Credit has always been the sensible sibling of venture: steady, rule-bound SME-lending firmly rooted in the physical economy. For most of Africa’s financial history, it’s meant factories, fleets, real estate, and assets you can touch. Collateral you can measure, not code you can scale. Photo by Piret Ilver on Unsplash And honestly, [...]
As Africa’s technology markets mature, the most interesting opportunities aren’t defined by new industries, but by better business models — the ones that turn liquidity into leverage and make capital productive. African investing is often described in sectors: agriculture, logistics, energy, health. It’s an easy shorthand, but it misses the real question—how does the [...]
At Newtown Partners, we’ve built a reputation for leaning into the uncomfortable edges of venture capital: investing in the overlooked markets, the founders with unpolished accents, and the industries the “smart money” dismissed…right up until they didn’t. Photo by Suzanne D. Williams on Unsplash Our venture track record speaks for itself. Which [...]
After years of serving on various boards and committees, I've witnessed countless disputes that could have derailed important initiatives. The most frustrating moments weren’t the disagreements themselves—conflict is natural and often healthy in governance—but watching well-intentioned people dig into opposing trenches before anyone understood what they were actually fighting about, turning potential collaboration into [...]
Every company today seems to believe its sitting on a data goldmine, with "monetize data" appearing on strategic roadmaps across industries. The narrative is compelling: transform raw data from startups into revenue, unlock hidden value, and create new business models. Yet for most companies, this remains aspirational rather than actual. Photo by Joshua Sortino on Unsplash [...]
One of the more overlooked revenue levers to boost SaaS profitability is using an annual renewal fee layered on top of standard monthly pricing. It’s a deceptively simple tactic: charge an additional annual fee, often equivalent to 1–3 months of subscription, to materially increase revenue per customer, without altering your core offering or raising [...]
Venture Capital’s relentless focus on product-market fit has become startup gospel, but this singular obsession obscures a more nuanced reality. Like a general who perfectly equips an army but sends it to the wrong battlefield, founders often build exceptional products without understanding which terrain they're actually fighting on. The market conditions your startup faces [...]
The market is saturated. Every startup pitch contains the inevitable "what makes us different" slide. True market differentiation isn't a marketing exercise. It's rare. It's real. It's the difference between companies that scale and those that fail. Photo by charlesdeluvio @ Unsplash We get pitched. A LOT. Founders consistently fail to articulate [...]
If you’ve been anywhere near tech Twitter recently, you've probably heard the buzz about "founder mode" - that mythical state of superhuman productivity and vision that supposedly separates the unicorn-builders from the also-rans. As someone who's been in the trenches, I've seen my fair share of founders come and go. Let me tell you, [...]
Startups are hard. For founders, navigating the startup acquisition landscape requires strategic foresight and meticulous planning. While early days feel like building a bicycle while riding it, the mantra "failing to plan is planning to fail" holds especially true. The best founders are visionaries who build with the end in mind. They possess a [...]
In the life cycle of every startup, there comes a pivotal moment when board meetings transition from informal discussions to structured gatherings. Usually catalyzed by fresh funding or adding a new board member, this shift marks a significant milestone for the company. Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash As global markets [...]
Trade plays a vital role in fuelling economic growth and fostering cooperation among nations. At the heart of global trade is supply chain finance, which manages financial flows, events, and processes among partners throughout a supply chain. However, traditional financing methods (such as cash-in-advance, letters of credit, open accounts, documentary collection, consignment, credit insurance, [...]
"The job of an investor is not to predict the future. It is to see the present clearly." - Benchmark Capital Partners. In the highly competitive world of venture capital, standing out from the crowd can be a key factor in success. With so many funds vying for the attention of promising startups and [...]
"Every aspect of learning or any other feature of intelligence can in principle be so precisely described that a machine can be made to simulate it." - John McCarthy, 1956 AI, or artificial intelligence, aims to create intelligent machines that can perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, [...]
