F-Squared Podcast
A deep-dive interview show exploring the infrastructure, strategy, and market realities of African fintech with its key founders and builders.
This is an expert-level podcast about the 'plumbing' of African fintech, not just the consumer-facing apps. Host Samora Kariuki uses his deep industry knowledge to guide conversations about the unsexy but critical work of building financial infrastructure. The show focuses on topics like cross-border payment rails, regulatory strategy, and the hard-won lessons from veteran operators who have navigated market cycles for over a decade.
“Unlike many tech podcasts that focus on funding rounds and product launches, F-Squared prioritizes conversations about infrastructure, long-term strategy, and unit economics. The host's background as a researcher and investor allows for a more nuanced and challenging line of questioning that gets beyond typical founder narratives.”
Who hosts this show
F-Squared is a podcast from Samora Kariuki, the founder of the Frontier Fintech newsletter, a publication focused on Africa's financial technology ecosystem. The show features long-form conversations with founders, executives, and investors who are building the core infrastructure of financial services across the continent. Episodes dissect the strategic and operational realities of building fintech companies in Africa, from navigating regulation to achieving product-market fit.
Credentials & credits
- Founder, Frontier Fintech Newsletter
- Venture Partner, Rally Cap Ventures
- Director Fintech, Sote
- Postgraduate Economics Student, University of Nottingham
- Deputy Managing Director, Finbank s.a.
Other ventures
- Frontier Fintech Newsletter (Substack)
- Frontier Fintech GPS (weekly news briefing)
- Media and advisory firm providing bespoke research and market mapping
What kind of podcast
When new episodes drop
- 0180% Cash, Still 1Jun 28, 2026 · 46s
- 0220 Year BusinessJun 27, 2026 · 1 min
- 03Revenue is VanityJun 26, 2026 · 1 min
- 04We Chose Not ToJun 25, 2026 · 1 min
- 05Nigeria is Not a Card MarketJun 25, 2026 · 27s
- 06The Governor Didn't KnowJun 23, 2026 · 1 min
- 07Paga's Tayo Oviosu: Why You Can't Bank a Billion People by Building a BankJun 19, 2026 · 1h 02m
- 08Africa Doesn't Have a Dollar Problem. It Has a Plumbing Problem.Apr 30, 2026 · 1h 01m
Notable episodes
- 01Paga's Tayo Oviosu: Why You Can't Bank a Billion People by Building a Bank
A deep dive into the 17-year journey of a pioneering Nigerian fintech, focusing on the thesis of building infrastructure over consumer-facing banks.
- 02Africa Doesn't Have a Dollar Problem. It Has a Plumbing Problem.
Provides a structural explanation of how stablecoins are solving fundamental liquidity issues in the Africa-Asia trade corridor, a core theme of the show.
- 03The Moment that unlocked Nigeria's mobile money market
A short, narrative clip that tells the specific origin story of Nigeria's mobile money framework, sparked by Paga's meeting with the Central Bank governor.
What you'll be asked on this show
Samora Kariuki begins interviews by establishing the guest's deep expertise in a specific domain, often asking for their origin story within that context. He guides the conversation chronologically, using his own research to provide context for questions about specific time periods in the company's or market's history. He often paraphrases a guest's point to build a logical bridge to a new topic and is not afraid to ask challenging questions about economic viability or strategy. He is an active listener, allowing guests to speak at length to fully develop their points.
F-Squared is a single-host, long-form interview show. Host Samora Kariuki often structures conversations chronologically, starting with a guest's origin story before diving into their company's evolution. He frequently provides market context for his questions and pauses to define industry jargon for the listener.
Questions the host keeps coming back to
7 cataloguedIf you're going on this show as a guest, expect some version of each of these. Each note explains when the host reaches for it.
origin
2- Q.01
“Can you share your background in the context of [guest's specific area of expertise]?”
This is often the opening question, used to establish the guest's credibility and origin story.
- Q.02
“How did you think about interfacing with regulation when you started, especially when a framework didn't exist?”
Asks about early-stage strategic challenges, particularly in markets with regulatory ambiguity.
process
1- Q.01
“How did you navigate the market as the ecosystem, competition, and VC funding evolved?”
This question explores how a company adapted its strategy to a changing market over many years.
technique
1- Q.01
“Could you explain what [industry jargon, e.g., 'corridor banking'] entails?”
The host often pauses the narrative to define a key technical term for the audience.
future
1- Q.01
“How does [new technology, e.g., 'stablecoins'] change the inefficiency of the current system?”
Pivots the conversation toward a specific technology and its potential to solve a core infrastructure problem.
money
1- Q.01
“How can this new model compete economically given challenges like [specific costs, e.g., 'on-ramp fees']?”
This question pushes back on the viability of a new model to elicit a deeper defense of its economics.
personal
1- Q.01
“With the rise of [new trend, e.g., 'AI'], do you ever regret leaving your previous field?”
A personal question used to surface the guest's reflections on their long-term career path.
Topics covered repeatedly
Who gets booked here
The show features CEOs and founders of established, often infrastructure-focused, fintech companies in Africa. Guests are typically seasoned operators with deep, long-term experience in their specific markets, such as Tayo Oviosu of Paga and April Long of WAKA.
- Tayo Oviosuon Paga's Tayo Oviosu: Why You Can't Bank a Billion People by Building a Bank
- April Longon Africa Doesn't Have a Dollar Problem. It Has a Plumbing Problem.
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
No sponsors were mentioned in the episodes. The podcast is a core part of the host's Frontier Fintech media and advisory firm, likely serving as a content marketing channel. Estimated ideal sponsors would be B2B fintechs, venture capital firms, and financial institutions targeting the African tech ecosystem.
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
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People also ask
- Who is the host of F-Squared?
- The host is Samora Kariuki, a writer, researcher, and founder of the Frontier Fintech newsletter.
- What is the podcast's format?
- It is a long-form, single-host interview show with founders and executives from Africa's fintech industry.
- How often are new episodes released?
- Full-length episodes are released every other Thursday.
- Where can I listen to the podcast?
- The podcast is available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other major podcast platforms.
- What is the Frontier Fintech newsletter?
- It is a Substack newsletter and advisory firm founded by the host, Samora Kariuki, that provides analysis and market intelligence on African fintech.
- Is the podcast still active?
- Yes, the podcast is actively releasing new episodes.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence
- [01]F-Squared Podcast - YouTube Channelyoutube.com
- [02]Frontier Fintech Newsletter by Samora Kariukifrontierfintech.substack.com
- [03]Frontier Fintech Newsletter: Funding, Team & Investors | Startup Introsstartupintros.com
- [04]F-Squared Podcast on Apple Podcastspodcasts.apple.com
- [05]Samora Kariuki's Investing Profile | Signalsignal.nfx.com
- [06]Frontier Fintech – Charting the Growth of Africa's Fintech Ecosystemfrontierfintech.blog
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