Ogunde

Cheat Sheet for Running a Startup in Africa is one entrepreneur’s journey in establishing and running a technology startup in Africa. The journey travelled from conception to the realization of a tangible business can be arduous in an African environment where the culture of innovation and technology entrepreneurship has yet to fully take root.

In this journey, an entrepreneur faces many odds, including a lack of support from family and friends, gaps in government policy and policy implementation, and the fear of loss of intellectual property. There are also gaps between pronouncements by government officials and actual support for innovators. Even where to pilot technology can be a challenge and when one is fully ready for the market, investment money is usually not assured. As the author demonstrates, the extent to which ’risk capital’ exists in Africa is minuscule compared to other parts of the world. And while a number of donors and investors support such startup businesses, the demand far outstrips the investment money available. Moreover, not much of such investment money comes from within the continent, a major indictment for leaders in Africa!

The entrepreneur has to face it all, including poor technology uptake in organizations, and the pressures that come with a lack of or unpredictable income in the face of the ever-increasing cost of living! It is not a wonder that some quit the journey and opt for tried and tested avenues of earning an income: jobs! With such an eventuality, it is the people who lose! In such cases, gone is the potential that innovation holds for creating wealth and opportunities for economic growth, and more!

Cheat Sheet for Running a Startup in Africa, though told from a personal experience, offers insights for one to brave the arduous journey towards realizing one’s dream! According to the author, all this should be undergirded by the passion to serve humanity! The book offers practical advice for entrepreneurs, policymakers and investors!