Joshua Bicknell On How Balloon Ventures' 'Boring Business' Portfolio Drives 0.5% Of Uganda's GDP

African Tech Roundup

Episode Overview: This episode features a deep conversation with Joshua Bicknell, co-founder of Balloon Ventures, exploring how the organisation evolved from a non-profit connecting young people with informal entrepreneurs to becoming a financial institution that's deployed over $14 million in loans to SMEs across Kenya and Uganda, while openly sharing portfolio data to prove the viability of SME lending as an asset class. Key topics: - The false gospel of universal entrepreneurship - Defining and creating "good jobs" - Blended finance and return expectations - The power of boring businesses - Data transparency in impact investing - Cash-based economies and digitalisation Notable points: 1. Their portfolio businesses represent 8% of Eastern Uganda's GDP—approximately 0.5% of the country's total GDP 2. The institution provides loans of $10,000-$200,000 bundled with 6 months of business support 3. They're helping validate that SME lending can be viable with the right approach to data and risk 4. Their model challenges the "have your cake and eat it" narrative in impact investing 5. They're open-sourcing portfolio data to encourage other institutions to enter the space Listen in for practical insights into how traditional brick-and-mortar businesses can drive meaningful economic development and job creation in East Africa's emerging markets. Image credit: Balloon Ventures