How to Succeed in Africa | Steve Ciesinski - UM6P DTS 2025

Get Next Wave’s Startup List 2025: https://startuplist.nextwave.ma/ We recorded this episode with Steve Ciesinski during the DeepTech Summit 2025 organized by UM6P! Next Wave is the podcast that meets the people building the Morocco of tomorrow. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t hesitate to subscribe and like the video! Steve Ciesinski is an executive, an investor, and a professor at Stanford Graduate School of Business. He is the former President of SRI International - the legendary R&D lab behind innovations like the computer mouse and Siri! He’s held leadership roles at major tech companies, led IPOs, M&As, and helped launch game-changing products. Steve is also an angel investor, board member, and a Stanford professor with deep roots in Silicon Valley. He is a builder, a strategist, and a mentor, with decades of insight into what makes innovation actually work. In this episode with Steve Ciesinski , we talk about: The key differences between startups in Africa and the US His advice for African founders The 8 pillars of a successful tech ecosystem What really made Silicon Valley a global tech hub And how to apply these lessons to build a thriving tech ecosystem in Africa. Special thanks to the DeepTech Summit and UM6P teams for allowing us to record this episode during the event 💙 ✉️ To sponsor the podcast: ml@nextwave.ma ✉️ To get in touch: ml@nextwave.ma ✉️ Join the Next Wave Letter: letter.nextwave.ma ➜ Instagram de Next Wave :   / nextwave.ma_   If you have any feedback or suggestions, feel free to leave us a comment. ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ PLATEFORMES ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Spotify : https://open.spotify.com/show/71TB2zh... Apple Podcast : https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ TIMELINE ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 00:00:00 : Introduction 00:01:47 : Who is Steve Ciesinski? 00:07:57 : Key moments in Silicon Valley 00:11:12 : What is Deep Tech? 00:14:38 : Startups: US vs. Africa 00:20:03 : Advice for African founders 00:25:04 : AI's impact on emerging markets 00:28:31 : Building a failure-friendly culture 00:32:31 : Lessons on product innovation 00:35:25 : Choosing startups and founders 00:39:05 : Internet and smartphones in emerging markets 00:43:40 : Exciting technologies today 00:45:58 : Best founder you've met 00:47:08 : Key advice for entrepreneurs 00:48:42 : Mission-driven organizations 00:51:27 : A book that changed your perspective