Episódios
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A few months ago I attended an event held by an important local ecosystem player. He event stood out for in because of the manner in which we were able to interact with founders as well as founders of the tech and innovation ecosystem in Uganda. From that event I made contacts that I am still utilizing to this day. This is one of them. KAWU is a product that allows parents to send their children money which the students can then use throughout their time in school. It is both a hardware and software play by combining an impressive set of tools and unique UI allowing parents to manage money sent as well as put a cap on what gets spent. In addition to this KAWU is keen to help create a savings culture as well as help set the stage for a credit system right from high school.
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Why the interest? A few months ago, I was approached by a popular VC fund seeking individuals who would help identify startups that would be suitable for investment. I identified two some of which had already interacted with the VC/Angel landscape but was keen to get my feet wet as well as of course make some money (they were offering about USD 500 per find).
So I did what everyone in the modern day should do. I did a search? No I asked AI. I asked a tool that comes with the Opera Browser how to determine investment worthiness of businesses.
Fast forward to a few days ago, and I was asked through a private group to shed some light about a particular business that someone was interested in investing in. So I sent a list that I sourced from Artificial Intelligence submitted it to my client and then used the same list to give me a rough idea how to judge the prospective business.
Because these questions persist, I have decided to share with you some of these ideas. Notable too is are the metrics I shared in a previous issue of the magazine which to be fair are more applicable to web based businesses because of their unique ability to give the analyst access to features covering monthly, daily and weekly usage.
In addition to this though, I have added some material that might help visual learners to better understand what is at stake. For this I used Season 2 Episode 5 of Billions where the main character explains to his wife why her clearly profitable business is not investment worthy. Just so you know some of the ideas that we highlight are market, team, legal and regulatory and product.
Here is a segment of the conversation between husband and wife highlighting key considerations for investment. What is it that you do that
you're the best in the world at?
You offer a service
you didn't invent,
a formula you didn't invent,
a delivery method
you didn't invent.
Nothing about what you do
is patentable or a
unique user experience.
You haven't identified an
isolated market segment,
haven't truly branded
your concept.
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There are quite a number of studies or shows about say the difference between Traditional Schools and the School of Hard Knocks. Street smarts and Book Smarts. In this episode I wish to touch on the influence of Fathers on Sons. The show goes to great lengths to explore the relationships between fathers and sons and a critical point in time fractures are revealed in the life of the Financial genius as he confronts his Legal Foe. The contacts and benefits that come with a good name are vast. The Bible talks about this when it says, “a good name is to be chosen rather than great riches favor rather than silver and gold”. This is what we often chase when we walk in the footsteps of our fathers especially if they have lived well. But what options exist for those without parents and thus no context?
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This is perhaps the most extensive and useful conversation we have had regarding the Subject Of Intellectual Property Rights and Protections in Uganda. Charles Batambuze has worked wholeheartedly on the creation of a platform that helps writers and publishers and all those that are part of the value chain to benefit from not just literary works but surprisingly software as well! We had a conversation about culture, and the role of groups such as URRO in the protection of creative people and their works. This year quite a lot of work has gone into a review of some previous laws with a view of having a better enhanced and inclusive law that protects as well as creates additional streams of revenue for artists. Mr. Batambuze is a walking encyclopedia of local legislative landscape on all things regarding the creative sector who insights you will benefit from. We met in the heart of Uganda’s creative industry-The National Theatre.
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We came across Ivan Karugaba’s work after seeing him on a TV show talking about his work in the technology space in Uganda with a focus on hardware. He was talking about the challenges we face as a country with electronic waste and how his company amongst many things was solving this problem by creating more affordable and compact computer kits. In this conversation we scoured the internet for talks that Mr. Karugaba has had for interesting sights as well relevant industry topics to bring you an all round view of the Hardware and Software Tech and Innovation Ecosystem of Uganda. Perhaps most notable in this conversations is the role that government has played in contributing to the slow but steady growth of this an other industries through physical spaces such as the National ICT Hub In Nakawa as well as the Science Park in Namanve (you can find important ideas about the role of science parks in development in conversations we had with Dr. McLean Sibanda when we reviewed his books as well as featured I him in our podcasts). We also discuss other important ideas such as localization and youth employment and the link between the education providers and industry.
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For the month of January we believe it is important to talk about the US election. The piece we share is really a combination of two things. Personal thoughts about ideas that dominated debate and affected the outcome as well as some very well written pieces that I found on an Application I use talking about the effect of US elections on markets. The piece also suggested what to expect from a republican win as well as from a Democrat win. Fintech apps shy away from giving investment advice…understandably so but they are allowed to share the data from past events to inform readers about potential pitfalls falls. We also have a Q and A with a Tanzanian lady-Latifa Mkwawa who was also part of a leadership school that I attended and is in the EdTech space. I also share an article first featured in Wired Magazine and written by John Carlin called Farewell To Arms. We combine his ideas with a film made 10 years after his book was written as well as other newer projects will tackle the complexities of leadership, security, espionage, defense, arms, proliferation treaties and more. In one of my favorite pieces we share a letter from Bicycle Capital from its co-founder Shu Nyatta on their perspectives on early stage investments in LatAm with two key considerations.
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In the month of December, we continue the piece we found on the NFX site by Omri Drory on How to Set Up your own VC Fund. He tackles important questions such as size of fund, focus area of fund, impact investment or thematic investment and more under the bigger theme of Investment Strategy. We also share Startup Metrics as written by Aritra Ghosh in his LinkedIn page. Those who are working toward a successful end will do well to pay attention to those metrics that apply to their businesses. Doing your homework helps you to position yourself as investment worthy. However we also encourage those in other geographies to think about metrics of their own that might apply more to their locations and serve as a useful means to measure progress. My Q and A for the month features Doris Odit Acheng of Odit Frontier Partners. A consultant and prominent voice in the startup investment space in greater East Africa we talk about her journey and her outlook both in the Ugandan Tech and Innovation Ecosystem and beyond. Those who are interested in exploring or collaborating with her will appreciate a publication released at the start of December Last year and published by Odit Frontier Partners called the OFPR Framework-a blueprint for resilience and transformation in a rapidly changing world.
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In the month of November intersection magazine covered about three major areas. The first installments of a piece written by Omri Drory of NFX about how to set up your own VC fund was shared to help those who are founders that may wish to transition into a different role. You meet quite a number of people who have been frustrated by the fund raising process but who are doing nothing about it. We share some useful tips to help you make that change. The second was driven by some troubling news about new weapons which were so precise by harvesting information from both phones and location data taken from many different online interactions. We call this the weaponization of information and have attempted to show evidence of the same in entertainment shows which are continuously taking on a prophetic nature. Finally in the week where we heard about the passing of the CEO of Tata Group Ratan Tata we wanted to explore the idea of leadership and the complexities of balancing image and decision making with all the pressures that come with this. In our book review we feature Michael Hyatt and his book Platform-Get Noticed in a Noisy World. For those who love film and series we share class of Class of 09 which helps strengthen the case we were making about the weaponization of information.
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I see why creators of content place so much value in season finales. Season 2 Episode 10 is a masterclass in creativity with its exploration of change, leadership and transition. We make use of all sorts of media as we attempt to learn more about the Technology and Innovation Ecosystems of the World. While seeming to be off on a tangent, we nevertheless capture some important truths about mentorship and change management. We explore the complex relationship between a father and his children as he navigates a possible exit from a major top directorship of a global entertainment and news jaganaut. There are notable similarities between Media Moghul Rupert Murdoch as well as with the Tata Family and the notable struggles that have surfaced after the passing of an influential figure head.
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In this Episode we feature Gofaone Modise host of Conversation with Gofaone. I was introduced to her work by Dr. McLean Sibanda whose books I had reviewed. Nuts and bolts covers his work in the Gauteng Tech and Innovation Ecosystem, while Footprints helps you make the case for a comprehensive National Intellectual Property Landscape. Was keen to learn from her some ideas on the subject of podcasting as well as broad subjects such as effective social media marketing and brand strategy. Key Insights: The importance of community in social media engagement and influencer work. The value of changing location (South Africa) and expanding your reach. The Importance of focusing on business performance as opposed to tenders and grants as a means of funding. The role of women in leadership and gender mainstreaming based entirely on merit. How restructuring can help improve effectiveness of innovation and tech ecosystem. Importance of organic growth in podcast success as well as impact driven vision for podcasts as a goal.
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On the 14th of December 2024 DevFest took place at Motiv Kampala. We attended the event and present a summary of what took place from key note to sponsors to other speeches as well as breakout session topics. The 1000 plus attendees heard from leading voice in the technology and innovation space especially those who have excelled and managed the complex transition from tech to policy and leadership. Elijah Kitaka gave a key note and warned those present to beware of stagnation and an event focused lifestyle. He also encouraged young people to develop business acumen and not just technical expertise. With regards to the theme of the day-AI Elijah Kitaka mentioned three major areas to watch Infrastructure, Co-Pilot and Agents as well as the use of Data to Train Models for the modern workplace. Tabitha Namwone a leading voice and leader in her own right introduced the audience to Career Trees. In this episode, we encourage our listeners to pay close attention to breakout sessions for ideas about tools and trends and to plug in to the ecosystem as well as to build partnerships with the big companies behind these technologies and tools. We see these events as important links between global companies and local users who will form a key resource in using and improving and extending the life of technologies that many of these companies are hungry to have tested. Breakout session leads included James Mwai (Implemeting Scalar Vector Search with Vertex AI), Wesley Kambale (Building a skin cancer analyzer with Flask and Gemini API), Collins Mesue (AI powered UI), Kayongo Johnson Brian (Neural Style Tramsfer with TensorFlow), Francis Akol (Building Ethical AI Dashboards with Angular), Oliseh Genesis (Building an AI Assistant DAPP on ICP), Sumalya Nalukwago (Building the future of Android), Collin’s Mbulakyalo (Web Notifications), Mwiine Daniel (Simplifying Cloud Management with Terraform).
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Here I share bits and pieces about my journey interacting with various Fintech products in Uganda and the region. From some basic instruction in the Forex Space back in 2019 to tools like Eversend and ChipperCash App and the investment in stocks and cryptocurrencies. What are the different ways that you can make money with these tools? Where you can start and what exists in the market. Where the potential exists in the future and why the integration of mobile money tools is essential in greater East Africa and West Africa (and a little less in Southern Africa). Benefits of using Stop Loss and Take Profit Systems of investments verses simple Buy and Sell. The benefits and drawbacks that come with reward systems (especially if not long term).
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We have a conversation with Doris Odit Acheng on several issues including her life’s journey and previous roles in an NGO doing development work as well as her pivotal role at East African Private Venture Association. Those who have followed the Podcast and the body of our work will realize that we are obsessed with Transitions and people who navigate their way through these complex moments. Ms. Odit is no different. She talks about her work in consulting and shares her love for immersive learning experiences as well as some of the challenges of leadership and management and how she has sought to deal with these. She also delves into the world of startup finance where interestingly there are some similarities with the Not For Profit World (insight my own). Podcast recommendations on her list Acquirers and The Full Ratchet both majoring in the world of finance.
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Those in the Middle East are watching the effects of war as Israel engages Hamas and Hezbollah in an effort to crash them after an attack on the 7th of October 2023. In a time when the casualties of war are increasing and major shifts in public opinion are causing many to question to effects of the war and incursion, a few interesting insights into the technology that is being employed in this war will be explored and explained. We talk about two AI based programs as exposed by a Jewish Journalist-“Lavender” and “Where’s Daddy”. These tools broadly speaking are created to make it easier for the Israeli Army to eliminate hostile targets by making use of online information sourced using these complex AI tools. The latter predicts the possibility of the combatant being home (hence the name) therefore increasing the likelihood of death by drone. The podcsst covers responsibility, warfare in its modern forms, robotics and the subject of deniability.
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In this episode we complete the piece in which we differentiated between SSDs and HDDs from price, to durability to reliability and more. We also reviewed Hamilton Helmer’s Seven Powers. We talked about Tanzania and Zanzibar’s approach to IP Law and the contribution of a Leading Law Firm Breakthrough Attorney’s as well as the Tanzania Startup Association. Finally we combined the use of generative AI to glean insights from a poppular business strategy book for two personal businesses Podcasting and Magazine Publishing. Listners are welcome to experiment with these tools to derive some ideas about better strategy for their individual companies.
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In this episode we celebrate and mourn passing of a great leader Tata Group CEO. The CEO led during a massive time of transition and oversaw the acquisition of several companies expanding the conglomerate to its amazing size. Unlike his contemporaries and others in his field and those with similar position was known as a very humble man. We contrast this real life story with the well written series Billions and Succession. We share a part of the Billions Episode 4 of the first Season describing what it is to lead at such a level. We also describe the succession story and the concerns raised within families about inheritance and change and generational wealth transfer.
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The month of September is finally here. We are completing a section we began last month on strategy with Rishad Tobaccowala. He covers quite a lot in this issue including a new way of thinking about scale and markets, population and stats. He gives you a fresh perspective on data and why it matters. The numbers tell us countries have to think creatively about placing their citizens in the right places for maximum impact to tap into the opportunities that are unique to the coming generation. How well equipped are population rich southern hemisphere geographies for the challenges that will present themselves in the years to come?
We also complete the section we started on last month on generative artificial intelligence and what tools will work best for you with a really good comparison presented by the author (Claude.ai).
Often I come across important but confusing information which I need clarified. What I do in such cases is imagine that a good percentage of my readers will benefit from this information especially those who are planning to upgrade or buy new PCs or laptops. This piece about HDs and SSDs is for you. What are the differences and what should you invest in.
After a short break we return with our interview section with a young promising developer who has quite a number of great solutions under his belt.
Finally I share…after quite a while some ideas from my Tanzania and Zanzibar trip not wholly technical but useful nonetheless for those who are thinking about exploring and eventually investing in the large gem of a country.
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This month we wish to highlight a few important subjects. The first task was to complete Glenn Greenwald’s conversation via TedX where he talked about Privacy. This is a trascript of his speech about 11 years old where he tackled some of the prevailing ideas of the time. We also featured a piece by Rishad Tobaccowalla a man i came accross after a Podcast with a lady from Botswana where they covered his book. I went on to find more of his writings via his Substack which is where this article comes from. We also have a section where we share the services of our partner Founders Freedom. There is an additional part devoted to engineering works (our first supplemental feature) with Unisource. If you want to learn (and we strongly suggest that you do) and begin to use generative AI tools please have a look at this last part which compares some of the most popular products.
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Here is an episode talking about some of the engagements i had with some leading thinkers last year when i attended an event called Zuzalu (part of a project by people like Vitalik Buterin of Ethereum) and others. We had members from Threefold, Vitalia, Kotani Pay and other invited guests from all sorts of professions tackling a variety of challenges from health to finance and more. This is a discussion about trends that are connected to this and other movements and why in my view these ideas are going to dominate a lot of our thinking in decades to come. From Decentralization to Digital Nomadism to Alternative States and Cryptocurrencies and Finance.
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Here are some notes we took from the People’s Professor Livingstone Mukasa. This was after some frustration with sound financial advice from local players in the Industry. Most of the work that has been done in the finanancial sector and with technology and innovation has focused on readying foounders to operate and think like they are in Silicon Valley. Mr. Mukasa on the other hand undetstanfs all the lingo but thrives at making all this accessuble locals and helping them navigate the investment landscape in Uganda in particular and Africa in General. We cover quite a few subjects that he tackles including Rules of Financial Literacy, Local Investments Instruments, Building Rentals Versus Investing in Bonds and Unit Trusts, How to Prepare Yourself for the Burden of School Fees (Educating your children) as well as Retirement Planning. I have keenly followed Mr. Livingstone Mukasa since his work at Mazima Retirement for which he was awarded as well as his entrace into Real Estate Development with BitBricks.
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