DFS Lab | Activity | F4

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Team Portfolio Raise Champions Essays

F4/DFS Lab/Activity

DFS Lab Activity

Every public signal F4 has attached to this firm, with sources and cross-entity links.

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Time range

Essay

Jake Kendall examines growth models that could create demand for labor at scale in Africa, from tradable services to export-led sectors and new technology-enabled paths.

DFS Lab

DFS LabDFS Lab

medium.com

Added recently

Exit

Portfolio company Orda was acquired by Moniepoint to expand business management solutions for food service businesses.

Orda Africa

Orda Africa DFS Lab

orda.africaMAR 23, 2026

moniepoint.com

MAR 23, 2026

News

DFS Lab launched the Africa AI Atlas, the first large-scale independent study of how venture-backed African startups are building with AI, produced with the Frugal AI Hub at Cambridge Judge Business School — 800+ startups across 22+ countries.

DFS Lab

DFS LabDFS Lab

dfslab.netMAR 2026

MAR 2026

Essay

Stephen Deng published an essay on how Terra Industries reveals AI's potential to expand hardware system capabilities in Africa, focusing on sovereignty, reliability, and critical infrastructure.

DFS Lab

DFS LabDFS Lab

longtail.substack.comMAR 2026

MAR 2026

Essay

Stephen Deng analyzed 2025 African venture trends showing funding stagnation and emerging AI era opportunities.

African Venture Funding Trends in 2025: Stagnation and the AI Era

DFS Lab

linkedin.comJAN 14, 2026

JAN 14, 2026

Investment

Participated in Terra Industries' $11.75M funding round for autonomous security systems protecting African critical infrastructure.

Terra Industries

Terra Industries DFS Lab

techdigest.ngJAN 12, 2026

JAN 12, 2026

News

DFS Lab launched the Inclusive Digital Economy Index (IDEI) project funded by the Gates Foundation to measure digital economy inclusion metrics in Africa, including a toolkit, survey instrument, and four reports.

DFS Lab

DFS LabDFS Lab

linkedin.comJAN 5, 2026

JAN 5, 2026

News

Launched IDEI project funded by Gates Foundation to measure digital economy inclusion metrics in Africa.

Inclusive Digital Economy Indicators (IDEI) Project

DFS Lab

linkedin.comJAN 5, 2026

JAN 5, 2026

Essay

Stephen Deng argues that African venture capital is still organized around outdated narratives, even as the AI era and a new geopolitical environment change what kinds of companies can win.

DFS Lab

DFS LabDFS Lab

longtail.substack.comJAN 2026

linkedin.com

JAN 2026

Essay

Published research on how onboarding programs help micro and small enterprises sell online, including business-skills support, platform pathways, and systemic gaps.

Micro and Small Enterprises onboarding programs for online selling

DFS Lab

dfslab.netJUL 25, 2025

JUL 25, 2025

News

DFS Lab published research on how onboarding programs help micro and small enterprises sell online, examining what actually works — based on survey data and program evaluations across multiple African markets.

DFS Lab

DFS LabDFS Lab

dfslab.netJUL 2025

JUL 2025

Investment

Invested in Borderless, a diaspora collective investment platform for African startups and real estate. Raised $500K in pre-seed funding.

Borderless

BorderlessDFS Lab

techcrunch.comJUN 19, 2025

app.dealroom.co

JUN 19, 2025

Essay

Jake Kendall published a two-part essay series examining Africa's jobs challenge: creating employment for 500 million people entering the workforce, analyzing why manufacturing-led growth hasn't worked and exploring alternative economic models.

DFS Lab

DFS LabDFS Lab

medium.comMAY 16, 2025

MAY 16, 2025

Investment

Participated in Stable Sea's $3.5M funding round for stablecoin liquidity and off-ramping infrastructure.

Stable Sea

Stable SeaDFS Lab

finsmes.comMAR 19, 2025

blockworks.co

MAR 19, 2025

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