Maisha 254

Flourish Ventures, an impact-focused Venture Capital has been making waves across the continent lately. With their focus on providing investment to startups that enhance the financial health of their customers, Flourish is seeking to be the next impact forecast venture capital to have an impact on the lives of Africans. Maisha 254 is joined by Efayomi Carr, the firm's Principal, to tell us more about what Flourish intends to achieve on the continent and why they came to Africa in the first place.  1. What informed the choice to begin operations in Africa at this juncture? We already had a presence in Africa before we made the decision to open a physical premise in Nairobi. We have so far invested in over a dozen start-ups across Africa located in Nigeria, Ghana, Egypt and Kenya that include Apollo Agriculture, Fair Money, Financial Services Innovators (FSI), Flutterwave, Lendable, Pula and Paga. Africa is an important market for us and we feel that having an office on the continent...

Bolt, the leading on-demand transportation platform in Africa, and Flourish Ventures, a global fintech venture capital firm, with a strong focus on Africa, are set to hold a webinar on Women and the Gig Economy. The webinar, which is aimed at highlighting opportunities that the gig economy presents to women will be held on Thursday the 25th of March 2021 and will focus on educating, encouraging more women to engage in gig work while addressing the specific challenges that women face in joining the gig industry. Themed “Women in the gig economy: Opportunities and Challenges”, the webinar will seek to celebrate women in the gig economy, highlighting the opportunities while also addressing specific challenges that women face in joining the gig sector. The webinar will encourage discussion on what could be done to welcome more women to the gig economy with an emphasis on both business and government solutions to drive inclusion. Hillary Miller-Wise, the Africa Regional Director at Bolt Foo...

  The African fintech startup scene is set for a boost after Flourish Ventures, a global fintech venture capital firm, today announced a new office based in Nairobi to help its investment team better serve entrepreneurs across Africa who are building innovations that help advance financial health and economic resilience for people and small businesses.  With deep fintech industry and country-specific expertise, Flourish is focused on building its investment in Africa and adding to its growing portfolio of a dozen startups located in Nigeria, Ghana, Egypt and Kenya that includes Apollo Agriculture, Fair Money, Financial Services Innovators (FSI), Flutterwave, Lendable, Pula and Paga. Flourish recently hired Efayomi Carr as Principal, who will manage the company’s operations in Nairobi. Carr is an experienced entrepreneur who previously served as Head of Strategic Finance for Lori, a tech startup that builds cost-saving market infrastructure for the trucking sector in Africa. He...

Visa has announced the 2021 edition of the Everywhere Initiative – a global innovation program and competition for fintechs. This year, the focus is on expansion and accessibility, with Visa offering a one-stop experience to register and learn about upcoming opportunities and competitions – via the global website. Fintechs started by everyone, everywhere will pitch their ideas in regional competitions to a panel of expert judges from across the payments industry. All applicants from Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) are invited to compete first on a CEMEA stage to win a combined $25,000 in total prize and then on a global stage for a combined $100,000 in total prize money. and to tell their companies’ stories. “Supporting companies across the globe who are building solutions that power seamless money movement everywhere is a top priority for Visa. We recognize fintechs as a force for innovation that is core to our business and encourage everyone to apply to Visa Everywhere Initiative. I am look...

 Mabati Rolling Mills (MRM), a Member of Safal Group, today commissioned a rainwater harvesting system at Wetlands Primary School in Nairobi. The water-harvesting system was installed using MRM’s RAINGAIN® products, which are specially designed to hygienically and safely maximize water harvesting from roofs for homes and institutions. Westlands Primary is one of oldest and most populous schools in the county with over 1,400 pupils and in excess of 50 teachers and non-teaching staff. This new installation will reduce the schools reliance on metered water and reduce its consumption by as much as 50%, saving the school from the perennial problems of unreliable and costly water supply. Speaking at the school in Westlands, MRM CEO Andrew Heycott said the company has developed a rainwater harvesting system, which is affordable for both residential and institutional use. “MRM has over the years continually innovated and pioneered new products and solutions to become the markets ultimate b...

Before you know it, your children are all grown up, ready to make their mark in our global village. Parenting is a full-time job given to us with a vague job description. By the time your teen leaves home, you want to ensure they are ready to live independently, nurture positive relationships and make a positive impact on the world. Take a moment to run down a checklist of essential life skills your teen will require to be successful in the modern world. 1. How to manage time  Different projects, pressing deadlines and to-do-lists that seem to get longer each day will be in your teens foreseeable future. To manage time, teach your child to make concrete decisions that structure, protect and adjust their time in an ever-changing environment. Teach them to: -Think realistically about time by understanding it as a limited resource. -Design and organise goals, plans, schedules and tasks to effectively use the time. -Monitor the use of time while performing activities and adjusting to i...