408 Ivan Mandela - Unicorns can wait, African farmers can't

It’s a very interesting time for African agriculture and food, the continent is realising it’s potential to help feed the world, money is flowing into infrastructure to unlock this, more and more talent is coming into the space and the realisation that agro ecology or regenerative agriculture is no longer a nice niche with big margins but has the potential to become the predominant way of agriculture is performed. After putting over $20 million to work in East Africa, Ivan Mandela, founder of SHONA Group, has learned the hard way: chasing Western style so called unicorns might not be the right approach for a predominantly agricultural society. So he shifted his approach and started investing in real companies, to help create a functioning main street a functional real economy where unicorns will naturally start to occur. We discuss why Ivan ends up mostly backing female entrepreneurs, his tips for young students and his takes on nutrient density and quality. More about this episode . ========================== In Investing in Regenerative Agriculture and Food podcast show we talk to the pioneers in the regenerative food and agriculture space to learn more on how to put our money to work to regenerate soil, people, local communities and ecosystems while making an appropriate and fair return. Hosted by Koen van Seijen. ========================== 👩🏻‍💻 YOUR OUR WEBSITE 📚 JOIN OUR VIDEO COURSE 💪🏻 SUPPORT OUR WORK Join Thoughts? Ideas? Questions? Send us a message! LARIS 2026 Latin American Regenerative Investment Summit (Cumbre de Inversiones Regenerativas de América Latina). Be part of the movement that is regenerating the way we learn, invest, and live. Bogotá, Colombia May 12 - 14 Find out more about our Generation-Re investment syndicate: Thank you to our Field Builders Circle for supporting us. Learn more here Support the show ======= In Investing in Regenerative Agriculture and Food podcast show we talk to the pioneers in the regenerative food and agriculture space to learn more on how to put our money to work to regenerate soil, people, local communities and ecosystems while making an appropriate and fair return. Hosted by Koen van Seijen. 👩🏻‍💻 VISIT OUR WEBSITE 📚 JOIN OUR VIDEO COURSE 💪🏻 SUPPORT OUR WORK Join Gumroad Share it Give a 5-star rating Buy us a coffee… or a meal! ======= 🎙 YouTube channel 🔗 Linkedin 📸 Instagram Join our newsletter ! ======= The above references an opinion and is for information and educational purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Seek a duly licensed financial advisor or investment professional before making any financial decisions. Feedback, ideas, suggestions? Get in touch!

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408 Ivan Mandela - Unicorns can wait, African farmers can't is an episode from Investing in Regenerative Agriculture and Food by Koen van Seijen.

This episode is 60:35 long.

This episode was published on Mar 10, 2026.

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