LOCAL STARTUPS AND TECH COMMUNITY ARE THE FUTURE IN BOTSWANA’s ENTREPRENEURSHIP AGENDA
Local Startup and Tech Community have the dividend in driving the entrepreneur-led agenda in Botswana.
1. First, you have to ask yourself what the desired outcome is. Are we trying to figure out how to build a place that creates venture backed EXITS, IPOs, UNICORNS, or are we trying to build something where technical people can feel like they’re in a community?
2. What makes people like tech founders or startups want to live in any particular tech community? You might be surprised, because I think it has a lot to do with issues no one ever really seems to talk about. In my little travel around the world it’s about the aspects of smart capital (venture capital and Angel Or Networks and Talent Engine i.e coders, designers, product managers and etc )…These two as a basic supported by friendly business environment(Estonia.Singpore.Israel.CapeTown). Top founders want to live in a place where employees are serious about working hard.
3. Thirdly, everyone should live in a place where people have at least some basic shared values. Big outcomes don’t have as much to do with a “community” of interrelated people as we might think. An individual standout founder should be 100 % confident that the place of launch has the ability to recruit their first ten employees + build something interesting to a point where they’ll have no trouble getting funding, more employees, and customers just about anywhere.
4. Fewer and fewer tech entrepreneurs who obviously believe in computer science are going to want to be in a place where you have to debate with sitting definition of innovation frameworks i.e software as a service or brick and mortar SMEs, let alone our neighbors in Capetown raising venture capital while we are stuck on debt financing (traditional capital), the obvious value of a mask (transition to platform or digital businesses during a pandemic, or how female reproductive organs work ( argument that packaging insets into a bottle is innovation). The internet has changed the rules — adopt or be outdated.
5. Great startup community folks and investors need to be a bridge between those who have a lot to offer in terms of real, vetted experience and those who are new and aspirational.
6. Startup founders always need help. Qualified people need to be willing to help (mentor driven capital) and not just help their friends. That’s why we also need super early stage investors who can lead rounds for local tech innovators, being willing to place bets when there isn’t much there there. Angels can’t do it alone. Botswana has to unlock capital from venture capital firms and family offices i.e you know them why aren’t they investing in tech.
7. Government can’t make a place a “bitcoin city or a smart city”. Government intervention directly into the startup community is just to be an enabler via policy or acts. We have recommended a startup policy as we know that startups are not SMEs. Great advise stop calling SMEs (supported by SME policy ) =startup. We know software (digital platform i.e Uber/Mpotsa/BSafe/MAgri/Mpesa/ModisaR ) is not a brick (cement manufacturing/ choppies etc ).
8. Mayors or governors don’t build startup cities. They need to be focused on housing cost for startups, tax regime, crime, and the kind of zoning that enables a critical mass of interesting local businesses to thrive. Regulation is key for the new startup sector .We must understand how tech community works both online and offline.
9. We also need gathering place across cities and towns as well as spots in the city in close proximity where startup groups can gather for multiple uses: group gatherings, individual work, small meetings, etc. A warehouse (Botswana Innovation Hub) might be good for throwing a big tech party, but if it’s on the edge of town and is empty every other moment that there isn’t a tech party, then it’s not contributing to that community feel. Thats gotta change and it’s all about inspiration through spotlights of Startups (see our collaboration with Stanbic Bank AcceleR8 Incubator ). Maybe spice up a new culture of places worth consuming good food, good coffee, and lots of them. Copy and paste Workshop17 model in Capetown. Consumption gets people out even in a pandemic. Places where startups eat and drink is where they maybe feel like there is community. New capital lies in networking.
10. The one thing that is true for any tech community it takes a long time to build. Keep building. We also need community leaders i.e Stanbic Bank Botswana CEO (Mr Samuel Minta)…a type of leader who is visionary- bets on disruptive ideas and innovation and take bold risks on the future and many of them aren’t around so far. Community isn’t organic. It takes work.
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