The CTO Show with Mehmet - Week in Review: Sep 3, 2023

September 03, 2023

Welcome to the 31st edition of "The CTO Show With Mehmet" Weekly Summary Newsletter! If you're new here, a warm welcome to our dynamic community of 1318 subscribers across LinkedIn and Substack. Whether you're here for the first time or a loyal follower, your engagement is the lifeblood of this unique platform dedicated to tech, startups, and entrepreneurship.

What is inside?

-      Weekly Startup Insights From Middle East, Türkiye & Africa

-      Updates & Tips

-      Recommended Resources and Tools

-      Episodes Recap 

Without further ado, let's dive into this week's multifaceted insights!

Weekly Startups Insights:

1-  Shift in African Startup Funding: In H1 2023, Kenya led in startup funding with $520 million, followed by Egypt with $510 million. Despite ranking fifth in funding, Nigeria led in the number of deals. This signals a shift in investor focus within the African startup ecosystem.

2-  MENA Region Investments: Significant Series A investments are being made in the MENA region, particularly in fintech and retail inventory solutions. Rewaa in Saudi Arabia (Wa'ed Ventures) and Ikigai Labs by e& capital are notable examples, with Rewaa securing $27 million in Series A.

3-  Early-Stage Funding: Startups like SeekMake in Tunisia (Lafayette Group, Flat6Labs), HEDG in Egypt (undisclosed investors in Egypt and Saudi Arabia), and MALY in UAE (regional angel investors) are securing early-stage funding, highlighting investor confidence in innovative solutions.

4-  Strategic Partnerships: Profit.co has partnered with Seed Group, and UMG has acquired Chabaka Music, indicating that strategic collaborations are key growth strategies in the MENA region.

5-  Focus on Financial Literacy and Education: South Africa-based FinMeUp and UAE-based Maly are working to bridge gaps in financial education and literacy.

6-  Logistics and E-commerce: Kwik's new e-commerce fulfillment service in Nigeria shows the growing importance of logistics solutions in e-commerce markets.

7-  Angel Investing in Turkiye: The increasing number of accredited angel investors in Turkey suggests a maturing startup ecosystem supported by both private and public sectors.

8-  Insurtech Innovations: LeaseSurance's seed funding (South Africa) of $161,000 points to a growing interest in insurtech solutions, particularly those that offer innovative approaches to traditional financial models.

 Updates and Tips

-      Don’t miss tomorrow’s masterclass about Automation where I will be covering using Make! This will be a live demo of the tool and what you achieve with it.

-      I am pleased to announce the “NoCode & Automation MENA Lounge” community, join me here to learn more.

-      The Startup Directory Ventures Fabrika MVP had a lot of test features that resonated with a lot of you! Thank you for the feedback. I am migrating the domain to a proper one as I see the potential, stay tuned. As I shared yesterday the Idea Validator, I would love to hear what else you look for as a founder.

Recommended Resources and Tools (Please note: Some of the resources linked in this section are affiliated links):

Trends.vc: Dru Riley has put the best to build not just a trending tech report newsletter but with the team he built a startup founders community that aims to provide insights into emerging markets, technologies, and business models Each issue usually dives deep into a specific trend, providing analysis, data points, and actionable advice. I have a discount code for you to join, just reach out to get it.

Softr: Enhance your business or build your MVP with Softr, the seamless platform for building applications without coding. Ideal for startups and SMEs, Explore this awesome platform and get in touch for assistance.

Make(Formerly Know As Integromat) Streamline your workflow with Make a leading automation platform that connects your apps and services effortlessly. Startups and SMEs, start by your own today or get in touch for a consultation

Fliki: Create videos from scripts or blog posts using realistic voices in 2 minutes! Fliki helps users to create videos and voice-overs from text with lifelike AI voices!

Episodes Recap: 

This week, we had 5 interviews on different topics. Let us review what was on the air:

At the beginning of the week, on Episode 203:

Prepare to supercharge your entrepreneurial journey with Christine Michaelis - Unicorn Whisperer 🦄 , a marketing and creative startup coach. She's got a wealth of knowledge to share, from validating your business ideas, to managing risks, all while keeping that entrepreneurial fire alive. 

Meet the luminous Cigdem Oztabak , entrepreneur, journalist, and startup mentor, who joins us on a riveting episode of the CTO Show. We embark on an enlightening exploration of the intersection of content, product, and market, tailored specifically for those in the startup scene. Cigdem shares her wisdom on capturing the essence of target audiences, the pivotal role of market research in product design, and the art of curating content that speaks volumes about a product's proposition.

Discover the art of impactful communication with our special guest, - Patrick Donadio, MBA, CSP, MCC , a renowned business communications strategist. Patrick promises to turn your communication skills around, as he shares his six-step impact process to ensure your messages get across effectively. From setting an intention, selecting a message & method, to the final delivery, Patrick covers it all, including the influential power of personalizing the message for the receiver.

Join us on an enlightening journey with cybersecurity expert and entrepreneur, Madalin Staniu. Madalin, a seasoned professional with roots in software development and technical leadership, offers a unique perspective on the cybersecurity landscape.

What if you could unlock the secret to creating a unique brand identity that captures the hearts and minds of your audience? Get ready to uncover this and more as we sit down with Pete Sena , a creative entrepreneur, and angel investor, known for his knack for helping challenger brands catapult onto their next level of success. We delve deep into the world of branding and marketing, discussing the importance of understanding your customer's needs and the subtle art of making stories personal for forming an emotional bond with your audience.

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A Big Thank You 🙏

Your support, feedback, and engagement make this journey worthwhile. Here's to another week of learning, innovation, and growth!

Best, Mehmet