Pinaco & Co

🚀 Insights from the #GSER2024: Nairobi dominates Kenya’s startup ecosystem and is one of the leading tech cities in Africa. Highlights of the ecosystem include: • Nairobi is home to 97% of the country’s startups, as well as regional offices of many multinational companies including research and innovation hubs from Google, Microsoft, and Visa. • Under the UK-Kenya Strategic Partnership, the U.K. Government will commit $16.4 million to lower investment risk and unlock $98.6 million of financing for Kenyan climate-focused projects. • The Nairobi International Financial Centre (NIFC Africa) makes it easier and more attractive to invest and innovate in financial services. NIFC aims to raise over $2 billion by 2030. Discover more about the Nairobi startup ecosystem: https://buff.ly/3ulSDuY #Nairobi #startup #startupecosystem #founder #innovation

Our Head of Business Development & Partnerships, Marcos Withington, joined a webinar hosted by Pinaco & Co, diving deep into the dynamics of the African tech scene and discussing the opportunities and challenges it presents. If you’d like to gain deeper insights into the region, check the link in the comments for the session recording and the article.

Africa's startup ecosystem is attracting substantial global investment, despite a slight decline in 2023 (which is likely part of a broader global trend). The top three sectors for funding remain fintech, energy / cleantech, and healthtech, reflecting a growing focus on these areas. StartupBlink's Marcos Withington, holds the view that despite the global trend of declining investment, Africa's continued attraction of significant funding in these sectors is a promising sign. Click on the link below to read more on "the rise of the African startup ecosystem". #Pinacoandco #Startups #Africa #Startupecosystems #Investments #Venturecapital

1 HOUR TO GO! Join us as we "Unpack the African Startup Ecosystem" with StartupBlink, in a Webinar organized by Pinaco & Co in collaboration with Youth Enterprise Revolving Fund - Eswatini. Time: 14:00hrs Zoom link: https://lnkd.in/dU69zfiQ  Meeting ID: 817 9099 3055 Passcode: 368375

MEET THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER FOR OUR UPCOMING WEBINAR Africa is experiencing a surge in entrepreneurial activity with startups emerging across various sectors. This coming Thursday, Pinaco & Co in collaboration with the Youth Enterprise Revolving Fund - Eswatini will be hosting a Webinar titled, "Unpacking the African Startup Ecosystem". The keynote will be delivered Marcos Withington, Head of Business Development & Partnerships at StartupBlink.   At StartupBlink Marcos leads the business development and partnerships strategy to drive growth and enhance the platform. With over ten years of experience in sales and business development, he has a proven track record of driving revenue growth, expanding market penetration, and building long-term relationships with B2B SaaS clients in various industries, such as retail, hospitality, and innovation. Click here to register and/or read more about Webinar https://lnkd.in/duPQQtHJ

UNPACKING THE AFRICAN STARTUP ECOSYSTEM WEBINAR As we approach springtime, Pinaco & Co in collaboration with the Youth Enterprise Revolving Fund - Eswatini is pleased to announce yet another exciting Webinar, whose keynote will be delivered by Marcos Withington, Head of Business Development & Partnerships at StartupBlink - a global innovation economy research platform. The Webinar, moderated by our Business Development Consultant, phiwa shongwe and featuring Charlton C. Tsodzo, PhD, ACIArb., as a discussant and will delve into the unique dynamics of the African startup ecosystem; opportunities and challenges it presents. Register now through this link https://lnkd.in/dYraWXzn to know more about the African startup ecosystem and how StartupBlink, is accelerating startup ecosystem development across the world. #Startups #Africa #StartupBlink #ecosystems #Eswatini

HOW DO WE ATTRACT VENTURE CAPITAL INTO ESWATINI? “The launch of Eswatini’s first unicorn,” Pinaco & Co Senior Partner writes, “would certainly create a positive domino effect in the country’s economy and by extension the African continent. This all starts with spotting the 'Red Car' – whether as an entrepreneur, venture capitalist or policymaker. Job creation, he further explains, is the “why of dreaming of a unicorn in Eswatini” and the “why of attracting venture capital into the Kingdom.” Read more…https://lnkd.in/d6yPs-Z7 #Eswatini #startups #unicorn #venturecapital #equity #privateequity

“Losing is not in my DNA. It's non-negotiable. If something does not work out, I try to look for other ways of doing it, but quitting never crosses my mind, no matter how bad the situation is. As an entrepreneur you must always find a way, you must have grit and you have to keep pushing. Actually, in my first two years in business, I only took Christmas Day off. I did not go anywhere, the only thing I did, was work.” Logico Unlimited Co-Founder and MD, Anthony Geldard. Get the latest Edition of Inside Biz Magazine, currently available in selected retail outlets nationwide to read the inspiring business journey of Logico Unlimited.

In this article, Pinaco & Co AI Engineer, Bandile Malaza, demystifies Artificial Intelligence and shares his experience in working on a machine learning model that will rank startups in Eswatini. One of the most exciting aspects of his internship is the opportunity to learn about the integration of AI with cloud computing. Although he is yet to delve deeply into AWS’s robust infrastructure and tools like SageMaker and Lambda for deploying and scaling machine learning models, he highlights that Pinaco & Co’s collaboration with Atomic Computing, an AWS certified partner, is providing him with invaluable exposure.

CEOs, influencers, founders and business owners.  Entrepreneurs are setting the world in motion. And this week’s Must Reads tells us how...