Taxonomy

Ameya Upadhyay

Ameya Upadhyay Q&A with The Cable: 5-year investment projections, startup founder wellbeing and financial sustainability

Keen on creating a better financial system in Africa, Ameya Upadhyay spoke with TheCable’s Desmond Okon on emerging trends within the African ecosystem that promote financial…

[Flourish Focus] Zone: How Blockchain Can Redefine the Payment Infrastructure in Africa

“Dispense error.” If you’re withdrawing money from an ATM in Nigeria, there is a 1 in 10 chance that you get this message. What’s more, when attempting to pay via a POS machine, the odds of transaction failure rise to 1 in 6. What gives? Enter Nigeria-based fintech startup Zone,...

Portfolio

Frontier Technology

Ameya Upadhyay interview in Condia: Tough times don't last—tough startups do

by Andrew Christian of Condia, a leading tech publication in sub-Saharan Africa In an era marked by unprecedented challenges, the landscape on which startups and…

Why We Invested in Zone: Redefining How Payment Infrastructure Works in Africa

If trying to pay via a POS machine, the odds of transaction failure are roughly 1 in 6. At the heart of these transactions is…

[TechCabal] Blockchain Payments Startup Zone Raises $8.5m in First Funding as a Standalone Business

Article by TechCabal Zone, a Nigerian blockchain startup that helps banks and fintechs process payments, has raised $8.5 million, its first VC funding since it became a standalone business in 2022. Until 2022, Zone was part of its parent company Appzone. Flourish Ventures and TLcom Capital, a pan-African venture capital...

[Disrupt Africa] Why has African tech startup funding declined so badly, and what happens now?

After bucking global trends in a record-breaking 2022, African tech saw a reset of sorts in 2023, as the global capital shortage began to bite. The number of funded ventures, and the total funding raised, declined for the first time since 2016, though not as dramatically as many had feared....

Portfolio

Embedded Finance

[Inc. Magazine] Founders Must Prioritise Mental Health

Why well-being should matter to investors who want to nurture businesses in Africa. By Charissa Cassels, Journalist at Inc.Africa Interview originally posted on Inc.Africa 72% of founders experience adverse effects on their mental health during the entrepreneurial journey. The April 2023 report from Startup Snapshot entitled “The Untold Toll: The Impact of...

[TechCrunch] Capital crunch shines light on the importance of founders’ mental health

Mental wellness goes hand-in-hand with innovation and success. For investors then, this needs to be a focus of investment, as risk exposure is also in the wellness of the founder. By Tage Kene-Okafor @ulonnaya Originally posted on TechCrunch To explore the issue, TechCrunch had a chat with Ameya Upadhyay and Lisa Mikkelsen of Flourish...

Portfolio

Frontier

[Techbuild.africa] Corner Stores – An Essential Sales Channel Across – Are Evolving With Digital Tools

Originally posted on Techbuild.africa In many African countries, corner shops are woven into the fabric of local communities. Their role in the economy is often underestimated. Globally, small and informal retailers make up a $900 billion industry. They are even more indispensable in Africa, representing 70% of all grocery sales...