The Blue Couch Podcast By PowerLabs

This podcast session features a conversation between the hosts and Tosin Faniro-Dada, a partner at Breega, an international venture capital fund focused on early-stage companies in Europe and Africa. The discussion covers several key themes regarding venture capital in Africa: Investment Philosophy and Team Focus:  Breega operates as a sector-agnostic, early-stage investor. When evaluating pre-see...

Investor Series Ep 4 features Ife Oyedele II, Partner at Kaleo Ventures, in a deep dive into how venture capital actually works across Africa’s fast-growing startup ecosystem. What really makes an investor say yes? And how do you spot founders building companies that will last beyond the hype cycle? In this conversation, we break down: How venture capital decisions are made in African markets- Wha...

Toffene Kama is a Principal Investment Officer at Mercy Corps Ventures (MCV), the early‑stage, impact‑focused investing arm of the global development organization Mercy Corps. He is based in Dakar, Senegal and is widely regarded as an operator‑turned‑investor with a long track record across telecommunications, digital payments, fintech, mobility and climate‑focused technologies in Africa. He bring...

Olúwatóyìn Emmanuel‑Olubake is an investment professional with extensive experience spanning investment banking, venture capital, private equity, impact investing, financial advisory, and capital markets across growth markets, particularly in Africa. He has built his career over 17+ years, advising and deploying capital across diverse sectors such as agribusiness, renewable energy, financial servi...

When people talk about energy, they usually talk about technology, or policy, or money, rarely all three, and rarely the power structures underneath them. Ginika sits at that intersection. She’s spent years inside rooms where capital is deployed, where founders are backed or passed over, where policy intentions collide with operational reality. She’s seen how money can accelerate progress and how...

The global energy transition isn’t one-size-fits-all. While the West is focused on replacing fossil fuels with renewables, the Global South, especially Africa, is playing an entirely different game. Here, the challenge isn’t just transitioning ; it’s building, from unreliable grids to financing gaps to hybrid energy systems that blend old and new. In this episode, we unpack why Africa cannot simpl...

Energy consumers aren’t just numbers on a meter. They are people with habits, needs, and choices that shape the future of power. In this episode, we explore how mindsets around energy are shifting, why old assumptions no longer work, and what businesses and policymakers can learn from the way people really think about energy. If you have ever wondered what drives energy choices today , this conver...

This special episode of Off The Grid was recorded live at the PowerLabs Offsite, themed Off The Grid where the entire team stepped away from strict schedules to reflect, reconnect, and reimagine energy in Nigeria. David Adebiyi, our CTO, sat down with different members of the PowerLabs team, not for a panel or pitch, but for a real conversation about what it takes to build energy hardware, softwar...

In Part 2 of How We Think About Founder Mode , cofounders of PowerLabs , David Adebiyi and Tobe Arize return to The Blue Couch to go even deeper into the mindset and grit needed to build something great from ground zero. You should listen if you are : A founder figuring it out in real-time A team member curious about what drives leadership decisions A builder obsessed with systems, scale, and psyc...

What does it mean to be in Founder Mode? Is it just about working around the clock, wearing multiple hats, and making endless sacrifices? In this episode of The Blue Couch Podcast by PowerLabs , co-founders David (CTO, PowerLabs ) and Tobe (CEO, PowerLabs ) talk about the realities of Founder Mode, what it is, how it evolves as a company scales, and the biggest mindset shifts founders need to make...

Nigeria is a country blessed with abundant sunlight, wind, and other renewable resources—so why does clean energy still feel so expensive? In this episode of The Blue Couch Podcast by PowerLabs , David Adebiyi, the CTO of PowerLabs is joined by Tobe Arize , the CEO of PowerLab s as they explore the real reasons why renewable energy in Nigeria is still beyond reach for many Nigerians. If you have e...

“Given a finite set of choices, what is the best choice to make? That is the high level optimization goal.” - Eghonghon   In this episode of The Blue Couch Podcast, David sits down with Eghonghon-Aye Eigbe , the Engineering Team Lead at PowerLabs to explore:   What optimization really means and why it is essential.   How optimization models work and the art and science of it.   The famous adage, "...

In Nigeria, the national grid has collapsed 13 times in the past 17 months. This had led a lot of the populace to start asking the big question, What is this national grid and why does it keep failing? In this episode of the The Blue Couch Podcast by Powerlabs, we answer this big question and explore the heart of Nigeria’s power system: The National Grid.  In this episode, David and Folakemi expla...

In our modern world, we often take electricity for granted. We flip a switch, expecting instant light or power, without considering the complex process behind it. We're simply focused on having electricity available to carry out our daily activities. In this episode, David and Folakemi pull back the curtain on the extraordinary journey of electricity. They explore how power travels from distan...

In this episode, David Adebiyi and Folakemi Ajayi discussed the recent NERC tariff hike, uncovering its impact. We also traced the origin of electricity and explored how it became the driving power source behind modern human life as we know it. This episode is filled with so many insights, you should listen to it. Chapters [00:00] Introduction [01:20] Senator's reaction to tariff band categori...

In this episode, Folakemi interviews David on why PowerLabs exists. They talked about the urgent need for change in how we fundamentally think about electricity and the critical role it plays in the future of energy. This episode gives you an insight into the PowerLabs team and the main reason behind their approach to providing energy solutions. Chapters [00:00] Welcome and introduction [01:00] Wh...