Steve Biko has led an interesting life. From his childhood in Kenya to moving to the U.S. when he was 16, studying aviation, becoming a licensed pilot, and moving back to Africa to help launch M-PESA, a pioneering collaboration of telecommunication and banking sectors in East Africa, Steve has always been ahead of the curve.
Today, Steve is the Co-Founder and CEO of Zanifu, a financial platform for MSMEs (Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises) that struggle to access financing due to limited collateral, their size, and the absence of formal credit history. During our conversation, Steve offers insights into how Zanifu is uniquely solving for filling this critical financial gap. Tune in and get inspired!
- How Steve’s career began in aviation before moving back to his native Kenya and stumbling into entrepreneurship via M-PESA, a pioneering mobile money tech startup (3:07)
- How the African government played a major role in the launch of M-PESA, which changed how many Africans accessed banking and technology (6:51)
- How Steve’s company Zanifu is solving the traditional lack of access to credit for small businesses and allowing them to grow sustainably (12:11)
- The unique parameters Zanifu has in place to lower the risk of offering loans to MSMEs that traditional banks overlook (14:32)
- Why reading tech news makes him anxious and what he does instead to stay focused (28:16)
- His no-nonsense advice to anyone looking to start their own business (28:56)
- Steve’s leadership style and why trust is essential to a team’s success (29:48)
- The lasting mark he hopes Zanifu leaves on the world (30:25)
What is The Beyond Capital Podcast?
Tune into the Beyond Capital Podcast to discover how the C-Suite thinks about social impact as a business grows. Learn about how social values and causes integrate into a company's operations, product, culture - and ultimately - its success.
Eva and Ed have built, scaled and sold companies worth millions. We are active early-stage investors with more than 20 current investments. We sit on private and public-company boards, and we believe strongly in business as a force for good.
From the CEO of a company serving two and a half million healthy school meals a week to one of the world’s first and most successful recycling entrepreneurs, in each episode our candid conversations show how and why profit can be married with purpose. Inspiring leaders will articulate their philosophies and share the mark their business will leave on the world. You will be inspired by these stories to explore your own possibilities for social impact because money and meaning can co-exist!