While this is true, I also believe the unwillingness of local capital to participate is also a huge factor, even more than the 2021 situation.
The US has also had it share of bad founders over the years, it’s still having them but yet the funding is still flowing.
The difference is the fact that their local capitals are participating regardless.
Flamini as footballer funded tech startups, chamillionaire got rich off of them, Gianni’s is investing, same as JayZ, the list is endless, even old money are channeling investment through family offices.
Most of our guys here, to the best of my knowledge, we can’t say the same for them.
Local capital typically have more patience, more interest in building a nation, job creation and more long term thinking.
Even if the investment don’t pan out as quickly they would like or if it fails, they often have other incentives to count as gain.
Tesla investors waited for close to 10years, I’m not sure any investor is willing to do that wait in a foreign market( especially on non physical product)
We can’t always go to the world table with our plates out, that’s not how the developed nations did it.
As a country, we can’t always wait for external funds, at some point we have to look within and we are currently at that point, that’s why it appears we are starving.
VCs ain’t grants, their investment thesis is mostly extractive, big risk big win especially when going into a foreign market.
Their primary thesis is how quickly can I exit, and how big can it potentially be.
Nigeria market has always been good in theory, especially with the emergence of the likes of Paystack, Andela, and flutterwave, but 2021 helped VCs learn the market in practice.
What it showed them that made wary of the Nigerian market wasn’t just reckless founders, they’ve seen them all their lives, they are everywhere.
What it showed them was a pile of infrastructural deficits that frustrates the very core of their investment thesis “how quickly can I exit, and how big can it potentially be” stack that with dishonest founders, the incentive to want to invest here completely breaks down.
What should have filled the gap is participation of local capital, and since it’s refused to participate, why would foreign investors want?
That alone sends a dangerous signal to foreign investors, even worse sets a dangerous precedent, part of which we are currently experiencing.
If local funds don’t start participating, we might have a long journey ahead
The honest conclusion is that until local capital develops both the will and the vehicles to participate sustainably, the ecosystem will remain structurally dependent on foreign validation, which is precisely the weakness that makes it fragile.
Many people avoid addressing the elephant in the room, so let me try.
The legacy of the 2021 funding cycle has had lasting consequences for the current generation of African founders.
In 2021, capital was abundant and the bar for raising money was unusually low. In many cases, even very early or unproven ideas attracted significant funding. While some teams used that opportunity to build meaningful companies, most unfortunately did not deliver any meaningful outcomes. Over time, stories of poor capital discipline, and in some cases outright misuse of funds began to circulate.
Obviously this has affected investor sentiment. Today’s founders are operating in a far more skeptical environment, where capital providers demand clearer traction and greater accountability.
The current crop of young African founders are navigating the aftereffects of that 2021 cycle. They are being held to a much higher standard, largely because the ecosystem is still rebuilding trust after the excesses of that 2021 era.