In this episode of Inside the Techosystem, we are joined by Kristin H. Wilson. Kristin is the Chief Strategy Officer at Spurt and Managing Partner at Innovate Africa Fund.

Kristen shares her unique journey from aspiring doctor to venture capital expert, emphasizing the importance of evidence-based practices in entrepreneurship. The discussion highlights the significant role of the African diaspora in funding startups and the need for effective problem-solving in the entrepreneurial landscape.

You can reach Kristin at:

• https://x.com/kristinhwilson
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/hkristinwilson

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X (Twitter): https://x.com/insidethetechos Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/insidethetechos/

You can subscribe to our newsletter at https://insidethetechosystem.ck.page

Show Notes & Resources

(05:51) - Kristin Wilson’s Journey in Tech and Venture Capital

(09:05) - The Role of the African Diaspora in Venture Capital

(11:58) - Understanding Problems vs. Solutions in Entrepreneurship

(14:52) - The Importance of Mentorship and Market Access

(29:57) - Navigating Challenges in the Tech Ecosystem

(30:54) - Unlocking Connections: The Importance of Networking

(33:54) - Reevaluating the Move: Perspectives on Relocation

(35:11) - Innovate Africa Fund: Scaling Sustainable Innovation

(39:51) - Founder-First Approach: Supporting Entrepreneurs

(43:52) - Investment Dynamics: Early Stage Challenges

(47:34) - The Methodology of Due Diligence

(50:35) - Diaspora Engagement: Attracting Limited Partners

(52:03) - Learning from Global Markets: Inspiration for Innovation

(55:28) - The Future of Spurt: Culture and Expectations

(57:48) - Living the Dream: Personal Aspirations and Future Goals

In this episode, we interview Douglas Kendyson, the founder and CEO of Selar, the largest creator platform in Africa. Douglas shares his journey in tech, from software engineering to becoming a full-time entrepreneur with Selar.

We also discuss the African creator economy, the future of work, and the role of AI in content creation.

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Send any questions or feedback you have to insidethetechosystem@gmail.com

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Show Notes & Resources

(05:18) Introducing Douglas Kendyson

(18:52) The Rise of the Creator Economy

(24:50) Building a Successful Product in the Creator Economy

(27:52) From AWS Credits to Full-Time Focus

(31:07) Team Growth and Transition

(35:30) Selar: A Store Builder, Not Just a Marketplace

(38:26) Commission and the Affiliate Network

(51:21) The African creator economy and the future of work

(55:00) Sourcing data and conducting surveys for industry reports

(56:28) The role of AI in content creation: Enhancing, not replacing, creators

(01:03:16) Transitioning from engineering to entrepreneurship: A personal journey

(01:09:04) Advice for aspiring creators: Invest in your craft and be strategic in your marketing

In this episode, we sit down with Benjamin Dada, the founder of one of Africa's leading tech publications. We get an insider's view into the Nigerian tech landscape.

We also discuss what it takes to be a tech journalist and what the tech market in Nigeria will look like in the future.

You can reach out to Benjamin on X (formerly Twitter) at @dadaBen_.

Follow #InsidetheTechosystem on Twitter & Instagram: @insidethetechos

Send any questions or feedback you have to insidethetechosystem@gmail.com

You can subscribe to our newsletter at tinyletter.com/insidethetechos

Show Notes & Resources

(05:48) - Guest introduction

(06:31) - Benjamin introduces himself and answers questions about how he got into tech.

(32:14) - What excites Benjamin about the Techosystem?

(38:43) - What’s that one thing that annoys Benjamin about the Techosystem?

(43:50) - Benjamin’s thoughts on Fintech being overcrowded?

(50:44) - Meme about NIBSS holding the fintech space: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/oluwafelami-ajikobi_financefun-nibssinsights-activity-7094881212011298816-plUO/

(59:28) - Does Benjamin think we are still too young to benefit from M&As?

(01:08:04) - What advice would Benjamin give someone starting in journalism?

(01:21:58) - Benjamin talks about the LevelUp series

(01:23:32) - What would Benjamin do differently when building benjamindada.com?

(01:29:14) - What’s the next best industry for Benjamin after Fintech?

(01:33:08) - The episode with Chidi Williams, founder of Rulebase: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/insidethetechosystem/episodes/Episode-19---A-Conversation-With-Chidi-Williams-e1ldo52

In this episode, we discuss finance, investments, and product scaling with Adebayo Adegbenro, a product equity investor.

He takes us on a journey into venture capital funding and its role in a product's growth.

Ade's experiences in this industry help us better understand debt, investment banking, cryptocurrencies, and infrastructure private equity.

You can reach out to Ade on LinkedIn.

Follow #InsidetheTechosystem on Twitter & Instagram: @insidethetechos

Send any questions or feedback you have to insidethetechosystem@gmail.com

You can subscribe to our newsletter at https://insidethetechosystem.substack.com

Show Notes & Resources

(04:50) - Guest introduction

(05:42) - Ade introduces himself

(10:09) - Adebayo Ogunlesi’s talk: https://youtu.be/x6N-r_lwbf4?si=76CBPrydaAEIGzKS

(12:56) - What are some of his favorite industries to invest in?

(15:20) - What does a typical day of an investment banker look like?

(24:09) - How can someone go on to become an investment banker?

(29:56) - What is it like to raise funds for a company?

(58:38) - Ade’s thoughts on leverage vs equity capital raise

(01:11:30) - What are some of the riskiest sectors to invest in?

(01:18:42) - What are the challenges of building a product?

(01:29:34) - What are signs a startup might succeed?

(01:35:46) - What would Ade be doing if he was not in investment banking in tech?

Have you ever met any Indie hackers?

In this episode, we discuss this unconventional tech career path with our guest, Kelvin Omereshone. He gives a glimpse into his life following this path and defines what it truly means to solve problems as developers.

You can reach out to Kelvin on Twitter @Dominus_Kelvin.

Follow #InsidetheTechosystem on Twitter & Instagram: @insidethetechos. Send any questions or feedback you have to insidethetechosystem@gmail.com

You can subscribe to our newsletter at https://insidethetechosystem.substack.com

Show Notes & Resources

(03:21) - Guest introduction

(04:31) - Kelvin introduces himself and answers how he got into tech

(10:04) - What is Indie hacking?

(14:05) - How does he convince people to get into indie hacking?

(21:34) - Link to Hagfish: https://hagfish.io

(23:58) - Popular indie hackers: Marc Lue (https://www.indiehackers.com/marclou), Peter Levels (https://levels.io/nomad-list-founder/), Bria Sullivan (https://www.linkedin.com/in/briasullivan/)

(24:56) - Kelvin talks about Hagfish invoice

(28:18) - How does he decide how much to charge?

(30:12) - Are there any cons to indie hacking?

(36:16) - What are the first steps to getting into indie hacking?

(53:03) - How is open source doing in Nigeria/Africa?

(01:00:05) - Kelvin comments on some of his hot-take tweets

(01:13:37) - Link to Google firing their product managers: https://medium.com/illumination/google-once-fired-all-managers-30f73e862ff4

(01:16:10) - Kelvin talks about TKYT - Teach Kelvin Your Thing: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4qsujwiHvcP-a8z1--RyZ8XVFHbeBIfn

(01:23:34) - Sailsconf Africa 2024: https://sailsconf.com/af

(01:28:14) - What would Kelvin be doing if he was not in tech

In this episode, we're joined by Gabriel Inyamah, a seasoned product designer. We discuss his career trajectory and the range of industries he has worked in.

We also discuss balancing business goals and users' needs when building products.

Most importantly, Gabriel points out the risks involved when companies make assumptions about users' needs instead of carrying out research.

You can reach out to Gabriel on Twitter @seektheinyamah.

Follow #InsidetheTechosystem on Twitter & Instagram: @insidethetechos

Send any questions or feedback you have to insidethetechosystem@gmail.com

You can subscribe to our newsletter at https://insidethetechosystem.substack.com

Show Notes & Resources

(03:04) - Guest introduction

(03:15) - Gabriel introduces himself

(04:09) - How did he get into tech?

(08:55) - What industries does he find most interesting to work in as a digital product designer?

(12:16) - How does a designer align the company’s goals with the users’ needs?

(16:55) - Does it get difficult to align stakeholders?

(21:44) - When should you redesign your product?

(26:31) - How can designers build for potential users?

(28:54) - The Peer closing down - https://techcabal.com/2024/04/22/the-peer-will-return-350000

(30:57) - Gabriel’s top 3 best products

It's fantastic to be back! Chuka and Emmanuel return with a sprint episode as they navigate the universal struggle of scheduling and making time for new hobbies. They also reflect on their time away and banter about the difference between Lagos's heat and Amsterdam’s cold. We hope you enjoy the episode!

Tell us how you handle scheduling and making time for the things you love by tweeting at us or leaving a comment on our various social media platforms.

Follow #InsidetheTechosystem on Twitter & Instagram: @insidethetechos

Send any questions or feedback you have to insidethetechosystem@gmail.com

You can subscribe to our newsletter at https://insidethetechosystem.substack.com

Show Notes & Resources

(01:40) - Listen to the last episode we recorded in the same physical space: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/insidethetechosystem/episodes/Episode-14---Inside-the-Mind-of-an-Engineering-Manager-With-Olaoluwa-Faniyi-e1165q6/a-a5k577u

(04:45) - Chuka gives some updates on his Amsterdam dreams

(06:16) - Struggles with time management

(10:01) - Chuka & Emmanuel’s hobbies

(15:22) - Time-based & goal-based scheduling

(22:09) - Eisenhower matrix: https://www.eisenhower.me/eisenhower-matrix

(24:26) - Advice to people struggling with time management

In this episode, Ibukun Itimi, an Observability Engineering Lead at Wise joins the show! We discuss Ibukun's unusual journey into tech, how she transitioned into DevOps and Observability Engineering by figuring things out and what her relationship with her colleagues at work is like. We also delve into her preferred style for people management, what working at Paystack was like and talk about her tech community "Come Tech with Us”

You can reach out to the Ibukun on Instagram @come_tech_with_us, on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/ibukun-itimi-3a4a6a108 and https://www.linkedin.com/company/tech-with-us/ and on YouTube

Follow #InsidetheTechosystem on Twitter & Instagram: @insidethetechos

Send any questions or feedback you have to insidethetechosystem@gmail.com

You can subscribe to our newsletter on tinyletter.com/insidethetechos

Show Notes & Resources

(04:03) - Ibukun introduces herself

(05:16) - How did Ibukun get into tech?

(09:23) - What does Ibukun do as an Observability Engineer?

(14:30) - Ibukun explains what her day-to-day as an Observability Engineer is

(23:11) - Ibukun is asked if Engineering Management is more tedious than writing the code

(27:57) - Ibukun draws a mini roadmap for how observability should progress in a company

(35:16) - Is it necessary for a small startup to have someone in charge of observability?

(39:13) - Ibukun walks us through her journey from Software Engineering through to DevOps

(49:50) - Ibukun talks to us about Come Tech With Us: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tech-with-us/

(56:21) - Ibukun picks what form of content she prefers to make

(1:00:56) - Ibukun talks about what the secret behind Paystacks’ retention rate is

(1:03:33) - Ibukun talks about what her life without tech could have been

(1:04:41) - Ibukun picks her best three cities to live in