Building connections and innovation: Botswana 'reinventing ourselves' at global tech conference

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00:00 Viva Tech's here in Paris, day two of the event that is a showcase for tech and innovation

00:05 and a place for startups to perhaps get that special boost.

00:08 We'll join us in the studio, two delegates from Botswana, all the way from Southern Africa

00:13 at Viva Tech.

00:14 Shayan Shivir is founder of Apache Capital.

00:16 Great to see you, sir.

00:17 Thank you so much.

00:18 On the other side of the studio.

00:19 They're on the same team, just different ends of the studio.

00:21 Camille Sturbén from the Botswana Digital and Innovation Hub.

00:23 Great to see you two.

00:24 Why is it so important for you two to be at Viva Tech?

00:27 Shayan, you go first.

00:28 Yeah, thank you so much.

00:30 I mean, as a startup coming from Botswana all the way to Europe, especially in Paris

00:34 here, we're here to see different kinds of technologies taking place, innovation, and

00:38 also, we're a startup and we're trying to see what other people are doing here and trying

00:44 to benchmark, to learn, to associate, build connections that are necessary for our development

00:49 as a startup.

00:50 Building connections, that's the important thing?

00:52 You know, Mark, besides the fact that Paris is a gorgeous city.

00:56 It is.

00:57 Viva Tech, it's Europe's biggest tech conference.

01:03 It's the world's biggest tech conference.

01:06 And you know, it accelerates innovation by connecting startups, connecting funders, connecting

01:14 investors, big companies, innovation leaders.

01:18 And I'm speaking about people that really, on a daily basis, are seeking to solve some

01:24 of the world's greatest challenges.

01:27 And you know, as Botswana, firstly, as Botswana Digital and Innovation Hub, the company that

01:32 I work for, and as Botswana Innovation Fund, that is the instrument that we use to give

01:39 startups such as Shine access to funding.

01:42 We've really found it necessary to be at the Viva Tech conference.

01:46 We're here to explore, like what he said.

01:48 We're here to connect.

01:50 And we're just here to build Botswana.

01:52 So what are the things then you hope to take back from Paris to Haberoni?

01:56 Yeah, I mean, one of the things that we managed to do as we were working through different

02:01 kind of VCs that we identify here, I mean, one of the things is, you know, you need to

02:06 be purpose driven when you're building your startup.

02:08 You need to understand really how far you can go, how far you can scale your solution.

02:13 These are some of the things that I think that are very key to us.

02:16 And as you go back home, we'd be able to reinvent ourselves, go back to the drawing board and

02:21 understand what is it that really takes to build the next unicorn.

02:24 That is interesting.

02:25 I just get some more from you, Camille.

02:27 Let's take a listen to what Emmanuel Macron said when he was at Viva Tech yesterday.

02:30 The good thing is that we have a lot of good, very good talent.

02:35 We have good mathematicians, good data scientists, a lot of talent adapted to this AI environment.

02:46 We will invest like crazy on training and research.

02:49 We want to be sure that this is safe and biased raw material, I would say.

02:57 And that's the language model we have, are not biased.

03:01 And that's what should be forbidden in our society, is forbidden in this model.

03:07 So we need some rules.

03:08 We need this basic regulation and much more regulation by design.

03:12 Essentially, as well as all that, Kevin, Macron was saying it's about bringing startup innovation,

03:18 investment tech into France.

03:20 It sounds to me that you'd like to do that in Botswana.

03:23 Definitely.

03:24 You know, our biggest, the biggest role is to support startups.

03:28 And how do we do that?

03:30 We have a number of programs that do support startups.

03:34 Things like your Incubation Shine has been through that program.

03:37 We also are trying to attract investors to come and invest in our startups because, you

03:42 know, our startup environment is very ripe.

03:45 There is a good appetite for innovations.

03:48 And you know, Botswana is a developing country, as you know, Mark, and we have our share,

03:54 fair share of challenges.

03:57 And you know where there are challenges, there's vast opportunities for innovation.

04:03 How does your idea, your startup help people?

04:06 How can ordinary Botswana people take advantage of what you're trying to do?

04:12 Yeah, Mark, I mean, as for us, the mission is quite simple.

04:15 We were always intentional about empowering small businesses so that they can thrive.

04:20 But we had to understand that the biggest pain point was lack of easy access to funding

04:24 from traditional financial institutions.

04:26 So we combined that problem.

04:28 Can I slow you down?

04:29 Yeah.

04:30 This is about actually sort of unlocking how people who want to start a business can get

04:35 that funding.

04:36 Yeah, definitely, because it's always a barrier when you don't have the funds to start your

04:40 business.

04:41 So what we definitely do is to put AI in place, that is artificial intelligence, whereby we

04:46 can allow the small businesses to use it in our app so that it can seamlessly generate

04:52 financial reports that these small businesses, they can use the financial reports to prove

04:56 their creditworthiness to financial service providers and quickly and instantly get the

05:01 access to funds they need so that they can start their business.

05:03 You share the fears that President Macron was talking about, about AI.

05:06 He says you need to have proper rules.

05:08 That's what he was getting to in the end of that quote that we just heard from him.

05:11 Yeah, definitely.

05:12 I mean, we need to be cautious as we always innovate around it.

05:15 I mean, so many things have to be understood first.

05:18 And I mean, in Botswana, especially, AI is something that is quite new.

05:23 It's starting to get its own foot.

05:25 I mean, we have to be cautious as we use it to innovate solutions, because we never know

05:30 what is going to happen in the future.

05:32 But I believe that the intentions are always good.

05:34 I mean, it's all about making the customer experience to be so good.

05:38 That's why we use it at DeepPatch.

05:40 So every customer, coming back to you, Kemi, every customer, if their experience is better

05:44 and they've got more opportunities and more actual access to the different things, they

05:49 can improve.

05:50 I think this is probably where you're going.

05:53 They can improve what they want to do and perhaps improve their lives.

05:56 Yes, definitely.

05:57 You see the example of Ipache, as he's building that solution that is sort of solving the

06:05 challenge that SMEs are going through.

06:08 If they are financially empowered, they are most likely to thrive.

06:12 And a thriving SME industry pays tax.

06:16 We need tax.

06:17 We need tax to build our roads, to build clinics, to build hospitals.

06:23 So that is the beauty about investing in startups that are solving real challenges.

06:29 One of my recent visits to Botswana, the massive water pipeline was open to the south of the

06:34 country, which to me, I was quite surprised that there was still this need to bring actual

06:38 running water to people's homes.

06:40 Clearly, there are many, many things that need to be improved.

06:43 Is what you're talking about here trying to change the whole profile of the country.

06:47 Shine?

06:48 Yes, I mean, it always starts with inclusivity.

06:52 Everybody has to be included in the system.

06:54 Where we are, we're having a divide between small businesses, people in remote areas and

06:59 those in urban areas.

07:00 There's a digital divide between the two.

07:02 So the country is trying to build efforts to bring those efforts together so that everybody

07:07 is included in terms of economic development and things like that.

07:10 It's such a wonderful place, Botswana.

07:12 You're trying to change it from the perception perhaps is wildlife tourism, diamonds.

07:17 You're adding a different dimension.

07:18 That's what you're trying to do.

07:19 Yes, definitely.

07:20 Tell us about that dimension.

07:22 You know, we are a very fast developing country because, you know, we have a big bone of a

07:29 very good diamond industry that has really helped us as Botswana to diversify our economy

07:37 or even to improve the lives of our people.

07:41 We've really reduced the poverty that we were in in the yesteryears.

07:46 1966, we have been able to do so.

07:49 You know, the innovations that we are churning out of the Botswana Digital Innovation Hub

07:57 and other hubs within Botswana, they are really positioning Botswana as a country to invest

08:03 in, as a country that is really commercialising ideas for a better economic growth.

08:10 So the concept that Shine's talking about and the startup that he's brought forward,

08:15 you're saying those kind of things will make international investors feel more convinced

08:19 about Botswana.

08:20 Definitely.

08:21 If you look at our science and technology park, where we are attracting investors to

08:25 come and set up, we're sitting on a 57 hectare land mark and we're looking for big tech giants

08:33 to come and set up so that we can be able to...

08:37 Yes, that is our beautiful science and technology park.

08:40 So we say investors, these land, these good roads, these good water, healthcare system,

08:47 we have really invested in everything that an investor would want to really benefit from

08:54 when he invests his money in the Botswana economy.

08:58 What are you hoping for from Viva Tech tomorrow, briefly?

09:00 Yes, Viva Tech, like I said, it's a big conference.

09:05 We are networking, Mark.

09:07 We are connecting.

09:08 You know, just earlier on, Orange as a venture capital, they were very receptive to Shine's

09:17 idea and they're saying, put through an application and we will assess if you can be funded.

09:25 And it's proof that this is a validated idea for the fact that we are here connecting Botswana

09:31 to the world.

09:33 Shine has done a very good job.

09:35 Thank you.

09:36 Kamiso Ben, kali bocha ma.

09:39 Merci, Mark.

09:41 Fantastic.

09:42 I said thank you in Setswana.

09:44 That's my limit, I'm afraid.

09:45 Shine, great to meet you.

09:46 Thank you very much indeed.

09:47 Kali bocha to you too.

09:48 Merci, merci.

09:49 Thank you for having us.

09:50 And two people from Botswana are trying to change their country and who knows, maybe

09:53 change the world.

09:54 Thank you so much for explaining why you're at Viva Tech.

09:56 Viva Tech continues, of course, for the next two days here at Porte de Versailles in Paris.

10:00 Thanks to my guests.

10:01 Thanks to you for watching.

10:02 Stay with us, more to come, live from Paris.

10:04 Thank you.

10:05 (upbeat music)

10:07 (upbeat music)

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