The Blue Couch Podcast By PowerLabs

Investor Series Ep 04 with Ife Oyedele, Partner at Kaleo Ventures

Investor Series Ep 4 features Ife Oyedele II, Partner at Kaleo Ventures, in a deep dive into how venture capital actually works across Africa’s fast-growing startup ecosystem. What really makes an investor say yes? And how do you spot founders building companies that will last beyond the hype cycle? In this conversation, we break down: * How venture capital decisions are made in African markets- What investors look for in early-stage startups * Why timing, infrastructure, and conviction matter more than pitch decks * How Kaleo Ventures thinks about backing founders long-term * The realities of building and funding startups in emerging markets. Ife Oyedele II also shares practical insights on what separates strong founders from noise, and how the investment landscape is evolving across the continent. Whether you’re a founder raising capital, an operator building in tech, or an investor trying to understand the ecosystem, this episode gives you a grounded look at how capital really moves. Subscribe for more episodes of the Investor Series as we explore the people and ideas shaping Africa’s innovation economy.

Investor Series Ep 03 with Toffene Kama

Toffene Kama is a Principal Investment Officer at Mercy Corps Ventures (MCV), the early‑stage, impact‑focused investing arm of the global development organization Mercy Corps. He is based in Dakar, Senegal and is widely regarded as an operator‑turned‑investor with a long track record across telecommunications, digital payments, fintech, mobility and climate‑focused technologies in Africa. He brings 20+ years of experience working internationally, in Europe, North America, and across more than 20 African countries, where he moved from engineering and product leadership roles into entrepreneurship and later into early‑stage investing.Educationally, he holds a degree in software and electrical engineering from INPG (France) and completed a professional leadership program in entrepreneurship and finance at Harvard Business School (PLD).Before joining Mercy Corps Ventures, Toffene founded and led two startups -- Willstream and Eywa Miles.

Investor Series Ep 02 with Olúwatóyìn Emmanuel-Olubake

Olúwatóyìn Emmanuel‑Olubake is an investment professional with extensive experience spanning investment banking, venture capital, private equity, impact investing, financial advisory, and capital markets across growth markets, particularly in Africa. He has built his career over 17+ years, advising and deploying capital across diverse sectors such as agribusiness, renewable energy, financial services, consumer goods, logistics, tech, media & telecoms, infrastructure (including transportation, power, oil & gas) and manufacturing. His expertise covers both strategic investment decision‑making and execution in equity and debt structures. He is currently Chief Investment Officer at the Catalyst Fund, one of our backing VCs. Catalyst Fund focuses on early‑stage venture investing in climate tech and climate resilience solutions across Africa.

Investor Series Ep 01 with Ginika Obioha

When people talk about energy, they usually talk about technology, or policy, or money, rarely all three, and rarely the power structures underneath them. Ginika sits at that intersection. She’s spent years inside rooms where capital is deployed, where founders are backed or passed over, where policy intentions collide with operational reality. She’s seen how money can accelerate progress and how it can just as easily harden bad systems. Ginika isn’t just an investor watching these contradictions from a distance. She has backed companies like PowerLabs, as an angel investor.

Energy Transition for the Global South

The global energy transition isn’t one-size-fits-all. While the West is focused on replacing fossil fuels with renewables, the Global South, especially Africa, is playing an entirely different game. Here, the challenge isn’t just transitioning; it’s building, from unreliable grids to financing gaps to hybrid energy systems that blend old and new. In this episode, we unpack why Africa cannot simply copy Europe or the U.S.’s clean energy playbook, and what a “custom” transition could look like instead. From the technical to the economic, we break down what it really means to power up billions without repeating the North’s mistakes. Connect with us Website: powerlabstech.com Email: ⁠hello@powerlabstech.com⁠ Instagram: ⁠powerlabshq [https://www.instagram.com/powerlabshq] Twitter: ⁠powerlabshq [https://x.com/Powerlabshq] LinkedIn: ⁠PowerLabs Inc [www.linkedin.com/company/powerlabstech] YouTube: ⁠PowerLabsTech [https://www.youtube.com/@PowerLabsTech]