How much funding is going into African Crypto & Blockchain startups?
Looks like crazy volumes of VC capital is flowing into Crypto blockchain startups in the rest of the world apart from Africa...
My guess is financial services related use cases rank high on the list: payments, cross border, trading & speculation etc
Central Banking regulations is still the bottleneck b/c of formal fiat rails which caps possible products and impedes onboarding
Some options
1) old fintechs pivot into crypto products eg Chipper Cash, Stax, Eversend 2) new crypto/blockchain startups emerge w/ fresh rounds of funding 3) old African crypto startups raise more money for new products/expansion/scaling 4) African banks join crypto hype train
5) Global crypto blockchain startups expand into Africa 6) Global crypto blockchain startups acquire existing African crypto startups 7) Global startups raise funding to come build crypto for Africa 8) Global crypto projects partner w/ existing African non crypto startups
Examples of
1 > Chipper cash, Eversend, Stax
2 >
3 > Buycoins Africa, Luno, Yellow card
4 > *Some banks I have worked w/ (names witheld)
5 > Coinbase, Binance
6 > *names witheld : D
7 > Fonbnk
8 > Sokowatch + FinX Defi for merchants
Favorable regulations from African Central Banks will be a multiplier for existing trend.
Its time to bet on African crypto blockchain projects
“A recent NielsenIQ study revealed that nearly 7 in 10 consumers around the world have changed the way they buy categories and brands as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic.”
“A majority of consumers now find themselves with less money to spend and an abundance of caution around spending it. the study highlights that 73% of consumers have experienced a recent shift in their personal financial situations, to varying degrees, since September of 2020”
“consumer groups are reevaluating what’s essential to them and their families. They are making tough decisions about what categories can be abandoned and what compromises can be made even within a category.”
I cant help obsessing over @fonbnk1 The FIRST
DeFi App that converts prepaid mobile airtime credits into money for mobile users in Africa and Latin America #unlockyourpotential
I learnt about @fonbnk1 from my time at the just ended Stellar DFS lab African blockchain bootcamp. I was paired up with @cduffus as his coach and mentor
Close to 8 billion registered prepaid airtime SIM cards w/ more adoption that mobile phones, smartphones, crypto wallets, mobile money wallets and bank accounts
Prepaid airtime SIM cards are more universal than any other technology and digital currency
European Football NFT Platform Sorare Raises $680M Series B
Sorare says it’s traded over $150 million worth of digital cards on its platform since January and currently has over 600,000 registered users coindesk.com/business/2021/…
Sharing this b/c Africa is a huge market for sport betting millions of users accessing bets via USSD, Smartphone App, Web App, SMS and Agent services
Betting companies are succesful post revenue technology startups b/t few will admit it
Mobile Money Top Payment Categories, Sport betting makes tye cut at top 4 in Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, Nigeria
Regulation by Central bankers in hot African fintech markets is a market variable you have to work with / around / find loopholes. It is not a constraint that VCs or entrepreneurs can "wish away"
Wizaj, VP at Chipper Cash, African Fintech w/ $150million+ funding in 3 years was quoted saying
"40% of Chipper cash staff count is legal and compliance people"
Part of the problem is
1. Naive entrepreneurs (20s w/ no real world business experience) 2. Foreigner VCs now remote who will idealize anything for LPs 3. Lack of appreciation for Advocacy as a product
1. more drivers are considering alternatives such as LPG Pro-gas which retails ~50% vs petrol (70kes vs 129kes). Some drivers have modified vehicles to cater for proGas compatible engines
2. Some Uber drivers are now considering hybrid ( electric & fuel) vehicles such as Honda Insight and Toyota Prius
3. Some taxi drivers have shifted to fully electric vehicles for example Nissan Nopia
E-commerce in Africa is growing & evolving, however, it’s taking place in different forms & channels; a significant amount of transactions are taking place 'informally' on digital channels such as Instagram, Whatsapp, Facebook, Websites, SMS, Voice calls, etc. Via @AfridigestHQ
“I believe e-commerce is just in its first iteration and I, therefore, hold the view that the question’s assumptions are mistaken. E-commerce is inevitable but its characteristics in Africa will look quite different than that of the US or Asia.”
The lack of e-commerce penetration in Africa is partly due to how it is defined. WhatsApp, Twitter, and Facebook (including Instagram) sales allow for the more accessible informal market to flourish. This is where many items in Africa are bought and sold