Victor Asemota

Startups in Africa

What does it take to build a startup that works in Africa? Entrepreneur and investor Victor “Big Chief” Asemota joins Amy Jo Kim to share why solving real problems matters more than copying other startups or chasing investor approval.

In this short episode, Victor explores what founders can learn from nonprofits, why he values originality and deep domain knowledge, and how Africa’s diverse markets shape the opportunities ahead. His advice: resist building a Swiss Army knife. Find a simple problem and solve it well.

More from Victor Asemota:
LinkedIn
Swifta — company website

Episode chapters

00:00 — Welcome to Game Thinking
00:20 — Introducing Victor Asemota
01:09 — Solve real problems, not investor expectations
02:01 — Originality, domain knowledge, and support systems
02:49 — Understanding Africa’s diverse markets
03:22 — Simple solutions win: the PiggyVest example
03:55 — Closing thoughts