ago

Yesterday, Pinaco & Co, collaborated with Royal Science and Technology Park and Youth Enterprise Revolving Fund - Eswatini alongside UNDP Eswatini, MTN Eswatini, FNB Eswatini, University of Eswatini (UNESWA), Zion Venture Partners (Pty) Ltd to deliver a momentous 2nd edition of the Umliba Youth Entrepreneurship Conference themed, “Tech Entrepreneurship Beyond the Horizon” QUOTABLE QUOTES FROM THE CONFERENCE - "We regard this platform as a guiding star, illuminating the pathway towards a better future for Emaswati, especially young people and generations to come” - Linda Shiba, Investment Banker, RMB - Rand Merchant Bank. - “You don’t know what you don’t know. What you don’t know will impact what you can do and become” - Blessing Nkatha, Founder, BN Organics. - “Innovation is a tool through which we can make Eswatini wealthier, greener and more sustainable. Prospects of building Eswatini Innovation City should not be a far-fetched idea – same with the dream of witnessing a unicorn coming out of Eswatini in our lifetime”  - Minister of ICT, Hon. Savannah Maziya. - “Opportunities for Eswatini’s tech ecosystem are headlined by fintech (mobile money services for financial inclusion), Agritech (tools for crop monitoring and market access) and Health tech (telemedicine and AI diagnostics for rural areas)” – Tafara Tsoka, CEO, Zion Venture Partners (Pty) Ltd. The conference is one of the solid building blocks for Pinaco & Co’s vision of being a gateway for venture capital investment into Eswatini (and the rest of Africa) to create jobs for our youth and spur economic growth. Our mission is simple: to discover and present to the world Eswatini’s first unicorn. Shared with this post is a presentation by one of our Partners, Zion Venture Partners (Pty) Ltd, which cements the commitment and resolute to our vision. #GetThere #Eswatini #Venturecapital #funding #startups #youth #Africa #technology #entrepreneurship

The World is Becoming more Africa. 👉 By 2050, one-fourth of the world's population will be in Africa, including one-third of the world’s young population (15-24 years). 👉 Sub-Saharan Africa holds more mobile users than the US and UK combined (670 million). 👉 Africa leads with the world's highest percentages of working-age (and female) entrepreneurs in the world. That means Africa's booming population will provide bigger consumer markets and more talent. And Kenya is the best gateway to the African markets. Some investors have already figured it out. Like Mikko Silventola. Who is awesome. Be more like Mikko. 🙃 PS Stats stolen from a great article by Tech Safari. Read it in its entirety for a great overview of the Nairobi tech scene and a suprising-not-so-suprising comparison of Kenyan and Estonian startup stories. Link in the comments.

Let's all chip in to make this happen! Starting with a global minded education and ecosystem linking entrepreneurs, financiers & big thinkers. Making it in the global market requires an original blueprint, and Mahesh offers one here