Web 2.0 Ideas for Africa - What's Working

Africa focused entrepreneurs out there equally struggling like me to find the next big idea might want to check Alexa.com's regional stats on Africa. Alexa.com is a site that tracks websites globally. The popular websites highlighted across Africa can give you some insight on what internet websites are widely accessed and gaining traction in Africa. Information, entertainment, jobs, finance, and dating sites appear to be quite popular now. You may have to apply some creativity to figure out what's ahead of the curve.

Note: Africa is not one country. It's definitely interesting to dig deeper on the Alexa site to explore trends across North, South, West and East Africa. You can observe how what's popular in North Africa completely differs from the rest of Africa. The most visited sites in North Africa appear to be similar to heavily trafficked sites across the Middle East. South Africa has the majority of the top websites across Africa.

Upside of Investing In Africa

Knowledge At Wharton reviews a presentation made by one of Africa's most influential leaders, Mamphela Ramphele at the recent 14th Wharton Africa Business Forum. Ramphele is Chairperson of South African Private Equity Firm, Circle Capital Ventures.

Interesting stats and perspective on growth in the region. Conditions are not yet ideal for entrepreneurs but things are definitely looking better.

Original Signal - Single Page Aggregator

Check out Original Signal it's made life easier for me by helping to manage information overload. It's not the only site out there doing this but its the one I use. Well so what's this got to do with entrepreneurship and Africa. For one it can save you time as you research your next business idea. Africa? It's got nothing to do with Africa. Much like everything else out there. Will try and get back on point next post.


Technorati Profile

Burn The Boats!

Burn the boats - the often quoted words of Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortéz. Some say he never said the words. Anyway I’m no historian but you get the point. Hedged bets are the bane of any entrepreneur.

You have to commit 110%. No parachute, No back up plan. The MBA in me says do not take foolish risks. Take calculated risks. Any business journal or “beer parlor” analyst will tell you that. The problem is that conditions are never perfect. You can end up overanalyzing any business idea.

I’m not advocating staying on a narrow unyielding course. You have to be flexible. What you cannot do, is not take any action.

I am at that point right now where I am willing to get on a boat to find Aztec gold. When I get there I am more than willing to burn the boat. The problem I’m having today is that I don’t for the love of God know where to direct my boat. Where is Aztec country? Would I even know if and when I stumble on the big idea? Does it have to be a big idea? Should I just get off my soccer watching ass and go do something.

I’ve been thinking about all sorts of cockamamie ideas. Nothing I’m passionate about. Most of the ideas have been overdone. I also wonder if my partners are willing to burn their boats. There's a lot of talk about seeing how the potential venture pans out over the next 6-9 months before we commit fully. I don’t know about that approach. That sounds very much liking hedging to me. Many would say just common sense….

Freedom for all ...Entrepreneurs

The New York Times has an interesting article on the efforts of entrepreneurs to regain control of their companies from VC's:

EVAN WILLIAMS recently bought his freedom. It cost him a bit more than $2 million, and he says it was worth every penny.
I’m not talking about paying off a big debt to one of Tony Soprano’s loan-shark underlings. Mr. Williams is a serial entrepreneur, one of those Silicon Valley characters who start company after company. And he purchased his freedom from the venture capitalists and others who financed his company, Odeo. Mr. Williams dug into his pockets and gave them back their money. He got to keep his struggling podcast company and renamed it the Obvious Corporation...

Africa threatens Asia's lead in WAP usage

Gammalife provides interesting insight on the growth of WAP usage across Africa. This trend could open up a multitude of opportunities for Africa inclined Web 2.0 entrepreneurs.

It's a niche Business

The last couple of weeks have been quite eventful. I've been working on a business idea with a couple of friends. So far it is becoming quite apparent that there is a lot of competition in the space we are looking at. We knew the technology was not unique but thought our target market was not currently being addressed. That's not the case. It's not only a niche opportunity but a competitive one at that.

I'll definitely like to continue working with this current team to come up with the next big thing. It's a team ready and able to execute. However, we have to do more to expand our thinking. Our current approach has been incremental at best. We'll continue researching the target market there may still be a unique service to provide.

Entrepreneurs To Watch - Fuelture

Fuelture was founded in 2004 by Gbenga Kogbe, an alternative fuel expert and LPG enthusiast who has worked in engineering, finance and strategy roles for Shell (UK) and Amerada Hess Corporation (US).

Fuelture is registered as a Scottish Limited Company with its head office in Glasgow. We work closely with Nicholson McLaren Engines to provide the best technical know-how and highest quality of LPG conversions in the UK. Nicholson McLaren Engines provide the LPG vehicle technology that is installed in new and used vehicles converted through Fuelture. This is the same technology used by major manufacturers around the world.

Awards

Fuelture was awarded one of the top prizes at the 2005 Global Social Venture Competition held in Berkeley, California...

Great idea. Timing couldn't be better!

On the road to Timbuktu, El Dorado, and Anywhere but Here.

I have had a number of conversations with a few friends to discuss entrepreneurial ideas. Suffice to say the Ideas I began with are totally different from the business idea currently under consideration. MBA types are definitely more interested in discussing startup opportunities. A couple of years ago most of the focus was on getting the best paying gig. We are currently working on technical details. The business model is still up in the air. We either get to market quickly with a simple commodity play or build a possibly complex robust service on top of the low cost commodity service.

I like the energy level of my potential partners. Definitely very smart. However, still a lot of loose ends with the relationship. As they say we have to define the rules of engagement. From my prior experiences, it is very important that roles and contributions are clarified early on. No one wants to broach that topic right now, given that the business is still being defined. At some point soon we will have to discuss the responsibilities and level of commitment of each partner.

Either way glad to find like minded folks willing to build a global business.

Entrepreneurs To Watch - Nervana

Nervana is dedicated to the innovation of leading knowledge discovery technologies that enable knowledge based workers to more efficiently find, correlate and retrieve the information from vast repositories both inside and outside their enterprise. The industry leading Nervana Discovery Solution is an intelligent knowledge discovery technology that understands and efficiently translates the true semantic meaning of the inquiry, enabling direct access to meaningful data....

Selfless Entrepreneurs - The Positive Connection

The Economist writes: HIV sufferers find love online


DATING in South Africa has taken a more positive slant. For the past few years, people have been able to hook up through the Positive Connection, a website offering dating services for HIV sufferers. The service is the brainchild of Ben Sassman, a salesman living in Johannesburg. A few years ago, two of his friends told him they were HIV positive and that they had trouble dating. When they revealed their status, women invariably fled. Mr Sassman suggested online dating, but realised that existing services do not help those with HIV. So he launched www.thepositiveconnection.co.za in 2003....

I stumbled upon this article while researching the cross border mobile dating opportunity. The Postive Connection dating service deserves to be celebrated. It is a commmendable effort. I hope Mr Sassman is able to get additional funding to support and expand the service.

Entrepreneurs To Watch - Centrro

I will be profiling different entrepreneurs in the course of my journey. Many I encountered somewhere along the way, most will have a connection to Africa.

Centrro is a vertical search engine designed to help consumers find personal financial products that best fit their unique needs. Our transparent marketplace allows consumers to anonymously shop for products that fit their specific credit profile, before ever applying. This means consumers get exactly what they want and lenders get higher approval rates from their applicants...

Here is a product I wish I had access to when I first came to the US with no credit history!