Koko Networks (Kenya): Raised $100M+, served 1.5M households → Shut down Sendy (Kenya): Raised millions for logistics → Collapsed WeFarm (8 countries): $32M raised → Closed Sky.Garden: $6.9M raised → Terminated entire staff

I've been tracking the Kenyan tech ecosystem and seeing a disturbing pattern. These weren't bad ideas or incompetent founders. They were solving real problems with significant traction.

The core issue: venture capital models designed for Silicon Valley don't translate to markets where: - Most customers earn <$2/day - Cash-on-delivery is preferred over credit cards - Infrastructure failures are weekly occurrences - Government approvals can take years - Regulatory frameworks change unpredictably

M-Pesa succeeded because it was built FOR African realities, not DESPITE them.

Wrote a deep dive examining why "Silicon Savannah" isn't working and what might work instead.