Episode 25 | Guest Episode: Arnold Kwizera - Co-Founder & CEO of ArCa Ventures.

Episode 27 | Guest Episode: Ivy Macharia - Head of Portfolio at Gather Ventures.

In this episode of the Full Scale Podcast, Adrian and Tim sit down with Ivy Macharia, Head of Portfolio at Gather Ventures, board director, angel investor, and a driving force in Africa’s startup ecosystem.From her journey into venture capital through actuarial science, to her reflections on the maturity of the African startup landscape, Ivy shares a wealth of insights on:🌍 The evolution of Africa’s startup ecosystem—from its early days to today’s cycles of highs and downturns.👩🏽‍💼 The role of resilience, grit, and execution in successful founders.💸 Balancing commercial viability with impact investing in Africa’s unique markets.🚫 Myths about investing in Africa (and why Silicon Valley’s playbook doesn’t fully apply here).👩‍👩‍👧 Gender dynamics in VC and why amplifying women’s voices matters.🔮 Her one piece of advice for the next generation of African founders. Along the way, we also get personal—chatting about golf, roosters keeping neighbors awake at 2 a.m., and even how a tendon injury taught Ivy something new about anatomy.🔊 Ivy Says: "You can’t have a down cycle unless you’ve had an up cycle—that’s maturity. “Don’t ignore women as a market. They control most household spend and drive consumer decisions.”“Execution in Africa takes grit. It’s harder, but the ones who push through build lasting businesses.”🌍 About Ivy Macharia:💼 Head of Portfolio – Gather Ventures (backing catalytic climate & gender-focused businesses)💡 Angel Investor – Member of Nairobi Business Angel Network & Grounded Investor📊 Board Director – Drop Access Limited🌱 Advocate for capital in local hands—championing African-led venture building👩‍👧 Wife, mother, firstborn daughter, and smallholder farmer on weekends📌 Connect with Ivy:🔗 LinkedIn: Ivy Macharia🎙️ New Full Scale Podcast episodes every two weeks!🎧 Listen on Spotify | Watch on YouTube | Subscribe on Apple Podcasts💬 Like, Comment, Share & Subscribe!#FullScalePodcast #IvyMacharia #GatherVentures #AfricanStartups #AngelInvesting #ImpactInvesting #VentureCapital #WomenInVC #ResilientFounders #ProductMarketFit #AfricaRising👉 Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe—and let us know in the comments what stood out to you most from Ivy’s story. (00:00) behind the scenes. (03:41) Intro. (04:40) Who is Ivy Macharia. (08:51) Journey of start- up in Africa. (13:02) Key traits and red flags that shapes investment decision. (17:32) Kenya's start up criticism. (22:34) Balance between commercial viability and impact. (29:38) Regional differences on how to approach difficulties. (33:25) Myths about investing in Africa (36:15) Do silicon valley playbook work for Africa. (39:37) Is the industry empowering women voices. (44:08) Founders time capsule. (46:55) Surprise question. (50:16) Interesting thing of the week. (52:27) Outro and conclusion.

Episode 26 | Guest Episode: Gilbert Manirakiza - CEO - NEWMARK GROUP.

(00:00) Behind the scenes. (04:41) Intro. (06:16) Who is Gilbert. (07:32) Gilbert's hobbies. (09:11) What is NEWMARK Group? (11:31) How NEWMARK Group began? (14:00) How does Weza Prosoft company fit? (16:32) Is Weza Prosoft solutions tailored or standard? (19:18) Biggest challenges so far? (21:30) How to keep rapid innovation at the same time being consistent. (24:43) The highest moment in the entrepreneurship journey. (28:48) Product market fit. (34:18) Did Newmark start through bootstrapping or external capital. (41:11) Newmark's long term vision. (44:20) What is Kasi Afrique? (48:05) Founders time capsule. (50:32) Surprise question. (52:24) Interesting thing of the week. (54:42) Outro.

Episode 25 | Guest Episode: Arnold Kwizera - Co-Founder & CEO of ArCa Ventures.

@FullScale Podcast. (00:00) Behind the scenes (03:25) Intro (04:54) Who is Arnold (08:51) What is ArCa Ventures (15:50) Is ArCa Ventures a specific sector or sector agnostic (18:49) Why the name " ArCa Ventures." (23:23) Biggest challenges for ArCa Ventures. (25:38) Product market fit. (29:35) The standout highlight in the journey of start - ups. (31:45) Long term visions for ArCa Ventures. (38:36) Do ArCa Ventures create their own ideas or source them from founders. (39:57) Most Exciting trends in Africa's start - up ecosystem. (43: 07) Founders time capsule. (44:10) Surprise question. (46:32) Most interesting thing of the week. (49:20) Outro and conclusion

Episode 24 | Guest Episode: Meredith Muthoni - Corporate Finance and Strategy Leader.

(00:00) Behind the scenes. (02:17) Intro. (03:21) About Meredith. (05:41) What is head of electric finance? (06:25) When should a start-up fundraise? (09:34) Founders perspective on sale equity, debt and grants. (13:33) Most memorable fundraising. (17:35) The surprise in fundraising (18:32) Most underrated part of a pitch deck. (22:55) The power of storytelling in fundraising process. (25:40) Steps and preparation for reaching potential investors. (27:33) Approximate time for a fundraising process. (30:21) Red flags in a start up constantly seeking funds (31:35) Unexpected things when working with investors. (33: 00) Is fundraising a one time event or ongoing? (32:58) Fundraising drought in recent years. (37:17) Emerging trends in a start up ecosystem (38:55) Alternative funding model: (Revenue Based Funding and Crowd Funding). (44:11) Founders time capsule . (41:40) Surprise question. (48:56) Interesting thing of the week? (53:54) Outro and conclusion

Episode 23 | Guest Episode: Denis Nyanja - Managing Partner and Co-Founder of DCB Consulting.

(00:00) Behind the scenes. (07:38) Intro. (10:20) About DCB consulting. (14:08) Challenges of CFO and Finance in a start- up. (17:58) Best time for a start up to get a CFO. (21:34) What is fractional CFO and SME. (26:29) Importance of financial planning and fund raising. (30:42) Common financial mistakes when raising capital. (33:43) Day to day tools to improve on financial planning. (35:09) How to manage burning cash. (40:32) Key financial regulations for start ups. (43:17) Future exciting trends on finance ecosystem in Africa. (45:59) Effects of AI to a CFO. (48:15) Founder's time capsule. (50:20) Surprise question. (52:28) Interesting thing of the week. (55:10) Outro and conclusion.