Builders and Backers

How Mark Kiarie Scaled Chpter Across Africa (and Why WhatsApp is the Future of E-Commerce)| Ep.2

Description Our guest today is Mark Kiarie of Chpter a an AI-powered conversational commerce platform that enables businesses to sell more on social platforms like WhatsApp and Instagram. They raised $1.2m from investors and have 4,500 customers using their platform in Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and beyond. We discuss his early career as an architect, building his first startup, and later pivoting to Chpter, Conversational commerce, and many more. Please enjoy! Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (1:11) Background, early childhood and studying architecture (07:21) Building the first business and learning how to code (20:00) Early days of Chpter (24:14) Conversational commerce (36:50) Chapter today (42:27) Chapter champions podcast (45:52) Batianpeak fashion brand (49:16) Advice to founders (53:45) Quick fire questions —-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #AfricanStartups, #EcommerceAfrica,  #WhatsAppCommerce, #StartupStories, #TechInAfrica, #FoundersJourney, #Entrepreneurship, #Chpter, #MarkKiarie, #KenyanStartups, #SocialCommerce, #BuildersAndBackers, #PodcastAfrica Guest socials Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-kiarie [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-kiarie?originalSubdomain=ke] Chpter website - https://www.chpter.co/ [https://www.chpter.co/]  Batianpeak - https://thebatianpeak.com/ [https://thebatianpeak.com/]

The Africa Opportunity: Florent Nduwayezu’s Playbook for Backing Bold Startups| Ep.1

In this episode, we sit down with Florent Nduwayezu, investor at FP Capital, a $10 million venture capital firm to unpack the opportunities, challenges, and untold stories shaping the African tech ecosystem. From fintech to climate tech, Florent shares how he evaluates founders, what global investors often misunderstand about Africa, and why local context is everything when backing startups on the continent. We explore the evolution of venture capital in Africa, Florent’s investment philosophy, lessons learned from portfolio wins (and misses), and practical advice for founders navigating early-stage growth. We wrap it all up with a lightning round covering books, bold predictions, and a few laughs along the way. Whether you’re a founder, VC, aspiring entrepreneur, or curious observer of African innovation—this is a must-listen. In today’s episodes we discuss: (00:00) Intro (00:32) Origin Story and upbringing (3:11) Early Career & Background (7:26) Current Startup Ecosystem in Africa (16:23) What investors misunderstand about Africa (22:45) FP Capital investment strategy (24:34) What to look for in founders (35:02) Advice for founders (39:52) Advice for investors (43:36) Quick fire questions —------------------------------------------------------- Guest Florent Nduwayezu on linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/florent-nduwayezu-76ab4381?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_profile_view_base_contact_details%3B2jXWQNmmQC2E1dJdlxcb4w%3D%3D [https://www.linkedin.com/in/florent-nduwayezu-76ab4381?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_profile_view_base_contact_details%3B2jXWQNmmQC2E1dJdlxcb4w%3D%3D]  Florent Nduwayezu on X: https://x.com/nduwaflorent [https://x.com/nduwaflorent]  Fund https://fpcapital.vc/ [https://fpcapital.vc/]  Host  Timothy Maaba on linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothy-maaba-83a9a61ba [https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothy-maaba-83a9a61ba]  Timothy Maaba on X: https://x.com/MaabaTimothy [https://x.com/MaabaTimothy]  Fund https://www.serereventures.com/ [https://www.serereventures.com/]  —-------------------------------------------------------- Recommended Links- Podcast recommended- https://www.youtube.com/@DataDrivenNYC [https://www.youtube.com/@DataDrivenNYC]  Books recommended-https://www.amazon.com/Power-Law-Venture-Capital-Making/dp/052555999X [https://www.amazon.com/Power-Law-Venture-Capital-Making/dp/052555999X], https://www.amazon.com/First-Venture-Capitalist-Leadership-Organization/dp/1896209939 [https://www.amazon.com/First-Venture-Capitalist-Leadership-Organization/dp/1896209939]  https://www.amazon.com/Pattern-Breakers-Start-Ups-Change-Future/dp/1541704355 [https://www.amazon.com/Pattern-Breakers-Start-Ups-Change-Future/dp/1541704355]  —------------------------------------------------------ #Builders&Backers #BuildersandBackers #VC #venturecapital #Africa #startups #funding #growth