African Tech Preps For The Next Wave As Year Of Grit Grind Unwinds

As 2024 comes to a close, African tech's resilience and innovation have been put to the test. Amid global funding slowdowns and mounting macroeconomic challenges, startups and investors alike are redefining strategies.

We convened something of a virtual roundtable featuring 12 notable founders and investors from across the continent to share their insights into the year's lessons and the road ahead. Their perspectives reveal a sector in flux, yet brimming with untapped potential.

The tightening global funding environment dominated discussions, forcing startups to rethink growth strategies and investors to refine deployment tactics.

For Ayo Arikawe, Co-Founder of Thrive Agric which leverages technology to provide profitable support for smallholder farmers across Africa, the slowdown was an opportunity to focus on profitability.

"Startups had to confront tough questions around cash runway and sustainable growth. For us, it meant recalibrating operations to deliver more value with less capital."