Talent Development

$8 billion dollars later, what have we learned in the past decade about the enduring lessons of investing in and building successful early stage companies in Africa? Africa has seen a complete market cycle of boom and bust in the VC ecosystem, its first few exits and IPO, and a flurry of founders and media coverage. This panel features insights from serial founders, early stage VCs and leading accelerators. Expect to hear riveting insights on key questions including - What early stage investors have gotten right and wrong in choosing winners? How founders are getting wiser on choosing investors and achieving PMF? How the ecosystem will evolve as it unlocks new types of capital like venture debt and new models like studios?

From 0 to 1 Million+ Followers: How to Leverage Social Media to Build Your Business in 2023

Taught by Olivia Barnard, a former McKinsey consultant and social media influencer with 1.3 million followers

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Social media is the future. There were 50 million content creators in 2020. In 2022, the number jumped to more than 300 million (Adobe). As the creator economy continues to grow, so does the shift away from traditional forms of marketing to social media. In 2022, social media video ad spending grew by 20.1% to $24.35 billion (Hootsuite). Social media is the future; don't get left behind. 

In this lunch and learn, Olivia will share her personal experience growing her online brand to 1.3 million followers across 3 platforms - Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Through social media, you can: 

💼 Generate new leads for your business (real estate, coaching, teaching, medical) and scale it to seven figures 

🍰 Create a side hustle (photography, baking, pottery) that makes multiple six figures

📲 Build a career as a digital marketer for small businesses or Fortune 500 companies

🎤 Establish yourself as a thought leader and receive invitations to speak at conferences 

🏑 Share your hobbies and build an audience of people with similar interests

💋 Become an influencer and get paid to talk about products you love 

The possibilities are endless! 

It is estimated that over $5 billion was invested across Africa in 2022 – the number of start-ups is growing quickly. As the ecosystem matures, the expectations are higher for founders in Africa. Join us for an intimate fireside with some of Africa’s leading start-up founders. We will delve deep into the highs and lows of being a founder – from building a world-class team, attracting customers, and fundraising, to maintaining self-care.

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