#62: DPO Group - How the FinTech payments platform went from bootstrapping for 8+ years to strategically acquiring multiple companies, and exiting to Network International for $288M

Afrobility: Africa Tech and Business

Overview: Today, we’re going to talk about DPO Group. We’ll explore the story across the following areas

1. African payments context
2. DPO group’s early history
3. Product & monetization strategy
4. Competitive positioning & potential exit options
5. overall outlook.

This episode was recorded on Mar 5, 2023

Companies discussed: DPO Group, Network International, Apis partners, Flutterwave, Paystack, Interswitch, Safaricom, MTN, Airtel, Takealot.com, Superbalist.com, Safaricom, Yoco, PayPal & Chipper Cash

Business concepts discussed: Bootstrapping, Payments ecosystem, payments partnerships strategy, payments infrastructure, low-end disruption, banking regulation, Mobile Money, E-commerce payments, Virtual cards & payments M&A strategy

Conversation highlights:

• (04:40) - Africa Payment Context at time of DPO’s founding
• (12:46) - DPO Group Founding and early history
• (14:05) - Founder Background
• (25:57) - Fundraising and Growth
• (29:48) - Acquisitions and Partnerships
• (51:30) - Product and Monetization Strategy
• (1:00:05) - Competition
• (1:08:35) - DPO’s exit to Network International
• (1:27:15) - Bankole’s overall thoughts and outlook
• (1:39:10) - Olumide’s overall thoughts and outlook
• (1:47:01) - Recommendations and small wins

Olumide’s recommendations & small wins:

• Recommendation: The War of Art: Book for creators and artists to get over the hump and release their inner creative expression to the world
• Recommendation: Naval Ravikant podcast with David Deutsch talking about Physics. Amazing episode. Having two of them together is incredible. Like having a rap collabo.
• Recommendation: Fela in Versace. Shit is too nice. I love songs that combine unrelated ideas
• Small win: Soul Cycle for the First time. Dope shit.

Bankole’s recommendations & small wins:

• Recommendation: Stratechery Podcast - Eric Seufert and Ben Thompson & Mike Munger on EconTalk on Decision-making
• Small win: I signed up for a gym membership for the first time ever

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