African Pre-seed Podcast Episode #01: Why is agritech so hard, though?
AgriTech is widely considered one of the most challenging spaces to orchestrate startup success. Kenyan engineer turned startup founder Taita Ngetich sheds light on the realities of building and scaling an African agtech venture in a sector that, according to Briter Bridges, attracts a mere 5% of VC funding on the continent.
Welcome to the very first episode of the African Pre-seed Podcast! This show is for you if you are an Africa-focused founder or investor looking to learn more about Africa's tech ecosystem. To kick things off, we ask the question: "Why is agritech so hard, though?"
Joining co-hosts Hope Ditlhakanyane and Rajiv Daya for this pertinent discussion is Kenyan agritech founder, Taita Ngetich, whose startup, Synnefa, is helping farmers raise productivity, increase yield and manage risk by providing farming software integrated with hardware (AI-powered IoT devices). Taita is a trained mechanical engineer (University of Nairobi) who's studying for an MBA part-time at Warwick Business School while serving as CEO at Synnefa.
On this podcast, Taita shares live in-trench insights about his entrepreneurial experience and the agtech scene in Kenya, the rest of Africa and other parts of the world. He also factors in on how African agritech ventures might play a key role in growing economies on the continent— by safeguarding livelihoods and delivering on food security.
On this podcast, Taita shares live in-trench insights about his entrepreneurial experience and the agtech scene in Kenya, the rest of Africa and other parts of the world. He also factors in on how African agritech ventures might play a key role in growing economies on the continent— by safeguarding livelihoods and delivering on food security.
Themes covered in this episode include:
- Why is agritech such a daunting space to launch a startup in?
- What will it take to scale some of the more promising agtech ventures in Africa?
- Can agritech founders borrow anything from the playbooks of successful fintech founders?
- Do African farmers actually care about the long-term economic progress agritech might unlock?
- What are some of the unique challenges agritech founders face in landing investment to back their ventures?
Enjoy!
CONNECT VIA SOCIAL MEDIA:
- Connect with Taita Ngetich on Twitter and Linkedin.
- Connect with Hope Dithlakanyane on Twitter and Linkedin.
- Connect with Rajiv Daya on Twitter and Linkedin.
Tell us...
- What was your favourite quote or lesson from this episode?
- What topic would you like for us to feature on a future podcast?
Let us know via the hashtag: #AfricanPreseed
USEFUL RESOURCES:
- REPORT: Innovating Food Systems in East Africa by Briter Bridges, World Food Programme & USAID
- ARTICLE: Is data the new soil in agri? by Lindi Botha (Farmer's Weekly)
- ARTICLE: Why VC Investors Are Plowing Record Sums Into Agtech by Chris Metinko (Crunchbase News)
- REPORT: Aceli Year 1 Learning Report: Unlocking Private Capital for African Agriculture by Aceli Africa
- PODCAST: UNAJUA S4 EP3: Can Africa's agri-supply chain be fixed? feat. Karidas Tshintsholo by African Tech Roundup
