The Flip is an editorial-style podcast exploring contextually relevant insights from entrepreneurs and investors changing the status quo in Africa. The name The Flip comes from the opportunity to flip the script – question some of the pervasive narratives on entrepreneurship, challenge the ubiquity of Silicon Valley thought leadership, and champion the entrepreneurs building a future inspired by Africa. Produced and hosted by Johannesburg-based entrepreneur and American expat Justin Norman. Sayo Folawiyo is the executive producer and b-mic.
Bolivia is facing a severe economic crisis. The country is literally running out of dollars. Their foreign reserves have collapsed from $15 billion a decade ago to just $50 million today.
In June 2024, Bolivia legalized cryptocurrencies, and digital asset transaction volume exploded - growing over 500 percent in the past year.
To participate in the global economy, businesses are turning to stablecoins for access to dollar assets.
From Binance peer-to-peer trading to stablecoin-powered credit cards, we explore how people survive when their country runs out of dollars, and how stablecoins are being used for global spending.
Watch the full episode on YouTube.
00:00 - Bolivia ran out of dollars
02:06 - Stablecoins to the rescue
03:25 - How did Bolivia get here?
04:11 - Bolivia's parallel economy
06:24 - Meru
09:55 - What happens when a country runs out of dollars
Our Links -
🎥 YouTube - https://youtube.com/@thefliphq
🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/thefliphq
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💻 Website - https://theflip.africa
Argentina's decades-long economic crises and hyperinflation has a major impact on how Argentine's participate in the economy.
The recent story that's been told about Argentina is that people are adopting stablecoins to protect against inflation and currency devaluation. But that's only part of the story...
The real story involves long-standing distrust of government and the banks, and overbearing taxes that drive Argentinians to the informal economy.
While stablecoin volumes in Argentina surpass $90 billion, Argentina still has over $200 billion in cash circulating in the country, and hidden under mattresses. It's the second-largest holder of US Dollar cash, behind the US itself.
In this episode of Money Trails, presented by @StellarDevelopmentFoundation , we explore why Argentines keep their money outside of the formal system, and why they are increasingly adopting stablecoins.
In this episode, we’re joined by Manuel Beaudroit, the Co-founder & CEO of Belo.
Watch the full episode on YouTube.
00:00 - Argentina's economic crisis
01:45 - Arbolitos on Calle Florida
02:48 - The Blue Dollar
04:01 - Distrust and taxes
07:20 - Why Argentines keep their money outside the formal economy
09:50 - Why Argentina's parallel economy still thrives
10:43 - Cuevas, Argentina's informal exchange houses
13:21 - Why Argentines are adopting stablecoins
15:43 - Subscribe!
Our Links -
🎥 YouTube - https://youtube.com/@thefliphq
🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/thefliphq
👥 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/thefliphq/
📸 Instagram - https://instagram.com/thefliphq
💻 Website - https://theflip.africa
This year, $160 billion in remittance payments will be sent from the US to Latin America. $65 billion will be sent from the US to Mexico, the world's largest remittance corridor.
Yet, the majority of payments will be sent via brick-and-mortar stores like Western Union or Moneygram.
The future of payments is already here, yet most people are queuing in line, paying in cash, taking a photo of their receipt, and sending it to their families on WhatsApp for collection in their home country.
If we can send receipts over WhatsApp, why can’t we send money too?
That same question was the motivation for Félix, an AI-powered chatbot that replicates the trusted agent experience om WhatsApp.
It’s a user experience made possible by stablecoins.
In this episode of Money Trails, presented by Stellar Development Foundation, our user-centric series on global stablecoin adoption, we explore how immigrants send money back home.
This episode of Money Trails is sponsored by Rain Cards.
In this episode, we’re joined by
Manuel Godoy - Co-founder & CEO, Felix
Farooq Malik - Co-founder & CEO, Rain
00:00 - Intro
01:06 - Sending money in Jackson Heights
03:22 - Félix CEO Manuel Godoy
04:54 - How Félix works
06:20 - Stablecoin-powered remittance payments
08:49 - Spending money in Mexico
11:38 - Subscribe!
Our Links -
🎥 YouTube - https://youtube.com/@thefliphq
🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/thefliphq
👥 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/thefliphq/
📸 Instagram - https://instagram.com/thefliphq
💻 Website - https://theflip.africa
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/qoA105xnIpU
Khaman Maluach was just drafted 10th overall in the NBA Draft. He’s a South Sudanese refugee who grew up in Uganda and only started playing basketball when he was 13 years old.
After first playing the game at Luol Deng’s basketball camp, Maluach played at the NBA Academy in Senegal, and played three seasons in NBA Africa’s Basketball Africa League, before signing with Duke University.
He’s the first player from the BAL to be drafted into the NBA. And as we continue to invest in talent on the African continent, there will be more players like Khaman Maluach playing in the league in the future.
Our Links -
🎥 YouTube - https://youtube.com/@TheFlipAfrica
💻 Website - https://theflip.africa
🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/theflipafrica
👥 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/theflipafrica/
📸 Instagram - https://instagram.com/theflipafrica
Watch this episode on YouTube.
2025 is the year of stablecoins.
Transaction volumes have grown to over $33 trillion in the past 12 months. The top Dollar-denominated stablecoins are the 17th largest holder of US treasuries globally. Tether, issuer the largest stablecoin by volume, USDT, announced $13 billion in net profit in 2024. Circle, the USDC issuer, is going public.
But what got the hype train going was Stripe’s acquisition of the startup Bridge for $1.1 billion.
And all of Bridge’s product market fit is coming from emerging markets and outside the US.
But why?
This is the first episode in The Flip’s new human-first series on stablecoin adoption from the rest of the world. Stablecoins are solving everyday problems for people in markets where there’s import deficits, currency devaluation, insufficient banking infrastructure, and more.
This series will bring to life these conditions and humanize the onchain data.
00:00 - Intro
01:15 - Zach Abrams - Bridge
02:35 - Stablecoin adoption
03:27 - All of Bridge’s product market fit comes from outside the US
05:19 - Why do people want stablecoins?
08:42 - Subscribe!
Our Links -
🎥 YouTube - https://youtube.com/@TheFlipAfrica
💻 Website - https://theflip.africa
🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/theflipafrica
👥 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/theflipafrica/
📸 Instagram - https://instagram.com/theflipafrica
There are 1,696 active players in the NFL. Just 138 are African.
But if it were up to Osi Umenyiora, 11-year veteran and 2-time Super Bowl Champion, there would be many more.
Osi is the Founder of The Uprise, the NFL's lead in Africa, and he's pioneering American football on the African continent.
At the NFL's camp in Lagos, Nigeria, young athletes are vying for a shot to join the NFL Academy in London or to go straight to the League through the International Player Pathway Program.
But many of them have never played American football before.
So why is the NFL hosting camps in Africa? Is there really any shot of these players making it to the NFL?
00:00 - The NFL is in Lagos, Nigeria
00:30 - Osi Umenyiora is bringing football to Africa
02:05 - The NFL wants the best talent in the world
03:55 - Creating opportunities for African talent
Our Links -
🎥 YouTube - https://youtube.com/@TheFlipAfrica
💻 Website - https://theflip.africa
🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/theflipafrica
👥 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/theflipafrica/
📸 Instagram - https://instagram.com/theflipafrica
Farming is the number one source of employment in Africa, yet its agricultural productivity is the lowest of any region in the world.
The opportunity is immense—60% of the world’s uncultivated arable land is on the continent—but rural communities are suffering from a lack of economic opportunity.
So young Africans are building innovative solutions to tackle the problems that are impacting their families and communities.
Wissal Ben Moussa is the Co-founder & R&D Officer of Sand To Green, a Moroccan startup pairing regenerative agroforestry techniques with data and technology to turn the desert green.
Samuel Rigu is the Co-founder & CEO of Safi Organics, a Kenyan company employing a decentralized process to locally manufacture organic fertilizers.
Francis Nderitu is the Founder of Keep IT Cool, a recent Earthshot Prize winner, building cold chain storage to reduce post-harvest losses in Kenya.
00:00 - Africa has the lowest farming productivity in the world
01:08 - Sand to Green is reversing desertification in Morocco
04:30 - Safi Organics is manufacturing organic fertilizers in Kenya
07:23 - Keep IT Cool is reducing post-harvest loss in Kenya
10:15 - Solving problems for their local communities
Check out more episodes of The Greenprint here.
This episode was produced as part of our series on climate action in Africa, The Greenprint, in partnership with Catalyst Fund, Delta40, Africa Climate Ventures, and AgBase - an initiative powered by Briter and Mercy Corps AgriFin.
AgBase is a business intelligence platform offering real-time data, market insights, and a centralised hub for information on agtech and foodtech across emerging markets. This initiative, backed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), and hosted by Briter Bridges in partnership with MercyCorps AgriFin, is dedicated to bolstering the knowledge framework essential for catalysing investments in digital and technology-driven solutions, with an underlying mission is to transform the lives of smallholder farmers and boost socio-economic growth.
Delta40 is a venture studio and venture capital fund supporting diverse founders leading ventures in energy, agriculture, and fintech, with a special focus on supporting African and female entrepreneurs. Beyond capital, they provide hands-on support from experienced operators & investors to drive growth from idea to pan-African scale.
Africa Climate Ventures is a pioneering venture builder working to build a portfolio of climate businesses on the continent. ACV invests to bring proven global climate technology to Africa, accelerate and de-risk the continental expansion of technologies and business models that have gained traction in one or a few African market(s), and add carbon revenue streams to existing African businesses with the potential to scale climate-positive solutions.
Catalyst Fund is a venture capital fund and venture builder, investing for a climate resilient future in Africa. They combine capital and a hands-on venture-building approach at the pre-seed stage, to partner with visionary founders who are developing climate adaptation solutions that enhance the resilience of communities and the planet.
This episode is made possible through a partnership with Prosper Africa’s Catalytic Investment Facility. Aimed at boosting investment and innovative climate adaptation and resilience ventures across Africa, The Catalyst Fund is one of the grantees under Prosper Africa's Catalytic Investment Facility. Prosper Africa is a Presidential-level national security initiative aimed at strengthening the strategic and economic partnership between the U.S. and Africa by catalyzing transformative two-way trade and investment flows.
Our Links -
🎥 YouTube - https://youtube.com/@TheFlipAfrica
💻 Website - https://theflip.africa
🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/theflipafrica
👥 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/theflipafrica/
📸 Instagram - https://instagram.com/theflipafrica
Reports suggest that climate change is set to cost the global economy $38 billion per year by 2049. Emerging markets need close to $2.4 trillion per year by 2030 to meet the climate goals. That's 4 times what is currently invested.
But high capital costs are stalling clean energy investment across Africa. If you want to build a renewable energy project in Sub-Saharan Africa, the weighted average cost of capital would be up to 4x as much as the same project in Western Europe or the US, due to the real and perceived risks of investing on the continent.
If the world invests in renewables and green technology in Africa at Africa's cost of capital, it will underinvest in green energy assets.
00:00 - The climate funding gap
01:01 - It's 4x more expensive to build an energy project in Africa
02:10 - The cheapest energy is where there is high energy density
03:26 - Startup financing needs
06:23 - Addressing funding challenges at the multinational level
Check out more episodes of The Greenprint here.
This episode of The Greenprint was produced in partnership with Catalyst Fund, Delta40, and Africa Climate Ventures.
Delta40 is a venture studio and venture capital fund supporting diverse founders leading ventures in energy, agriculture, and fintech, with a special focus on supporting African and female entrepreneurs. Beyond capital, they provide hands-on support from experienced operators & investors to drive growth from idea to pan-African scale.
Africa Climate Ventures is a pioneering venture builder working to build a portfolio of climate businesses on the continent. ACV invests to bring proven global climate technology to Africa, accelerate and de-risk the continental expansion of technologies and business models that have gained traction in one or a few African market(s), and add carbon revenue streams to existing African businesses with the potential to scale climate-positive solutions.
Catalyst Fund is a venture capital fund and venture builder, investing for a climate resilient future in Africa. They combine capital and a hands-on venture-building approach at the pre-seed stage, to partner with visionary founders who are developing climate adaptation solutions that enhance the resilience of communities and the planet.
This episode is made possible through a partnership with Prosper Africa’s Catalytic Investment Facility. Aimed at boosting investment and innovative climate adaptation and resilience ventures across Africa, The Catalyst Fund is one of the grantees under Prosper Africa's Catalytic Investment Facility. Prosper Africa is a Presidential-level national security initiative aimed at strengthening the strategic and economic partnership between the U.S. and Africa by catalyzing transformative two-way trade and investment flows.
Our Links -
🎥 YouTube - https://youtube.com/@TheFlipAfrica
💻 Website - https://theflip.africa
🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/theflipafrica
👥 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/theflipafrica/
📸 Instagram - https://instagram.com/theflipafrica
Nigeria’s energy crisis has persisted for decades. Africa's largest country is largely powered by fuel generators. They're noisy, dirty, and bad for the environment. But they also provide power to millions of people in a country with an unreliable grid.
The removal of Nigeria's long-standing fuel subsidy in 2023 caused the price of fuel to quadruple, leaving Nigerian consumers searching for options. And many are going solar.
So while economic considerations have largely driven Nigeria's transition to solar power, it has positive climate implications too.
But why is the grid so broken? How can it be fixed? And is decentralized solar energy an adequate solution to solve Nigeria's energy crisis?
00:00 - To know Nigeria is to know blackouts
01:28 - How Nigeria is powered today
02:11 - Why the grid is broken and how to fix it
05:17 - Nigerians are making the switch to solar
09:12 - The need for climate resilience
Check out more episodes of The Greenprint: https://theflip.africa/the-greenprint
This episode of The Greenprint was produced in partnership with Catalyst Fund, Delta40, and Africa Climate Ventures.
Delta40 is a venture studio and venture capital fund supporting diverse founders leading ventures in energy, agriculture, and fintech, with a special focus on supporting African and female entrepreneurs. Beyond capital, they provide hands-on support from experienced operators & investors to drive growth from idea to pan-African scale.
Africa Climate Ventures is a pioneering venture builder working to build a portfolio of climate businesses on the continent. ACV invests to bring proven global climate technology to Africa, accelerate and de-risk the continental expansion of technologies and business models that have gained traction in one or a few African market(s), and add carbon revenue streams to existing African businesses with the potential to scale climate-positive solutions.
Catalyst Fund is a venture capital fund and venture builder, investing for a climate resilient future in Africa. They combine capital and a hands-on venture-building approach at the pre-seed stage, to partner with visionary founders who are developing climate adaptation solutions that enhance the resilience of communities and the planet.
This episode is made possible through a partnership with Prosper Africa’s Catalytic Investment Facility. Aimed at boosting investment and innovative climate adaptation and resilience ventures across Africa, The Catalyst Fund is one of the grantees under Prosper Africa's Catalytic Investment Facility. Prosper Africa is a Presidential-level national security initiative aimed at strengthening the strategic and economic partnership between the U.S. and Africa by catalyzing transformative two-way trade and investment flows.
Our Links -
🎥 YouTube - https://youtube.com/@TheFlipAfrica
💻 Website - https://theflip.africa
🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/theflipafrica
👥 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/theflipafrica/
📸 Instagram - https://instagram.com/theflipafrica
Can Africa be a leader in the global fight against climate change?
While the continent has contributed just 3 percent to global carbon emissions, it is the most impacted by climate change. But it also has a range of natural endowments that leave it well-positioned to build green industries that will have a positive economic impact locally and can play a significant global role in getting to net zero.
In this episode, we're joined by three Africa-focused climate founders solving local problems with global implications.
00:00 - Africa is the most impacted by climate change
01:18 - The opportunity to build industries powered by renewable energy
01:51 - Great Carbon Valley's Bilha Ndirangu
05:00 - Octavia Carbon's Duncan Kariuki
07:51 - Talus Renewable's Hiro Iwanaga
Listen to more episodes of The Greenprint: https://theflip.africa/the-greenprint
This episode of The Greenprint was produced in partnership with Catalyst Fund, Delta40, and Africa Climate Ventures.
Delta40 is a venture studio and venture capital fund supporting diverse founders leading ventures in energy, agriculture, and fintech, with a special focus on supporting African and female entrepreneurs. Beyond capital, they provide hands-on support from experienced operators & investors to drive growth from idea to pan-African scale.
Africa Climate Ventures is a pioneering venture builder working to build a portfolio of climate businesses on the continent. ACV invests to bring proven global climate technology to Africa, accelerate and de-risk the continental expansion of technologies and business models that have gained traction in one or a few African market(s), and add carbon revenue streams to existing African businesses with the potential to scale climate-positive solutions.
Catalyst Fund is a venture capital fund and venture builder, investing for a climate resilient future in Africa. They combine capital and a hands-on venture-building approach at the pre-seed stage, to partner with visionary founders who are developing climate adaptation solutions that enhance the resilience of communities and the planet.
This episode is made possible through a partnership with Prosper Africa’s Catalytic Investment Facility. Aimed at boosting investment and innovative climate adaptation and resilience ventures across Africa, The Catalyst Fund is one of the grantees under Prosper Africa's Catalytic Investment Facility. Prosper Africa is a Presidential-level national security initiative aimed at strengthening the strategic and economic partnership between the U.S. and Africa by catalyzing transformative two-way trade and investment flows.
Our Links -
🎥 YouTube - https://youtube.com/@TheFlipAfrica
💻 Website - https://theflip.africa
🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/theflipafrica
👥 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/theflipafrica/
📸 Instagram - https://instagram.com/theflipafrica
These climate investors are funding climate startups using a hands-on venture-building model to support founders across Africa.
In this episode, we’re joined by James Mwangi from Africa Climate Ventures, Maxime Bayen from Catalyst Fund, and Lyndsay Holley Handler from Delta40.
We discuss why African ventures and climate startups, in particular, benefit from the venture building model; the limitations of the traditional two and twenty fund model in the African tech ecosystem; the types of founders and opportunities these investors are looking for; the pitch these investors are making to global investors for why they should back climate action across Africa; and, is Africa the most important region for global climate goals?
00:00 - Intro
01:20 - Why climate in Africa?
06:03 - The types of founders they're investing in
12:18 - Why the venture building model?
19:39 - Fund structures & models
35:30- The types of businesses & opportunities they're seeking
41:30 - Pitching Africa's climate story to global investors
This roundtable conversation was recorded during the 2024 Climate Week in New York City.
This episode was produced as part of our series on climate action in Africa, in partnership with Catalyst Fund, Delta40, and Africa Climate Ventures.
Delta40 is a venture studio and venture capital fund supporting diverse founders leading ventures in energy, agriculture, and fintech, with a special focus on supporting African and female entrepreneurs. Beyond capital, they provide hands-on support from experienced operators & investors to drive growth from idea to pan-African scale.
Africa Climate Ventures is a pioneering venture builder working to build a portfolio of climate businesses on the continent. ACV invests to bring proven global climate technology to Africa, accelerate and de-risk the continental expansion of technologies and business models that have gained traction in one or a few African market(s), and add carbon revenue streams to existing African businesses with the potential to scale climate-positive solutions.
Catalyst Fund is a venture capital fund and venture builder, investing for a climate resilient future in Africa. They combine capital and a hands-on venture-building approach at the pre-seed stage, to partner with visionary founders who are developing climate adaptation solutions that enhance the resilience of communities and the planet.
This episode is made possible through a partnership with Prosper Africa’s Catalytic Investment Facility. Aimed at boosting investment and innovative climate adaptation and resilience ventures across Africa, The Catalyst Fund is one of the grantees under Prosper Africa's Catalytic Investment Facility. Prosper Africa is a Presidential-level national security initiative aimed at strengthening the strategic and economic partnership between the U.S. and Africa by catalyzing transformative two-way trade and investment flows.
Our Links -
🎥 YouTube - https://youtube.com/@TheFlipAfrica
💻 Website - https://theflip.africa
🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/theflipafrica
👥 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/theflipafrica/
📸 Instagram - https://instagram.com/theflipafrica