We live in strange times, and sometimes it seems that the world is spinning backwards. Donald Trump is a leading presidential contender and the North Pole saw December temperatures rise above freezing without any sunlight. As every year comes to an end, I marvel at all of the unexpected twists and turns of the year. … Read more
After a tumultuous week in global markets, today the US stock market ended higher on the session. On the heels of macroeconomic data that showed strong fundamentals in the US, along with overtures from China to slow its downturn, the Standard & Poor’s 500 gained 3.9% and the Nasdaq (which includes Apple, Google, Intel and … Read more
Last week, I spoke at The Economist's Buttonwood Gathering in NYC about how emerging markets (and Africa in particular) are leapfrogging innovation in the financial services sector. The most documented example of this is M-Pesa's mobile money platform in Kenya, which I have written about a few times on this blog, including in my thesis … Read more
As an avid traveler, observer of the world and a technophile, I’ve been struck by the parallels in the development of technology with the broader evolution of societal structures. These observations have led me to the investment thesis at the core of Future\Perfect Ventures. We’re investing in decentralization as a theme – including new infrastructure … Read more
Impact investing, venture philanthropy and social entrepreneurship are all areas in practice and theory that have been close to my heart for years. As regular readers of my blog know, I was born in Nairobi and grew up visiting the developing world in the 1980s, after my family moved to the United States. If I … Read more
I spent last weekend in Boulder, Colorado rock climbing for the first time in years. It was a reinvigorating weekend with a dear friend who had first introduced me to the sport. I reflected on why I love rock climbing so much and how many parallels I find to entrepreneurship. So many of us are … Read more
One of the challenges of communicating the power of the blockchain over the past couple of years has been the absence of a “killer app”. An application on top of the infrastructure that renders the complex technology behind it invisible — and only shows a seamless, magical customer experience. Today Abra launched to the world. … Read more