#58, Investing in the African tech ecosystem. Lexi Novitske, Principal Investment Officer at Singularity Investments

Building The Future Podcast

In 2012 Lexi Novitske moved to Nigeria from The United States. Lexi worked for Verod Capital Management, a Nigeria-based private equity firm. Prior to joining Verod, she had spent her career developing an expertise in financial services through her time at New York-based Sandler O’Neill Asset Management. In 2014, Lexi joined Singularity Investments as the Principal Investment Officer where she oversees the firm’s operations in Africa. In this episode you’ll learn: Why Lexi decided to move to Africa from the United States The key unique qualities unique to the Nigerian tech market What were the key assumptions Lexi had about the Nigerian market before coming here? How many of them have proved to be true? How to deal with the barriers to infrastructure and regulation The difficulty of the African market “In this market, the management or entrepreneurs drive the success of the business”. What does Lexi mean by this? What are the disadvantages of giving away too much equity as a founder? How much power the Telcos wield in this ecosystem Despite numerous challenges, why did Lexi choose to stay in the African market? Why did she move from Private Equity to Venture Capital Investment.’ The crucial differences between Venture Capital Investment and Private Equity What do investors look out for in early-stage deals? How private equity works What is Lexi’s personal thesis about the African ecosystem? Find out the kind of entrepreneurs she wants to back And more Selected links in this episode Flutterwave Paystack Andela Singularity Investments Wifi.ng Cars45 Selected books from this episode Anti fragility Profit first