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IN THE VALLEY - OUR TECH & VC EPISODES
Mr Eazi in the valley
From tech entrepreneur, to music moghul and now to investor in African creative talent and sports business. Silverbacks Valley welcomes Mr. Eazi
Mr Eazi in the valley - Part 2
In this second animated clip, Mr Eazi shares the advice he would tell his younger self.
Fope Adelowo & Lexi Novitske in the valley
Women only represent 12% of top management positions in private equity. In today's industry, what does it take to get to the top ? As part of our first #WomeninVC special, the co-head of Helios Investment Partners' Digital Ventures and the General Partner at Norrsken22 look back to their careers and how the VC ecocsystem in Africa is evolving.
Courtney Powell in the valley
For our second #WomeninVC special, the Valley welcomes a founder who became an investor at one of the world's top VC funds : As COO and Managing Partner of 500Global, Courtney Powell uplifts people and economies across over 80 countries in the world through entrepreneurship. 500Global’s 2.9 billion assets under management include over a 100 African companies.
Selma Ribica & Agnes Kisuule in the valley
Fintech in Africa is coming of age. The fintech market is expected to reach $65 billion in revenue by 2030. In the first of our series #OutliersinVentureCapital series, Silverbacks Valley welcomes Selma Ribica and Agnes Kisuule, co-founders and partners of First Circle Capital, a fintech-focused venture capital fund. They discuss their investment thesis and which segments of the fintech they have a definite appetite for. Listen to an extract of the episode here :
Claude Grunitzky in the valley
For our second #OutliersInVentureCapital series, Silverbacks Valley welcomes a champion of black voices and ventures. At age 25, he founded Trace Magazine, featuring iconic figures of hip hop and R'n'B including Snoop Dogg, Alicia Keys, and Diddy. He then launched his own content marketing agency, TRUE servicing top-tier companies out of London and New York. In 2015, he returned to the media business with TRUE Africa a digital media championing young African voices. Going from founder to investor, he launched The Equity Alliance alongside key business partners such as Richard Parsons and Ronald Lauder an investment fund dedicated to providing capital and education to venture capital firms and new enterprises founded or managed by women and people of colour. They've already closed over 20 transactions including one in the fintech Esusu.
IN THE VALLEY - OUR SPORTS BUSINESS EPISODES
The Cape Town Tigers in the valley
How two girlfriends and two former basketball rivals came together to build Africa's basketball powerhouse with a vision to set a new blueprint for sports business in Africa.
Amadou Gallo Fall in the valley
For our first #SportsBusinessinAfrica special, the Valley welcomes a man known to most as the Godfather of African basketball. Amadou Gallo Fall is the President of the Basketball Africa League, the NBA's first league outside of North America, providing African basketball players with a top tier league to compete in and African audiences with prime sports entertainment.
Sandrine Nzeukou in the valley
For our second #SportsBusinessinAfrica special, the Valley welcomes a woman who dominated on the basketball court for the university of Nevada Las Vegas and her home country Cameroon before switch her jersey for a suit and paving her way in the corporate world. Sandrine Nzeukou served as Executive Director for Invest Africa, an organisation working towards the promotion of investment opportunities towards African economic growth. Now, she is forging her own path as the founder of Tessa an Africa-first, sports business platform directed at enabling Africans to maintain ownership over an increasingly attractive sports industry.
Paxton Baker in the valley
For our third #SportsBusinessinAfrica special, the Valley welcomes Silverbacks Holdings' Advisory Board Member, Paxton Baker. He has been mentored by the likes of the late Harry Belafonte, as well as the Black Godfather, Clarence Avant. He began his career organising events bringing together black cultures from across the globe, producing shows and events with the likes of Stevie Wonder, the Fugees and Herbie Hancock. He then joined BET as the President of Event Productions, overseeing the production of multiple festivals and award shows. After the sale of BET to Viacom, he followed the path of Bob Johnson and ventured in the world of sports ownership. He is now part of the ownership groups of several sports franchises including the MLB Washington Nationals, the World Team Tennis League’s Washington Kastles, National Women's Soccer League’s Washington Spirits and the Cape Town Tigers of the BAL.
Osi Umenyiora in the Valley
For our fourth #SportsBusinessinAfrica series, Silverbacks Valley welcomes 2-time SuperBowl champ and former NY Giants, Osi Umenyiora who is now leading the charge for the NFL in Africa. He talks about his career in the NFL, his transition and ambitions about bringing more African talent to the NFL and creating a fanbase for American football on the continent.
IN THE VALLEY - OUR ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE EPISODES
Investing in African Creativity
For our third #OutliersInVentureCapital series, Silverbacks Valley welcomes three champions of Africa's creative and entertainment industries. : Victor Williams, the CEO of NBA Africa, the USD. 1 billion venture that oversees the NBA's activities in Africa, including the Basketball Africa League, Laureen Kouassi-Olsson, the founder and CEO of Birimian Ventures, an investment company destined to support the growth of African fashion and luxury ventures, Lethabo Sithole a lawyer and partner of the Impact Fund for African Creatives. Together, they discuss how private equity models need to be reinvented to generate value from Africa's creative economy.
The Business of Fashion in Africa
For this episode in our #FashionForwardinAfrica series, Ibrahim Sagna welcomes three champions of African fashion to discuss the potential of the business of fashion in Africa : Lulu Shabell -the Founder and Chief Creativity Champion of LuluBell Group - Meron Demisse - the Founder and CEO of Culture & Conversations on Africa - and Safi Seck, the Founder and Director of the Senegalese fashion label Sarayaa.
Growing an African Fashion Luxury Brand
For this episode in our #FashionForwardinAfrica series, Ibrahim Sagna welcomes Armando Cabral, the model turned designer of the Armando Cabral shoes, who became the first African designer to run a store from the Rockerfeller Center in New York.
IN THE VALLEY - OUR EPISODES ON DIASPORA & COUNTRY BRANDING
Positioning a country through sports & beyond
#VisitRwanda has become eponymous of sports : how did Rwanda manage to become one of most successful example of nation branding to date ? Our guest, Michaella Rugwizangoga speaks on the leadership' vision and exemplary execution of leveraging the power of sports to create a new continental hub and tourism destination.
Compounding tech & diaspora to create a new nation
What if someone told you they wanted to start a new country ? That is what Eche Emole told his partner Chika : a few months later Afropolitan - the first digital nation for the African diaspora - was born. In this episode, Eche presents the concept of creating a community that builds off of the internet first (and land second).
More than an influencer from the African Diaspora
How does one become an African influencer ? What motivates storytellers and content creators. In this episode, Ibrahim Sagna invites Danjuma, founder and director of Denda Works to reveal his creative process and his journey from engineering to
Bringing Nigeria & India together through films
Ever wondered why African audiences were such fans of Bollywood ? This guest did and she saw a business opportunity. Press play to discover how Hamisha Daryani Ahuja went from the business of restaurants to directing and producing a Netflix Top 10 hit : #NamasteWahala.
Taking the NBA to the next level with Nigeria & its diaspora
How has a cultural powerhouse like Nigeria become to matter so much for the NBA ? Listen to Ibrahim Sagna's conversation with Gbemisola Abudu, the face of the NBA in Nigeria and one of Sports Illustrated Top 100 Black Women in Sports.
IN THE VALLEY - VC FROM AFRICA TO NTHE WORLD
Thinking globally about Venture Capital
In this episode, Ibrahim Sagna welcomes Harvard Business School Professor, Paul Gompers to discuss the evolution and upcoming trends of venture capital.
IN THE VALLEY - OUR BEST OF
Power Moves: Deciphering Africa's Investment Boom in Tech, Sports and Entertainment
Africa has been at the forefront of a lot cultural resets and new trends across tech, sports and entertainment. Who are the drivers of these trends? Our podcast invites you to dive deep into the stories of visionaries who dared to rewrite the narrative. Through insightful conversations with industry leaders, we unravel the secrets of their success, unearthing untold stories that inspire and motivate. Join us in this journey and get empowered be part of Africa's remarkable evolution.