Bantaba is operational: The platform that allows startups from Africa to access talent and capital officially started its activities.
Bantaba is operational: The platform that allows startups from Africa to access talent and capital officially started its activities.
Bantaba was launched in an online event featuring Ikechukwu Anoke, CEO and co-founder of Zuri Health, and Faith Gathungu, Director of Young Engineers Kenya, who represented startup founders in Africa. Sweden-based Kenyan Erick Mokaya of Mwango Capital and Finland-based Burkinabe Issouf Ouattara of Fasodrones spoke on behalf of the diaspora.
The platform seeks to strengthen the bond between the diaspora and African entrepreneurs. It allows Africans living abroad to mitigate the challenges that African startups face such as lack of funding and the difficulty to access advanced technology and infrastructure.
“I can assure you that many start-ups don’t know where to start as we lack mentorship and exposure. This is not just in Kenya but Nigeria and many other countries. These are areas the diaspora needs to look at. The pandemic itself has been a challenge that has affected our business plans in ways that we don’t know how to update our pitch decks,” Faith said during the webinar dubbed Bridge the Gap.
Bantaba also wants to harness the talent and multiculturality of the African diaspora and put it at the service of African entrepreneurs.
According to Mokaya, “diaspora Africans have competencies they have acquired over time, some with venture capital and private equity. This ranges from refining your pitch deck, how to speak to investors and tapping into multicultural factors like keeping time. Having a diaspora input helps in cases where one can look at the pitch deck with local eyes but international perspective putting it in global terms where everyone else understands.”
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You can find Bantaba at: www.ourbantaba.com