Ideas, analysis and field notes
Shorter reads built on the same evidence standards as our publications. Each blog links to the detailed publication behind it.
The African Startup Investment Series
Why African Startups Stall After Their First Cheque
We analysed 49,000 companies worldwide to find out what really holds African startups back. The answer is not talent, sectors or geography. It is the size and shape of the money.
African Startups Raise 10x More Than a Decade Ago. That Is Not the Real Story.
One modern year of African startup funding now beats everything recorded up to 2014, twice over. But the numbers that matter most are not the big ones.
Africa 2030: The $5.5 Billion Story That Beats the Hype
Forecasts of $60 to $90 billion make headlines. The math says something more modest and more useful. Here is where African startup funding is actually heading.
Who Is Actually Writing Africa's VC Cheques Now
Development finance pulled back harder than ever in 2025 and local capital surged to fill the gap. Here is what that shift, and a portfolio model built on it, mean for how a fund should actually be built.
Four Ways to Fill Africa's Missing Middle, and What Each One Really Costs
African startups get funded once and then stall. Four financing tools already used on the continent could change that. This is what the math says each one earns, costs and can realistically deliver.