Africa Business Communities

[Interview] Fabian Carlos Guhl, Founder and Managing Director, AMPION, Germany

Fabian Carlos Guhl is the founder and managing director at AMPION, Germany. His interview with Africa Business Communities:

Would you please introduce AMPION?

AMPION is a pan-African initiative dedicated to grow entrepreneurship and technological innovation. Our vision is to be a globally recognized catalyst for private sector driven economic growth that promotes impactful and sustainable development throughout the African continent. We run a 7-day Venture Bus program, which serves as a start-up boot camp, where entrepreneurs get support to develop their startup ideas and find team members that complement their skills. Also, we are in the process of launching Africa’s first e-Health Accelerator program in partnership with Merck. It will be located in Nairobi and will be launched in early 2016.

In which industries does AMPION operate and who are your clients?

AMPION spans a range of industries, as it is fundamentally trying to spur entrepreneurship regardless of the industry. We are however noticing that most solutions developed through our programs are based on mobile technology. They generally range between Financial Technology, e-Health, governance and agriculture. In 2015 it is the first time that we are running a hardware program in Namibia, Botswana and South Africa and we are also running a Renewable energy focused Venture Bus in Morocco in mid-September.

Why did you start AMPION?

I started AMPION shortly after my first stay in Africa. I visited Tunisia and Cote D’Ivoire in 2007 and had the fortune to meet some wonderful and incredibly talented people during my time. Many of them had a strong entrepreneurial drive, but were lacking the infrastructure, information and networks necessary to make their dreams come true. I realized I could leverage the networks I created and share them with entrepreneurs in Africa through AMPION. I soon discovered that it was indeed the access to international networks that served as a huge hindrance to the success of many African start-ups. Markets are less saturated in Africa and needs for essential goods and services are higher than almost anywhere else in the world. We just need to figure out a way of creating democratic and affordable goods and services that will hopefully aid inclusive development for Africa in the long-term.

What is your business background?

I studied Media and Communications and International Business in Berlin, London and Paris receiving degrees from Freie Universität Berlin, CELSA - Université Paris Sorbonne IV and ESCP Europe.

I began my career in communications and strategy at the United Nations in New York and in the office of the Vice President of the African Development Bank in Tunisia, where I gained my first introduction to the African continent. In 2010, I became one of the first employees of DailyDeal, Europe’s largest Groupon competitor, which was acquired by Google for over €100 Million.

What other companies/organizations/activities have you founded?

I founded a number of startups including a large event management company and a social responsible textiles company predominantly staffed with prison inmates. In 2013, I decided to turn my focus full-time to the intersection of for profit and non-profit enterprises and founded AMPION, to amplify pioneership in Africa.

What can be done by entrepreneurs and government to stimulate the business environment in Germany and Africa?

Try to be creative and meet like-minded people from other fields to create new projects with. Keep pushing the boundaries and create a network across industries and boarders.

What’s the best part about doing business in/with Africa?

The best part of doing business in Africa is the people. There is a drive, enthusiasm and positivity that are difficult to find anywhere else in the world. There is uncertainty in the future and that is both a huge responsibility and a huge gift. It is good to see that the international community is shifting away from a top-down development approach and is realizing that development will go through the hands of the people. It needs to be attained through the entrepreneurial potential of Africans, without an international agenda, but only the capacity to dream and create. It is also empirical that we stop generalizing African problems and start addressing them in a case-by-case, locally targeted way. Our program engages with local communities throughout our routes, in order to help our participants to know what their prospective customers opinions are. To make an impactful product you need to be helping in some way or another, and before you can do so, you need to stop and listen to your stakeholders.

Which African countries will perform best in 2015?

Kenya for the 140 million consumers in East Africa. Angola for the resources and infrastructure. Nigeria as it has many entrepreneurial minds.

 

For further business interests, contact Fabian Carlos Guhl

www.de.linkedin.com/in/fabianguhl

www.ampion.org

 

 

 

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