Predictions for 2018: What the investors said

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Oliver Drews, chief executive officer, Clifftop Colony:

“2018, I think will be the year when e-commerce will finally make its big breakthrough in South Africa, making a big impact on retail spending in the country and presenting opportunities for entrepreneurs and their investors to seek exits both domestically and internationally.”

Stephen Gugu, founder and director, Viktoria Ventures:

“Based on where I am – Kenya and East Africa – I see more activity on the early stages from an angel and VC perspective, so I predict that East Africa will start shedding its label of an ecosystem that is more about hype and less about action. There will be more action.”

Yele Bademosi, founder and managing partner, Microtraction:

“I’m not one to try to predict the future but I hope to see a lot more angel and early stage funds being created across the continent in 2018, and unlike accelerators or incubators, this will give rise to more collaboration amongst investors, as they will co-investing alongside each other similar to the early days of venture in the late 70s and early 80s in the US.”

Paul Cook, managing director, Silvertree Internet Holdings:

“I think insuretech will be a growing focus. Omnichannel will also be increasingly important in the e-commerce space, with both traditional retailers and online retailers meeting in the middle.”