African Pre-seed Podcast Episode #07: Logistics Vibe Check + Lessons from Thumeza with Gugulethu Siso
In this #APSVibeCheck episode, Gugulethu Siso distils insights based on her mixed entrepreneurial experience as a logistics tech startup founder.
Tech entrepreneur, Gugulethu Siso, joins us on this logistics-themed #APSVibecheck instalment of the African Pre-seed Podcast.
Gugulethu has co-founded two startups, namely Ninety Nine Investments, a B2B trolley management startup in Namibia, and Thumeza, a supply chain fintech startup in South Africa. Thumeza provides data-powered financing to the African logistics sector, supporting clients in East and Southern Africa, such as the United Nations Development Programme, Lori Systems, and KTU Express.
Upon Gugulethu's exit from Ninety Nine Investments in 2017, the startup had over 50 employees, netted VC investment for growth, and had an impressive client list ranging from Shoprite Checkers, Food Lovers Market and Woolworths. Thumeza, on the other hand, nearly went under, except for a clever pivot.
Top 5 Insights unpacked in this episode:
- What informed Gugulethu's decision to pivot into the logistics finance sector?
- What are some of the oversimplifications made and assumed regarding the logistics industry and its relationship with technology?
- Is the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) worth getting excited about?
- What's the profile of the everyday African individual or company that wants to participate in the continent's growing logistics industry?
- Should logtech Founders go B2B or B2C?
CONNECT VIA SOCIAL MEDIA:
- Connect with Gugulethu Siso on Linkedin.
- Connect with Hope Dithlakanyane on Twitter and Linkedin.
- Connect with Rajiv Daya on Twitter and Linkedin.
Are you a Founder learning the ropes of the logistics tech industry? Please share what you're learning from some of your successes and setbacks on social via the #APSVibecheck #AfricanPreseed hashtags, or email us via hello@africanpreseed.com
USEFUL RESOURCES:
ARTICLE: Zimbabwe's Thumeza plots SADC expansion by providing transporters with access to working capital by Tom Jackson (Disrupt Africa)
ARTICLE: What does the future hold for Africa's transport and logistics tech sector? by Aanu Adewoye (Techcabal)
ARTICLE: Logistics Challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa and Opportunities for Digitalization by Damilola Kuteyi and Herwig Winkler (MDPI)
VIDEO: "We are solving the problem that nearly put us under" - Gugulethu Siso Thumeza by Story Untold ZW
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