A guided tour of Microsoft Ventures with Zack Weisfeld
From Bangalore to Beijing, through Tel-Aviv and London, Zack Weisfeld has been a serial entrepreneur and is now nurturing “the perfect global startup” as Head of Microsoft Ventures Europe & Global Accelerator Program. The program is what we call a corporate accelerator. It gives a big corporation – Microsoft here – an opportunity to support […]
A journey into the Singapore startup ecosystem with Florian Cornu
For the Coursera MOOC I’m following on “Beyond Silicon Valley”, I had to interview a local entrepreneur to better understand the concept of a startup ecosystem. Living and working in Singapore for two years now, I chose to interview Florian Cornu, whose experience started with corporate innovation finance industry beforehand in London for AXA. He then came to […]
Startup Books #3: Startup Rising, the Entrepreneurial Revolution in the Middle-East, by Christophe Schroeder
So far, Startup Rising: The Entrepreneurial Revolution Remaking the Middle-East is one of the top startup books we have read, and that we recommend. In a dense, 200+ pages, author Christopher M Schroeder not only gives a kaleidoscopic view of an exciting region, he also shares his own journey, started with “a first mentorship experience […]
Start-Up Chile: effective support to the entrepreneur or actual struggle?
Start-Up Chile is a well-known program of the Chilean government to attract early entrepreneurs and support start-up creation in the country, consisting of a USD 40K grant, a visa to work in Chile, plus some extra practical help like mentoring, networking and free access to a coworking space. Beyond the money+visa hook, how does an […]
The Philippines startup ecosystem: the tipping point of the "island frontier"
This first day of Geeks on a Beach 2 provided a lot of insights on the state of the Philippines startup ecosystem. Several panels addressed the topic of the country itself, and its position in the broader ASEAN region. Overall, speakers and discussions in the audience agree that it’s the right place and the right […]
Corporate innovation series #3: MEST incubator in Ghana
During the Mobile West Africa conference in Lagos, we’ve met with Neal Hansch, the managing director of the MEST incubator in Ghana. The program is a 24-month incubation for African startups, and its history is quite interesting as we explore the different forms of corporate innovation. MEST Incubator: training West Africa’s entrepreneurs on the long-run […]
Corporate Innovation series #2: the Coca-Cola Accelerator Network
A common joke when you talk about emerging markets is that even in the most remote and dire places, you will find a bottle of Coke. The logistic empire built by the Coca-Cola company around a single product (Coca-Cola or Coke products still account for 78% of their sales) is amazingly efficient, as it controls […]
A guided tour of CC Hub Nigeria in Lagos
As we explored the startup scene of Nigeria in Lagos, we could not miss the prominent role of the Co-Creation Hub, also known as CC Hub Nigeria. Most people we had met the days before at the Mobile West Africa conference referred to it as the central piece of this nascent ecosystem. So after the […]
What are hardware startups? Tips from Shenzhen's HAXLR8R conference
Hardware startups are not exactly the same as your usual software startup, and the conversation at the Generator v 1.2 conference in Shenzhen has been a great place to know where the differences lie. The Hardware Renaissance is a positive context for hardware startups As an introductory speech, Cyril Ebersweiler, founder of Haxlr8r, the hardware-focused […]
E-commerce in Nigeria: how Rocket Internet's Jumia, Kaymu and Jovago are taking over Africa's biggest market
If Nigeria is “Africa’s India”, it’s for the sheer size of the market – 170m people now, 440m by 2050 – and because with a GDP growing between 4.5 and 9% each year over the past decade, there is now a small but growing part of the population able to buy online, to travel, and […]
