by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department

“You don't want the institutions incentivized to go big and expensive when you could maybe have more impact, smaller and less expensive”, so said Margaret Kuhlow of the US Dept of Treasury at one of the side meetings at the recent World Bank Spring Conference (see here 1:30:05).

Anna Bjerde, the World Bank Managing Director of Operations confirmed the key message of the meetings (here): “A key component…is measuring outcomes rather than inputs and focusing on results that further our aim to improve people's lives and livelihoods.”

by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department

As American Presidential hopefuls will tell you, life begins at 80 and so given the World Bank turned 80 this year, would there be a new lease of life, a new energy to tackle the world’s greatest problems?

by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department

There have been many times over the past few years when we have looked at a country’s foreign exchange rate, have watched in horror as it has collapsed, had sleepless nights over the inflation that is sure to come given the needs of the country for US$ based imports (or is already building due to the mismatch between the ‘official’ rate and the parallel black market rate), and wondered how our Lionesses in that country will survive the long nights ahead.

by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department

As we reach the end of our four-parter look at the investing and funding world and how we can gain more of it, here, here, and here, so this weekend we dive into why collecting data on the jobs we have created, the wages we pay, the lives we have changed is so important, and why now is the best time to start.

by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department

It is one thing to complain and be grumpy about the rounding error that is the amount of funding that goes into women’s businesses in Africa, but as we stated last week (here) we believe the answer may lie instead in highlighting the benefits to the investors, and their own investor base in having a more diverse team and with that a stronger portfolio made up of more female-founded companies.

by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department

Marie Curie, the winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903 and then Chemistry in 1911, (see here for information on this incredible Scientist) is said to have once remarked: “Nothing in life is to be feared; it is only to be understood…”, and we have to admit that try as we might, we cannot understand the reasons for, let alone fathom the pain and suffering that 2023 brought to many millions across the globe. If Diplomacy really is the art of restraining power, as Henry Kissinger, the 56th U.S. Secretary of State, U.S. National Security Advisor and winner of the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize said, then we have to suggest that in 2023, ‘diplomacy’ failed.

by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department

Marc Andreessen of the massively successful Tech investment fund ‘a16z’ likes to joke that the best thing about startups is that they “only ever experience two emotions: euphoria and terror. And I find that lack of sleep enhances them both.” (See here).

by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department

It was mathematician and meteorologist Edward Norton Lorenz who noted when studying and modelling the creation of Tornados that minute changes in initial conditions created significantly different outcomes in storms many miles if not countries and continents away. He likened these minute changes to a seagull flapping its wings and this vibration change in the surrounding air being the tiny difference that set either the Tornado off, or changed its direction. Luckily for our poetic sensibilities, he was persuaded to ditch the Seagull and write about a Butterfly fluttering its wings instead, and so in a lecture he gave in December 1972 he used the expression: “a butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil can produce a tornado in Texas.”, and the rest (as they say) became history.

by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department

It was without doubt one of our finest moments, persuading Melanie to give us the time off, and on behalf of the greater Lioness community we headed off into southern Italy for a road trip. Stopping off in many restaurants (all in the name of research, of course) we drove around the beautiful countryside allowing us a deep look into a part of Italy often missed by the tourist books. Covered as it is in breathtaking views, steeped in culture and of course, amazing produce from the land, it is an area of the world well worth a visit. What we also noticed sadly was the slow death of hilltop towns as the youth vote with their feet,  and head to the big cities in the North to search for the roads ‘paved with gold’ and of course meaningful jobs.

by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department

“Market matters most; neither a stellar team nor fantastic product will redeem a bad market. Markets that don’t exist don’t care how smart you are.” - Marc Andreesen, founder of ‘a16z’ fund.

It is incredible just how many entrepreneurs forget this basic lesson.  Invent a product that is the greatest, the most beautiful, most perfect, it solves every issue, so much so that it seems to have been touched by the gods, has been dipped into the river of eternal life, shines and sparkles like nothing seen before (think you get the idea)…yet has no market - it will simply remain a product with no market. That’s it. Dull as ditch water. The thing that will move? Your bank balance, and believe us when we say, not in the right direction!