Jan 23VC in Africa: outlook for 2023Africa’s venture capital (VC) industry has seen notable growth in recent years. According to the African Private Equity and Venture Capital Association, the number of VC transactions recorded on the continent expanded at a compound annual rate of 32% between 2014 and 2021. In the first half of 2022, the…5 min read5 min read
Sep 29, 2022Where does African fintech go from here?Brian Waswani Odhiambo, West Africa Director at Novastar, writes: Moving to Lagos from Nairobi three years ago, I thought I knew a bit about fintech in West Africa. Turns out there was more to learn. In Kenya, innovation in financial services was led by the telcos. It was M-Pesa that…Africa6 min readAfrica6 min read
Jun 21, 2022Africa as a carbon down powerhouseAndrew Carruthers, Co-founder & Managing Partner at Novastar: Writing about decarbonisation poses a challenge. What more important issue is there to discuss? But what more is there to say? Together with my Novastar colleagues, we’ve been turning this subject over in our minds. …Venture Capital5 min readVenture Capital5 min read
Apr 7, 2022“Traveler, there is no path. The path is made by walking.”Steve Beck, Co-founder & Managing Partner at Novastar, writes: I love that quote from the Spanish poet Antonio Machado. It captures the entrepreneurial spirit of the adventure. …Venture Capital5 min readVenture Capital5 min read
Mar 22, 2022What we ValueOur values comprise our common beliefs and guide our daily decisions and behaviours. They describe Novastar on its best days, and we aspire to have more of those with each passing year. We select for them. The entrepreneurs and teams we work with share a commitment to these five characteristics. …Values2 min readValues2 min read
Mar 22, 2022What Novastar Looks forWe look for market potential, focused strategies (there is more than enough complexity in execution when growing a business in frontier markets), business model innovation, and a fundamental alignment between commercial success and positive social and environmental outcomes. But the quality of the founder(s) and team trump these. We invest…Vc Funding3 min readVc Funding3 min read
Mar 22, 2022Raising Capital for Your Venture? — Questions to ConsiderWe receive multiple inquiries and requests for funding every day of the week. Meeting entrepreneurs, spending time with them, understanding their plans and dreams is a core part of our day-to-day work. We love it. Some entrepreneurs spend weeks and months writing lengthy business plans. Others send a short teaser…Vc Funding3 min readVc Funding3 min read
