Category : Inside Africa

E-commerce in Africa has entered a more measured and consequential phase of development. After a decade of experimentation marked by rapid platform launches, aggressive customer acquisition, and uneven capital deployment, the sector is now being reshaped by economic pressure, infrastructure constraints, and a sharper focus on unit economics. The narrative

Franchising has established itself as a significant component of South Africa’s private sector, operating across diverse industries and contributing materially to employment, gross domestic product (GDP), and entrepreneurial participation. Unlike informal micro-enterprises or traditional small businesses, franchised models leverage standardized systems, recognized branding, and scalable operating frameworks, features that have

Access to finance remains one of the defining constraints for business growth in South Africa, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and micro-enterprises. In an economy where SMEs contribute a significant share of jobs and economic output but frequently face structural credit constraints, business loans are not merely a

After two years of contraction, Africa’s startup ecosystem raised more capital in 2025 than it did the year before. That reversal matters, not because it signals a return to earlier growth cycles, but because it clarifies how capital now evaluates risk, duration, and value creation across the continent. The rebound

This blog post is about the first 12 months where a founder tries to move from idea to traction without burning out, running out of cash, or building something nobody truly needs. So, if you are early, unsure, or somewhere in the messy middle, this article is meant to help

Creating a product is not a trump card to milk the market. There are critical analyses that must be made beforehand. First, you must understand your market and determine the prevalent needs before creating a product to meet such needs. If a product fails to meet the needs of consumers, it’s

Moving from employee to entrepreneur sounds bold, exciting, even freeing, and sometimes it is. But the reality hits differently once you step out of structure and into uncertainty. This isn’t just a career switch. It’s a complete shift in how you think, plan, earn, and carry responsibility. There are no

Businesses in Africa, like in any other continent, aim to make a profit. However, there has been a growing concern about the impact that businesses have on society. In Africa, the debate is even more significant due to the continent’s socio-economic challenges. This debate comes up in almost every serious

Many African startups begin with a problem that feels personal: unreliable power, broken supply chains, people locked out of basic financial services, and healthcare that works only if you already have money or connections Founders often start building not because they want to chase a market, but because something around

Most founders learn this the hard way. At some point, usually when the product is half-built and the cash runway is starting to feel shorter than planned, a decision emerges and refuses to be ignored. It sounds like an operational question. In African startups, especially, this choice shapes everything that