Introducing The Flip Season Two

Victor Asemota [00:00]: I'm very, very proud of what you've done. You know, I've listened to the episodes and I said, “Whoa…”

Justin [00:07]: That's Victor Asemota - entrepreneur, investor, mentor, and one of the foremost tech ecosystem hypemen in Nigeria and across Africa. When I had the opportunity to interview him for this upcoming season of The Flip, he had some - really nice things to say about the work we've done.

Victor Asemota [00:21]: You know why I'm proud? Because you're doing this without any prior context or without any hidden agenda.

Justin [00:33]: Victor is right - I did launch The Flip with limited prior context. But he's wrong about the second point - I do have an agenda. My name is Justin Norman, I'm the Founder and Host of The Flip, and I'm here to introduce to you Season Two of the show, launching Thursday, July 30th.

My agenda, while not so hidden, is this - I want to learn from the smartest, most audacious, and resilient entrepreneurs focused on building the future of Africa. I want to learn about how they are approaching hard problems and the way in which they are building contextually and locally for our nuanced and diverse markets across the continent. And, I want to share these first-person, contextually relevant insights with you - to play our small role in challenging misconceptions, benefitting the ecosystem and helping to build the future we wish to see in Africa.

We'll pursue a diverse range of topics in Season Two, like alternative venture investment models.

Lwazi Wali [01:26]: I mean, advice is great, but we're not fans of advice because it just doesn't build businesses.

Justin [01:31]: We'll explore the topic of expansion.

Wiza Jalakasi [01:33]: I'm speaking from experience, please do not try it, get into every market, and like, set up the appropriate structures.

Justin [01:38]: And what markets to go to next.

Adia Sowho [01:40]: When you solve the problem in Nigeria, which has the unfortunate reputation for being a tough place to do business, it kind of sets a precedent for where else you can do business. But, you know, from Nigeria where do you go?

Justin [01:58]: And the answer to that question may be to markets outside of Africa.

Tayo Oviosu [02:01]: So Mexico is the next market we're launching.

Justin [02:03]: So that has us compelled to explore what can be learned from other emerging markets.

Vincent Li [02:06]: I would say China is still a developing country and some kind of knowledge and experience might be useful for African business. They used to have the same pain points as that of African market.

Justin [02:20]: But while there may be lessons to learn from China, perhaps Japanese investors are looking for ways learn from African startups.

Satoshi Shinada [02:26]: So lots of Japanese companies are interested in how the new innovation coming out of Africa to solve the issue of Africa could potentially be actually applied to Japan.

Justin [02:37]: We'll also explore hot topics like valuations and exits.

Victor Basta [02:40]: There's an equation that somebody taught me years ago. Very complicated equation. It's called perception. Minus reality equals value.

Justin [02:47]: And the role telcos are playing in innovation.

Ramatoulaye Adama Diallo [02:50]: When I think about money overall, you know, you earn it, you spend it, you save it, or you give it. But if you look at where a lot of mobile money providers are today, we're still very much at the earning and spending stage.

Justin [03:06]: Venture investing, expansion, valuations and exits, mobile money, emerging markets, China - that's some of what we have in store for you in season two of The Flip.

So be sure to hit that subscribe button in your favorite podast app. You can also hang out with us on social media @TheFlipAfrica, and subscribe to our newsletter on our website theflip.africa - newsletter subscribers will also get a weekly essay every Sunday. Thanks as always for listening, and we'll see you for the launch of Season Two next week, on Thursday, July 30th.