A Billionaire's Scholarship, a Journalist's Call, and a Week in Nairobi

A collection of reflections over the past couple of weeks

When I originally launched this newsletter about two years ago, the idea was to share my thoughts, things I find useful, and information that could help builders. Over time, I've written lengthy, thought-provoking pieces that let me share what I truly care about.

Last week, I had a call with a journalist from the Irish Independent who allowed me to take a pause and reflect. When Mary McCarthy of the Irish Independent added me on LinkedIn and asked for an interview, I was sceptical, but I still took the call. She made me feel comfortable by reassuring me that I'd read the article before it was posted. We had a fantastic conversation about growing up in Togo, moving to Ireland, and growing up there. Two things sent me into deep reflection. The first one was my realisation that I haven't taken a breather for 15 years. I started working in 2011, and that was the last time I took a proper break. It was a six-week holiday in Togo when I completed my university studies.

The second reason was that I considered not going to university because things at home had got worse. If it wasn't for a surprise scholarship I won, funded by JP McManus, an Irish billionaire, I may not have gone. Instead of me repeating the entire article, I recommend reading it here.

Real Estate, Travelling, and AI

I'm writing this post in an apartment I co-own in Nairobi via Diaspora House. I travel to Nairobi maybe twice or three times a year. I know many people who also visit the city regularly, so we launched Diaspora House, a real estate investment collective to allow folks like me to stay at a heavily discounted price while earning a return. It's such a fantastic model, and I'm excited to add more properties this year. Also, we were able to do Diaspora House because technology enables you to do more at scale these days. I'm using more AI and recently rebuilt the entire Diaspora House website with Claude. I'm so proud of myself.

Go to diasporahouse.com and let me know what you think of this website.

Side note: We are actively exploring Lagos to add more properties, so if you are keen to join as an investor or a regular traveller, please sign up for the mailing list on the website.

This is just the start. Next, I'm building an affiliate referral for Diaspora House so that anyone can easily refer other travellers and earn a commission.

Africa Tech Summit

I attended the Africa Tech Summit this week, and it was a great experience. Temi, our marketing lead at Borderless, organised an online investment readiness series, and I got to interact with some of the founders as a panellist on the investment showcase stage at the conference. I remain positively bullish on the impact of technology in Africa.

I met so many founders throughout the conference, but I spent some time with Ben, founder and CEO of Payd, a stablecoin-powered platform focused for gig workers. I have to be honest: I was a bit hesitant going into our conversation about what's unique about his positioning, and I was pleasantly surprised to learn about his approach and how intentional he is about growth. I really enjoyed our conversation.

Being in Nairobi means spending time with HoaQ portfolio companies in the region. I was delighted to have bumped into Dami, CEO of Rivy (formerly Payhippo), even though we'd never met and had been investors in the company for at least three years. I spent time with Victor and Reuben of Tembo Plus, one of the leading fintechs in East Africa. I also caught up with Sonia of Buupass and Mallick of Startbutton. Shout out to all the amazing founders building Africa (literally).

The week wasn't all work. We played padel on Wednesday night with the team and friends. I leave Nairobi with my heart full and very optimistic about the future of a Borderless Africa.

And before I wrap this up, I managed to listen to the Afropolitan podcast with Eke, founder of Risevest, one of the HoaQ portfolio companies. I highly recommend listening if you care about what the future of investments in Africa looks like. It's a topic I deeply care about, and I think you should too.

Deal Flow

Now that Borderless is out in the wild, I'm glad to be back talking to founders again, and I kicked off a private deal flow group where I share deals I truly believe in. We are just closing a Series B investment, led by A16z. I have three exciting deals I want to share, so if you are keen, click below to join. If you have previously made an investment on Borderless or a HoaQ investor, please DM me and I will give you free access.

I forgot one important thing: My trip to Gabarone. I think it deserves its own post. 

Thank you for reading

www.onborderless.com