Explores the investment opportunities, growth, and business markets of Africa. Offers a look at the diversity of African startups, as well as companies that are valued at over $100 million or earning over $100 million annually.
VC4Africa is building a leading peer-to-peer network that connects African based entrepreneurs with the resources (network, knowledge and capital) they require to realize their potential. By our definition, every entrepreneur we engage creates value in the areas of people, planet and profit.
Problem Statement
Innovative early stage ventures with the potential to yield high social and environmental impact - and requiring less than USD $1 million in financing (the 'S' in SME) - are the most difficult segment of the SME pipeline to reach. This is especially true in the context of Sub-Saharan Africa. Often times early stage ventures have a limited track record and lack the collateral needed to secure debt capital from a local bank. Moreover, local banks and traditional financiers too often do not appreciate the dynamics of the entrepreneur’s specific business and therefore cannot add value beyond financial capital. The cost and complexity of due diligence is one of the limiting factors for those interested and able to invest in this segment. It simply costs too much to find genuine entrepreneurs with a solid business idea and plan—just ask anyone with an SME fund and they’ll tell you how ‘hard it is to find qualified deal flow.’ As a result, most existing SME funds seek larger deals and the highest margin businesses. At the same time, micro-credit is limited in its ability to support high growth businesses beyond small-scale enterprise and leaves entrepreneurs with potential standing on the sideline. This dynamic creates an early stage “vacuum” in which a large number of potentially thriving, innovative companies are either constrained to be micro-enterprises, and hence have a limited impact on economic growth and job creation, or don’t come into existence at all. This tends to shut out promising entrepreneurs in the sub-$1 million financing range indiscriminately, or raises the cost of capital to prohibitively high levels—above the already-high rate of return on capital exhibited by many SMEs—making financing uneconomical.
Our Objective
VC4Africa exists to fill this vacuum. As the largest network connecting African entrepreneurs, angel investors and early stage VCs, VC4Africa seeks to reduce the barriers to investing in small and growing businesses with high potential to contribute to innovation and economic growth throughout Africa. But we are more than a social network. We seek to leverage our data in meaningful ways to increase access to resources and facilitate successful business and investment connections to African entrepreneurs with currently limited access. VC4Africa develops tools that work to efficiently connect members and, in our community’s drive to fuel innovation, create jobs and bring rapid economic growth to communities throughout the continent.
The Africa platform for startup funding. VC4Africa is a fast growing community of entrepreneurs and investors dedicated to building game changing companies on the African continent. Entrepreneurs have access to free online tools, mentorship opportunities and the ability to raise capital. Pro Account users can follow ventures they like, set up intelligent alerts, and connect to members directly. Partners engage the VC4Africa community with their programs and services. Get involved and join the community today!
Crowdfunding is one of the most promising resource-pooling practices of the past few years: $2.7 billion were raised by more than 1 million campaigns in 2012, twice as much expected for 2013. To reach its investee core target – “the missing middle – Investisseurs & Partenaires trusted this innovative financial tool. Find out more.
Ayla Matalon, executive director of the MIT Enterprise Forum of Israel, on It Takes a Village: Startup Nation Israel Evolves.
Presentation delivered at the Global Entrepreneurship Congress in Johannesburg, South Africa (March 2017).
Explores the investment opportunities, growth, and business markets of Africa. Offers a look at the diversity of African startups, as well as companies that are valued at over $100 million or earning over $100 million annually.
VC4Africa is building a leading peer-to-peer network that connects African based entrepreneurs with the resources (network, knowledge and capital) they require to realize their potential. By our definition, every entrepreneur we engage creates value in the areas of people, planet and profit.
Problem Statement
Innovative early stage ventures with the potential to yield high social and environmental impact - and requiring less than USD $1 million in financing (the 'S' in SME) - are the most difficult segment of the SME pipeline to reach. This is especially true in the context of Sub-Saharan Africa. Often times early stage ventures have a limited track record and lack the collateral needed to secure debt capital from a local bank. Moreover, local banks and traditional financiers too often do not appreciate the dynamics of the entrepreneur’s specific business and therefore cannot add value beyond financial capital. The cost and complexity of due diligence is one of the limiting factors for those interested and able to invest in this segment. It simply costs too much to find genuine entrepreneurs with a solid business idea and plan—just ask anyone with an SME fund and they’ll tell you how ‘hard it is to find qualified deal flow.’ As a result, most existing SME funds seek larger deals and the highest margin businesses. At the same time, micro-credit is limited in its ability to support high growth businesses beyond small-scale enterprise and leaves entrepreneurs with potential standing on the sideline. This dynamic creates an early stage “vacuum” in which a large number of potentially thriving, innovative companies are either constrained to be micro-enterprises, and hence have a limited impact on economic growth and job creation, or don’t come into existence at all. This tends to shut out promising entrepreneurs in the sub-$1 million financing range indiscriminately, or raises the cost of capital to prohibitively high levels—above the already-high rate of return on capital exhibited by many SMEs—making financing uneconomical.
Our Objective
VC4Africa exists to fill this vacuum. As the largest network connecting African entrepreneurs, angel investors and early stage VCs, VC4Africa seeks to reduce the barriers to investing in small and growing businesses with high potential to contribute to innovation and economic growth throughout Africa. But we are more than a social network. We seek to leverage our data in meaningful ways to increase access to resources and facilitate successful business and investment connections to African entrepreneurs with currently limited access. VC4Africa develops tools that work to efficiently connect members and, in our community’s drive to fuel innovation, create jobs and bring rapid economic growth to communities throughout the continent.
The Africa platform for startup funding. VC4Africa is a fast growing community of entrepreneurs and investors dedicated to building game changing companies on the African continent. Entrepreneurs have access to free online tools, mentorship opportunities and the ability to raise capital. Pro Account users can follow ventures they like, set up intelligent alerts, and connect to members directly. Partners engage the VC4Africa community with their programs and services. Get involved and join the community today!
Crowdfunding is one of the most promising resource-pooling practices of the past few years: $2.7 billion were raised by more than 1 million campaigns in 2012, twice as much expected for 2013. To reach its investee core target – “the missing middle – Investisseurs & Partenaires trusted this innovative financial tool. Find out more.
Ayla Matalon, executive director of the MIT Enterprise Forum of Israel, on It Takes a Village: Startup Nation Israel Evolves.
Presentation delivered at the Global Entrepreneurship Congress in Johannesburg, South Africa (March 2017).
Jean-Claude Bastos de Morais, a Swiss-Angolan entrepreneur and innovation influencer with a deep interest in African socio-economic development. Jean-Claude Bastos founded Quantum Global Group, an international group of companies focused on African development.
Senior Vice President and Regional Head, Africa; Accion
Brian Kuwik leads and manages Accion's operations and relationships with partners in Africa and Haiti. Accion's regional program aims to improve financial inclusion in the region through equity investments in microfinance banks and other new ventures as well as the provision of management and technical services to Accion Microfinance Bank in Nigeria, Akiba Commercial Bank in Tanzania, EB-Accion in Ghana and Cameroon, SOGESOL in Haiti and other microfinance banks. Mr. Kuwik sits on the boards of these partner banks, plays an active role in governance, and provides strategic and financial advice. He also supervises Accion's technical assistance activities in the areas of strategic and business planning, product and operations development, human resources management, information technology, and risk management from its office in Ghana. Previously, he served as resident advisor and senior manager for Accion partners in Zimbabwe, Uganda and Haiti. He has supported the design and start-up of new institutions in Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon.
Before joining Accion in September 2001, Mr. Kuwik worked for three years at the Small Enterprise Foundation in rural South Africa. Prior to these positions, he was a Fulbright researcher in Cameroon.
Mr. Kuwik holds an M.B.A. in finance and international business from the University of Washington and a B.A. in international development from American University.
The Internet’s transformative potential in Africa. McKinsey Nov 2013Franck Dasilva
Our 2010 report Lions on the move: The progress and potential of African economies focused new attention on Africa’s accelerating economic growth, including its dynamic business sector and its expanding consumer market. Since then, the continent’s progress has continued, and its growth rates are now among the highest in the world. Today we examine a new chapter in the continent’s development, as Africa begins to go digital.
This journey is just beginning. Only 16 percent of the population is online, and
the Internet’s contribution to GDP is half that in other emerging regions. But
the lions are now stirring. A majority of urban Africans own Internet-capable devices, go online regularly, and visit social networking sites. Many countries
have rolled out 3G networks, and planned infrastructure investments are likely to increase bandwidth, reduce costs, and connect new corners of the continent. If governments and the private sector continue to build the right foundations, the Internet could transform sectors as diverse as agriculture, retail, and health care— and contribute as much as $300 billion a year to Africa’s GDP by 2025.
Seedstars World gives an overview of the Kenyan startup ecosystem.
During the worldwide startup competition, the Seedstars World travelled through 20 countries, focusing on the fast growing startup scene and the emerging markets, to select the best startups of the world.
www.seedstarsworld.com
Check out Tracxn's latest Geo Monthly Report on Tech rebrand.ly/19gsndf
For more free Monthly Startup Reports on geography of your interest , subscribe here: https://rb.gy/3yuosu
Seedstars World gives an overview of the Singapore startup ecosystem.
During the worldwide startup competition, the Seedstars World travelled through 20 countries, focusing on the fast growing startup scene and the emerging markets, to select the best startups of the world.
www.seedstarsworld.com
A bright future - What is the future for air transport technology & empowerme...SITA
Africa is moving from a $2 trillion economy today to a $29 trillion economy by 2050. Household incomes will increase sevenfold. Foreign direct investment has poured in from China but also from Europe, America, Australia, Canada and India. Substantial expansion of the internet infrastructural links from Africa to the rest of the world have given a massive boost to connectivity. Mobile has been a major factor of change: sub-Saharan Africa is the world’s third largest region, behind Asia Pacific and Europe.
Africa’s air transport sector is responding with a growing
number of low-cost carriers beginning to address the long-standing need for improved intra-African connections.
Problems related to safety, regulation, liberalization and costs remain, but there is an increased determination to address these issues urgently – and provide the infrastructure and resource that will be sought by an increasingly affluent and travel-hungry population.
Innovation is Everywhere - Lebanon innovation ecosystemAgence Tesla
Yes, you can innovate in Lebanon, despite the "turmoil", noisy neighbors and a territory you can cross by foot in a few days.
As we explore emerging markets to detect how these countries innovate and foster entrepreneurship and tech ecosystems, we attended Arabnet conference 2014, a great place to collide with the local geeks and a broader generation of entrepreneurs from the Levant region.
MENA is quite a huge place to explore, demographics is poised to increase, and they remain quite an untapped market. This is why we go there to see what happen and share these stories with you.
What's the story behind Lebanon recent wave of innovative startups like Instabeat (connected swim goggles)? Did you know the Central Bank was betting as much as 1% of the local economy to the knowledge economy? And with 12M diasporans for 4M "homeland" citizens, there's quite a network of Lebanese you can leverage when thinking of scaling a startup.
Come with us in this discovery of a tiny country with a giant heart and quite a will for innovation, and follow us on www.innovationiseverywhere.com, we've already been to Malaysia, Iran, Hong Kong, Kenya, and will go to Shenzhen, Nigeria, Chile, Israel...
Because Innovation is Everywhere : )
AACC to be held on the 16th and 17th of May 2016 at the Indaba Hotel Fourways Johannesburg.
You can look forward to a “mountain” of information about extending credit in Africa underpinned by financial inclusion.
The topics:
Overview of the Africa Continent by Dr Prega Ramsammy (CEO of FinMark Trust)
Transborder Data Flow by Dr Ina Meiring (Director of Werksmans Advisory Services)
Challenges we face in Africa by Gabriel Davel (previous Credit Regulator SA - now consulting to the countries in Africa)
Regulatory issues in Credit by Lesiba Mashapa (Company secretary at the National Credit Regulators Office SA)
The In’s and Out’s of Debt Counselling by Paul Slot (President of the Debt Counsellors Association)
Lack of innovation in credit granting and Enforcement procedures by Ronél Lewies (Director of Lewies Attorneys)
The need for knowledge to do business in Africa by Pieter Steyn (Chairman of LexAfrica)
A Regulatory view by Ingrid Goodspeed (Chief Director, Financial Sector at National Treasury South Africa)
Data Fraud and Identity Theft by Gray Stopforth (Business Development Director at GBG DecTech Australia)
Enablers - Data by Owen Sorrour (Senior vice president TransUnion Analytical and Decision Solutions)
Enablers - Systems by Peter Rafferty (CEO of FutureSoft)
Enablers - Staff by Stan Horwitz (Managing Director HRN Consulting, HR Network)
Enablers - The Building Blocks to financial services and credit by Frank Lenisa (CMO at Compuscan)
Enablers - Financial Models and Systems by Dave van Niekerk (CEO of GetBucks, a Fintech Company)
Jean-Claude Bastos de Morais, a Swiss-Angolan entrepreneur and innovation influencer with a deep interest in African socio-economic development. Jean-Claude Bastos founded Quantum Global Group, an international group of companies focused on African development.
Senior Vice President and Regional Head, Africa; Accion
Brian Kuwik leads and manages Accion's operations and relationships with partners in Africa and Haiti. Accion's regional program aims to improve financial inclusion in the region through equity investments in microfinance banks and other new ventures as well as the provision of management and technical services to Accion Microfinance Bank in Nigeria, Akiba Commercial Bank in Tanzania, EB-Accion in Ghana and Cameroon, SOGESOL in Haiti and other microfinance banks. Mr. Kuwik sits on the boards of these partner banks, plays an active role in governance, and provides strategic and financial advice. He also supervises Accion's technical assistance activities in the areas of strategic and business planning, product and operations development, human resources management, information technology, and risk management from its office in Ghana. Previously, he served as resident advisor and senior manager for Accion partners in Zimbabwe, Uganda and Haiti. He has supported the design and start-up of new institutions in Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon.
Before joining Accion in September 2001, Mr. Kuwik worked for three years at the Small Enterprise Foundation in rural South Africa. Prior to these positions, he was a Fulbright researcher in Cameroon.
Mr. Kuwik holds an M.B.A. in finance and international business from the University of Washington and a B.A. in international development from American University.
The Internet’s transformative potential in Africa. McKinsey Nov 2013Franck Dasilva
Our 2010 report Lions on the move: The progress and potential of African economies focused new attention on Africa’s accelerating economic growth, including its dynamic business sector and its expanding consumer market. Since then, the continent’s progress has continued, and its growth rates are now among the highest in the world. Today we examine a new chapter in the continent’s development, as Africa begins to go digital.
This journey is just beginning. Only 16 percent of the population is online, and
the Internet’s contribution to GDP is half that in other emerging regions. But
the lions are now stirring. A majority of urban Africans own Internet-capable devices, go online regularly, and visit social networking sites. Many countries
have rolled out 3G networks, and planned infrastructure investments are likely to increase bandwidth, reduce costs, and connect new corners of the continent. If governments and the private sector continue to build the right foundations, the Internet could transform sectors as diverse as agriculture, retail, and health care— and contribute as much as $300 billion a year to Africa’s GDP by 2025.
Seedstars World gives an overview of the Kenyan startup ecosystem.
During the worldwide startup competition, the Seedstars World travelled through 20 countries, focusing on the fast growing startup scene and the emerging markets, to select the best startups of the world.
www.seedstarsworld.com
Check out Tracxn's latest Geo Monthly Report on Tech rebrand.ly/19gsndf
For more free Monthly Startup Reports on geography of your interest , subscribe here: https://rb.gy/3yuosu
Seedstars World gives an overview of the Singapore startup ecosystem.
During the worldwide startup competition, the Seedstars World travelled through 20 countries, focusing on the fast growing startup scene and the emerging markets, to select the best startups of the world.
www.seedstarsworld.com
A bright future - What is the future for air transport technology & empowerme...SITA
Africa is moving from a $2 trillion economy today to a $29 trillion economy by 2050. Household incomes will increase sevenfold. Foreign direct investment has poured in from China but also from Europe, America, Australia, Canada and India. Substantial expansion of the internet infrastructural links from Africa to the rest of the world have given a massive boost to connectivity. Mobile has been a major factor of change: sub-Saharan Africa is the world’s third largest region, behind Asia Pacific and Europe.
Africa’s air transport sector is responding with a growing
number of low-cost carriers beginning to address the long-standing need for improved intra-African connections.
Problems related to safety, regulation, liberalization and costs remain, but there is an increased determination to address these issues urgently – and provide the infrastructure and resource that will be sought by an increasingly affluent and travel-hungry population.
Innovation is Everywhere - Lebanon innovation ecosystemAgence Tesla
Yes, you can innovate in Lebanon, despite the "turmoil", noisy neighbors and a territory you can cross by foot in a few days.
As we explore emerging markets to detect how these countries innovate and foster entrepreneurship and tech ecosystems, we attended Arabnet conference 2014, a great place to collide with the local geeks and a broader generation of entrepreneurs from the Levant region.
MENA is quite a huge place to explore, demographics is poised to increase, and they remain quite an untapped market. This is why we go there to see what happen and share these stories with you.
What's the story behind Lebanon recent wave of innovative startups like Instabeat (connected swim goggles)? Did you know the Central Bank was betting as much as 1% of the local economy to the knowledge economy? And with 12M diasporans for 4M "homeland" citizens, there's quite a network of Lebanese you can leverage when thinking of scaling a startup.
Come with us in this discovery of a tiny country with a giant heart and quite a will for innovation, and follow us on www.innovationiseverywhere.com, we've already been to Malaysia, Iran, Hong Kong, Kenya, and will go to Shenzhen, Nigeria, Chile, Israel...
Because Innovation is Everywhere : )
AACC to be held on the 16th and 17th of May 2016 at the Indaba Hotel Fourways Johannesburg.
You can look forward to a “mountain” of information about extending credit in Africa underpinned by financial inclusion.
The topics:
Overview of the Africa Continent by Dr Prega Ramsammy (CEO of FinMark Trust)
Transborder Data Flow by Dr Ina Meiring (Director of Werksmans Advisory Services)
Challenges we face in Africa by Gabriel Davel (previous Credit Regulator SA - now consulting to the countries in Africa)
Regulatory issues in Credit by Lesiba Mashapa (Company secretary at the National Credit Regulators Office SA)
The In’s and Out’s of Debt Counselling by Paul Slot (President of the Debt Counsellors Association)
Lack of innovation in credit granting and Enforcement procedures by Ronél Lewies (Director of Lewies Attorneys)
The need for knowledge to do business in Africa by Pieter Steyn (Chairman of LexAfrica)
A Regulatory view by Ingrid Goodspeed (Chief Director, Financial Sector at National Treasury South Africa)
Data Fraud and Identity Theft by Gray Stopforth (Business Development Director at GBG DecTech Australia)
Enablers - Data by Owen Sorrour (Senior vice president TransUnion Analytical and Decision Solutions)
Enablers - Systems by Peter Rafferty (CEO of FutureSoft)
Enablers - Staff by Stan Horwitz (Managing Director HRN Consulting, HR Network)
Enablers - The Building Blocks to financial services and credit by Frank Lenisa (CMO at Compuscan)
Enablers - Financial Models and Systems by Dave van Niekerk (CEO of GetBucks, a Fintech Company)
Keynote from 7th Annual Carole I Smith Technology SymposiumJon Gosier
Pennsylvania State Senator LeAnna M. Washington joined with Temple’s College of Engineering and Fox School of Business to host her 7th Annual Technology Symposium in honor of Carole I Smith. The symposium will feature guest speakers, exhibits and robotic and multi-media demonstrations, and will be attended by 200 students from the School District of Philadelphia to learn about opportunities in Science and Technology.
Keynote by Jon Gosier
The VC African market is growing rapidly. The amount invested over the continent has been multiplied by 2 between 2015 and 2017 and by 2 again between 2017 and 2018, making Africa the fastest growing VC market.
Recognizing this trend with an ambition to be a key player of the VC African ecosystem, Orange Digital Ventures launched in 2017 its 50m€ African fund.
Today, Africa is the only continent (comparatively to Europe, the United States and Asia) where the number of deals closed annually is still growing.
ODVA is studying closely the driving forces of such trends, and in its recent report zooms into a few: the Founders’ profiles behind Africa’s tech growth and the tech ecosystem evolution
Find out more on: http://bit.ly/2FnNgPn
You can have access to our DataBase here: http://bit.ly/2XA1eVu
Horizen Ventures Africa - $10MM early stage fundPhilip Kiracofe
Horizen Ventures Africa is an early stage fund focused on Technology and Mobile
We are currently raising $10MM and intend to close in early 2013
We will be opening the office in Cape Town on 12-12-12
link to http://horizenventures.com/africa
Talk during the 7th National ICT Summit in Legaspi, Albay that discusses the state of the PH start-up ecosystem and the Philippine start-up roadmap (Credits to ICTO and TechinAsia)
Startup Investing 101 for Angels with FoundersHK | Edith YeungEdith Yeung
To cultivate a healthy and vibrant Hong Kong startups community, we not only need kick-ass founders, we also need investors who get what startups are all about.
Home to 96 billionaires, Hong Kong has no shortage of funding. Unfortunately, most of the investors come from traditional industries and often investing in startups the wrong way.
In this video, you will learn:
Why is it not just about the money?
Why should you invest in startup?
How to position and brand yourself as an angel investor
How to build up your deal flow?
How to evaluate a startup?
What is a SAFE and how to invest?
What to do or NOT to do after an investment?
Up your game as an angel investor.
Adapt the right mindset and build an effective investment strategy tailored to your expertise.
Watch this video and check our
Reasons Why You Can’t Ignore Doing Business in Africa
1.Business Attractiveness on the Rise
2.Growth of consumer groups, target markets:
3.Growth of African mega cities
4.Ultra Mobile Connected
5.Young Population
Partner with Africa Twenty10
We want to give you an opportunity to get in on the action before the African market is saturated , we welcome you to partner with us to grow and fund the most scalable ides coming out of the African emerging market
Partner with a strong team that is at the centre of entrepreneurship ecosystem in Africa
SaaS in Africa: 10 Things We Learned From Scaling to 1M Users with the CEO of...saastr
Africa is a rapidly developing continent with many unique problems to solve. Software can play a key role in solving many of these problems, but African markets are complex, nuanced and very different from developed markets. Here are some key insights we learned from starting and scaling Giraffe- a recruitment SaaS business- in South Africa
Sasin Entrepreneurship December Sundowner
Topic: Do you believe you have the POWER to lead in CrowdEconomy!
Speaker: Hong Sin Kwek
Date: December 17, 2014
Time: 18:00-20:00
Place: Room 502, 5th floor, Sasin
Presentation for the February 11, 2014 Fiji Alumni Luncheon.
The presentation covers the career and personal background of Martin Chvoj as well as an overview of the Mobile Industry and Angel Investing.
For more information, please email Martin at mchvoj@yahoo.com.
Africa on the Rise - The Evolution of Innovation on the ContinentJ. Skyler Fernandes
The rise of incubators and accelerators in Africa has led to a new eco-system for startups and innovation on the continent. Africa is innovating Africa and the World.
Film + TV Private Finance Insights 2022 [Report]Jon Gosier
This report shares insights about how the Film/TV industry is evolving from a financial data perspective.
Insights were derived from hundreds of productions prior to release. This is the opposite of box office data, it's the financial data from Film/TV productions that prior to completion and release.
To respect the privacy of the individual filmmakers and producers, we have abstracted the names of each production analyzed.
SCALETECH 2022: What Scaling $300M Startups Taught me about Scaling $300M MoviesJon Gosier
Jon Gosier's slides from a presentation given at Scaletech 2022 in Toronto, Canada on 10/13/2022.
Prior to FilmHedge, a fin-tech that has changed the way major Film and TV projects are financed, Jon founded programmatic advertising company Audigent which now dominates the 1st-party entertainment space.
Using 6 films (and one song) as an example, here are my tips for scaling from startup to growth-stage:
1. Zack and Miri - Vet your co-founder based on you mutual interest and obsessiveness at solving a problem
2. Suicide Squad - hire to compliment your weaknesses as a Founder
3. The Expendables - know when to cut your losses with a bad hire or someone in the wrong role
4. Moneyball - track everything, define KPIs (not just for the big obvious stuff), milestones are just KPIs over time, KPIs keep your team focused
5. The French Dispatch - your company's relationship with the press will change as you grow, use the press to help re-educate the market and change behavior
6. "Know When to Hold em/Fold em" - know when to get out of your own way as a Founder, to build something bigger than yourself (by definition) sometimes you don't even need to be there anymore (graduate as a founder).
7. Avengers: Endgame - know your 'endgame'. re you building for lifestyle, legacy, or a liquidity event/exit?
My talk from Marketing Analytics and Data Science 2018 on April 11. A talk illustrating how audience/fan/user meta data is being used by executives in music and sports.
Do recording artists pick-up on emerging audience trends or do audiences follow artist trends? The answer is a bit of both. In this talk data scientist Jonathan Gosier shares methods on how the music industry is learning to apply data science to music listening audiences to boost revenue, maximize reach and improve engagement.
This presentation is about how to design technologies and business models that yield better incomes for society, reduce risk, and, as a result, maximize value.
It was delivered by Jon Gosier on June 26th, 2015 at Maine Startup and Create Week 2015 in Portland, ME.
IOT4I Internet of Things for Impact | NetherlandsJon Gosier
A presentation delivered by data scientist Jon Gosier at the DOEN Foundation in the Netherlands on how IOT can be used at the intersection of people, profit, and planet.
For more visit Gosier.org
Predicting Macroeconomic Trends Through Real-Time Mobile Data Collection [Pa...Jon Gosier
This paper outlines a study conducted in Mombasa, Kenya where real-time consumer data collection techniques (also known as known as big data, real-time data, crowdsourced data or open source data) were used to prove or disprove hypothesis about macroeconomic trends. It concludes that there are many reasons to feel confident that these techniques may serve as sufficient alternatives for economic forecasts in countries where traditional means of microeconomic data collection are sparse due to poor infrastructure and other circumstance. Further research is needed to verify the repeatability of these findings and the methods soundness statistically.
A summary presentation can be found here - http://www.slideshare.net/jongos1/predicting-macrodeck
Predicting Macroeconomic Trends Through Real-Time Mobile Data Collection [Sli...Jon Gosier
This deck outlines a study conducted in Mombasa, Kenya where real-time consumer data collection techniques (also known as known as big data, real-time data, crowdsourced data or open source data) were used to investigate hypotheses about macroeconomic trends. It concludes that there are many reasons to feel confident that these techniques may serve as sufficient alternatives for economic forecasts in countries where traditional means of microeconomic data collection are sparse due to poor infrastructure and other circumstance. Further research is needed to verify the repeatability of these findings and the methods soundness statistically.
The full paper can be found here - http://www.slideshare.net/jongos1/predicting-macroeconomic-trends-through-realtime-mobile-data-collection
21st Century Strategies for Financial InclusionJon Gosier
The wealth of black american households was decimated in 2008. This white paper outlines a strategy on how to structure new instruments for investment for black americans and other minority communities.
About Ebola Deeply - Slides from Foreign Press CenterJon Gosier
Slides from the Interview with Jon Gosier (Ebola Deeply) and Nicole Walden (International Rescue Committee) held November 7th, 2014 by the U.S. State Department. The full transcript can be found at - http://fpc.state.gov/233836.htm
Ebola Deeply is an impact journalism project founded by Isha Sesay (CNN), Jon Gosier (Appfrica/D8A), Lara Setrakian (News Deeply), James Andrews (True Story), Azeo Fables (News Deeply), and Bahiyah Robinson (Appfrica/D8A).
In this press conference we also unveiled our Mobile Wire service, a solution that greatly simplifies and improves targeting fragmented mobile user audiences in developing countries.
Using Predictive Analytics for Anticipatory Investigation and InterventionJon Gosier
The proliferation and adoption of data, sensors, mobile phones and social media technology present new ways of capturing conversations surrounding events in real-time. There is high demand for products that allow law enforcement and criminal investigators and others to explore events by monitoring many transmedia sources (social media sources like Facebook and Twitter, photos, news sources, and tweets) and relating that activity to historic data sets like neighborhood maps, crime databases and other digital records.
!
Using a combination of the data-analysis products available from D8A Group, we’ve been monitoring unfolding events in real-time to illustrate the ways our technology platforms can be used by public safety officials to make data informed decisions in real-time public safety.
Data Mining Online Audiences with D8A GroupJon Gosier
Using a combination of the data-analysis products available from D8A Group, we’ve been monitoring the unfolding events in real-time to illustrate the ways our technology platforms can be used by companies, PR firms, marketing agencies, political groups, celebrities, and NGOs to make data informed decisions in real-time crisis scenarios.
In this case study document, we analyze breaking news scenarios involving Chris Christie's Brigegate scandal, Kerry Washington's appearance at the Golden Globes, and the Knight Foundation who we weren't aware had any news events at the time, but we quickly became aware of two through the use of our software.
The primary purpose of using technologies like the D8A suite of analytic products is to monitor and capture real-time data for analysis and research. They are also predictive, helping to surface trends, patterns, and happenings before one might find out about them otherwise. D8A’s products work across multiple communication channels.
Data-Driven Crisis Monitoring: Turning Online Activity into Actionable Insigh...Jon Gosier
The proliferation and adoption of mobile phones and social media technologies presents new ways of capturing conversations surrounding crisis events in real-time. This allows researchers, analysts, and first-responders to explore events by monitoring many media sources (blogs, photos, web feeds, news sources, and tweets) from one environment.
The tragic situation unfolding in South Sudan is complex and evolving rapidly. The rate at which the fledgling state has descended into political and social unrest is distressing and highlights the need for urgent intervention. Thus, having ways to identify and engage influencers and to anticipate and potentially mitigate disastrous scenarios is greatly needed.
Using a combination of the data-analysis products available from D8A Group, we’ve been monitoring the unfolding events in real-time to illustrate ways our technology platforms can be used by NGOs, first-responders, civil society organizations and government agencies make data informed decisions in real-time in crisis scenarios.
The Humanitarian Face of Big Data | ICCM 2013Jon Gosier
What's the big deal with Big Data? How does it affect the humanitarian community? Is it all hype? What are the benefits and potential applications? This talk explores the 'humanitarian face of big data'.
CREDITS
========
Smolan, R. (2012) Human Face Of Big Data. Against All Odds Publications
Balet, C. (2013) Strangers in the Light. Gerhard Steidl Druckerei und Verlag
Photos by Josh Grow, Catherine Balet, & Peter Menzel
Cited Projects: D8A.com, AidData.org, un.data.gov, Thomson Reuters, appfrica.com, MetaLayer.com, statfrica.com, SiftDeck.com
One of the most intimidating things about being an entrepreneur or founder of an organization can be the first steps of incorporating and legally structuring things.
The good thing to note is that if you make a mistake at the beginning, its almost always addressable down the road (but it can require a lot of time or significant cost).
What's the best legal structure for your social enterprise? Why do these different models exist?
2. APPS4AFRICA (2010 - 2013)
19
Investments
12
African Countries
Participants Have Raised Nearly
$1 Million USD
Avgerage Follow-on Funding
$90,909 USD11
Still Active
PARTNERS
U.S. Department of State, Google, Microsoft, Lions@frica, AfriLabs,
VC4Africa, TED, HiveColab, DEMO Africa, Indigo Trust, SpotOne
Global, The World Bank, Unreasonable Institute
Total Invested
$150,000 USD
3. Assane Seck
Ecofund.org
Emanuel Attah
Farmerline.org
Barbara Birungi
Nakazade
Ahmed Maawy
SiftDeck
OpenSIM Kit
Titus Mawano
Ffene.com
Su Kahumbu
iCow.co.ke
Eliot Pence
Upstream Analytics
Francis Onwumere
ProWork.me
Eric Mutta
MiniShop
William Senyo
SliceBiz
OUR INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO
6. Assane Seck
Ecofund.org
Emanuel Attah
Farmerline.org
Barbara Birungi
Nakazade
Ahmed Maawy
SiftDeck
OpenSIM Kit
Titus Mawano
Ffene.com
Su Kahumbu
iCow.co.ke
Eliot Pence
Upstream Analytics
Francis Onwumere
ProWork.me
Eric Mutta
MiniShop
William Senyo
SliceBiz
ENTREPRENEURS-IN-RESIDENCE
7. Do something awesome. We’ll find you.
Apply to an Apps4Africa Challenge.
Have a business model. (Seriously!)
1
2
3
HOW DO YOU APPLY?