In this episode, we sit down with Niama El Bassunie, a trailblazing entrepreneur who built and exited a successful B2B marketplace in Africa and is now backing the next generation of founders at Baobab Network.

Niama shares her journey — from starting WaystoCap, navigating the challenges of scaling a cross-border trade platform in Africa, and ultimately exiting the business. She also unpacks the realities of raising capital in emerging markets, building trust in digital commerce, and why having a strong "why" is the key to resilience.

What you’ll learn:

• 🌍 How to scale a business in challenging and emerging markets
• 📈 Lessons from raising capital—including the realities of securing investment in Africa
• 🔥 Why founder mindset and resilience matter more than the original business model
• 🚀 The role of accelerators like Y Combinator and how they impact scaling
• 💡 How Baobab Network is investing in 1,000 African startups over the next decade

If you’re an entrepreneur, investor or business leader looking for real, hard-earned insights on growth, fundraising and exiting a business, this episode is for you.

Contact us: hello@behindthesme.co.uk

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Connect with us on other platforms: https://linktr.ee/behindthesme

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