In the first half of 2026, we published 22 editions of Ask an Investor. The investors we spoke to could not have been more different. A $670 million private equity manager taking African companies to global markets. A former partner at a venture capital firm managing over $200 million. A bank in Luanda that tracked one startup for three years before investing. A Nairobi firm that spent a decade in equity then left it. The only thing they have in common is appearing in this column.
Despite their different approaches to investing in African startups, the running theme has centred on a single question: can invested money come back? Almost every conversation, whatever the starting point, ended up there.
Here is what the past six months have taught us and what founders should take from it.
Lesson 1: The exit problem is now the centre of discussion
In 2026, exits became the only thing investors wanted to discuss.
