The First Check

Why believing in young entrepreneurs matters

“Africa Doesn’t Need Saving. It Needs Belief: A Conversation with Addis Alemayehou”

In a world often preoccupied with “developing” Africa from the outside, Addis Alemayehou offers a refreshing counterpoint: Africa isn’t waiting to be saved, it’s already building.

With over two decades of leadership across media, tech, and investment, Addis has become one of the continent’s most trusted voices in entrepreneurship and innovation. As Chairman of Kazana Group, Co-founder and CRO at Dodai, and General Partner at Kazana Fund, he has dedicated his career to amplifying the potential of African markets, from early-stage startups to industry-shaping partnerships.

“There’s a misconception that African entrepreneurs need someone to come in and give them direction,” Addis tells us. “But the reality is these young people already know what problems they want to solve. They’re living them. What they need is someone who will trust them enough to walk with them in the early stages.”

It’s this early-stage belief, more than any capital, that Addis sees as the missing piece in Africa’s startup ecosystem. “One of the biggest challenges for young founders is that no one wants to write that first check,” he says. “And yet, that’s when belief matters most. That’s when mentorship, guidance, and strategic support can make or break a founder’s journey.”

Addis likens the role of early support to that of a parent teaching a child to walk. “They’re smart. They’re resourceful. They’re building with what they have. But at the very beginning, they’re also vulnerable. That’s when we need to show up.”

Through Kazana Fund, Addis and his team are doing just that, building investment models that don’t just inject money, but offer partnership, patience, and long-term vision. They invest not only in businesses, but in the confidence of the people behind them.

Technology is an enabler in this vision. “We’re at a point where African entrepreneurs can build at the same speed as anyone else in the world,” he says. “Access to tools, platforms, and digital infrastructure is evening the playing field. What’s left is narrative and capital.”

And that narrative is shifting. No longer just the subject of aid or charity, Africa is now the stage for the next wave of transformative business models, homegrown, context-aware, and unapologetically ambitious.

“The Africa of the future is being built now,” Addis reminds us. “Not by outsiders. Not by policy alone. But by young people with ideas, drive, and the courage to build.”

In amplifying their voices, Addis Alemayehou is investing in the story of Africa, told by those who are writing it in real time.