Africa is becoming a hotbed of tech hubs and startup activity in recent years.  Egypt, Morocco, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa are at the forefront of the African tech revolution. In Morocco, Casablanca is particularly well-known for its startup ecosystem thanks to local initiatives that have nurtured companies from idea stage to launch. Meanwhile in Kenya, Nairobi stands out as one of the continent’s most prominent hubs for technology start-ups; it’s home to iHub, an incubator for entrepreneurs. Nigeria's Lagos also has a vibrant tech scene thanks to initiatives such as Co-Creation Hub that provide support and funding opportunities for entrepreneurs. Cairo is growing and attracting lots of venture capital in Egypt. Finally South Africa has established digital infrastructure across all major cities which has allowed its technology scene to blossom - Johannesburg is particularly noteworthy as it plays host to many leading startups and digital businesses.

To determine if VCs are overrated, we must first clarify the criteria by which we’re rating VCs. 

I do think venture capitalists (VCs) get too much press attention for the function of their job which is essentially funneling capital from Limited Partner pools to companies they select (they are gatekeepers). Some VCs may provide value-added, while others may provide value-diminished services to the entrepreneurs they back. And not all VC firms or funds generate positive returns for their LPs. 

Personally, I think the VC profession is formulaic but on occasion, I still get surprised. I recently had a VC firm tell me they couldn’t determine if our product was a social product, a privacy solution, a Web3 monetization tool, or an AI-generated content ecosystem and service. We offer all of the above! Perhaps “offers uni-dimensional product” is on the VC diligence checklist these days -- but I’d challenge my VC friends to pick companies that can walk and chew gum at the same time. a...@...m v...@...m I wonder what @ChatGPT BOT and @Ray Garcia might think of this? 

Thanks Ray for the question. We have a queue for our feature pipeline that is backlogged by hundreds, if not thousands, of features. Typically we find that clients request new enhancements that are already on our list and so by notifying us, we can elevate their requests to the top of our priority list. We also like to hear from consumers or users of our platforms as well. They can send a note to support@brainsy.com to make a suggestion. 

For several months now, the Brainsy team HAS been posting about the shortcomings of Bitcoin as it relates to massive energy usage and Tesla has been part of our messaging campaign. It seemed incongruent that a clean car company was stoking demand for the carbon-pumping "Model T" of cryptos. For anyone doubting the negative impact of #dirtybitcoin on the planet, look here https://cbeci.org for the estimated power consumption (in real time) required for the bitcoin network.   

That being said, we know that correlation does not equal causation. We're pretty certain that Elon Musk's conscience convinced him to stop allowing Tesla to accept bitcoin for car purchases. As he now puts it, bitcoin's energy usage “is insane” (his words). 

Thanks for inquiring about this optional, yet important, feature on the Brainsy platform. Although we expect it to evolve, here’s our current definition:  

Data Incognito mode is an innovative approach to give consumers maximum control and transparency over the use of their data and the option to be free from algorithms, targeting, and analytics when participating on social media (powered by Brainsy). Data types include volunteered data, data collected or provided by third parties, and the consumer’s behavioral data. 

Have you ever gone into the privacy controls of your social media account by another provider (eg. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter) and tried to throttle back how they use your data? It’s typically pretty complicated and you’re only given very coarse controls over what data they can use, or how they use it. It’s also opaque in terms of all the data they collect on you and how they get it. It has been reported that Facebook collects up to 52,000 data points on their users. How many do you know about? Probably very little beyond a handful of obvious ones.      

Many browsers now offer a form of incognito mode to limit the collection of cookies on the user. Data Incognito mode extends this general concept but is also very different. In the same way that e-commerce companies made shopping easier by promoting “1-click” purchasing, we’re giving the consumer an option to flip a single switch on their account for Data Incognito mode so that ALL data (except required transactional data) is put in a vault and not used by our systems. It’s not that you are anonymous or that we don’t have it, it’s that we won’t use it. It’s our promise that any and all data associated with your account will not be used for analytical purposes, to serve content (including advertising) or to target you in any other way. 

Data Incognito mode also provides other important benefits:  

First, you’ll have granular visibility into each data element that we capture. To improve your user experience, you can permit us to use a particular data element. For example, if you want to get notified when people you follow are posting to the platform in real time, you might permit us to use a “Those I Follow” data element (or however it might be named). If you decide later to revoke that permission, you can easily do so and you’ll have an auditable trail of all the data elements you’ve permitted us to use (or not).  

Second, even when you permit us to use a particular data element, you’ll still have the ability to disable any algorithms that use it. We catalog all the algorithms that act on that data and do our best to explain what each algorithm is intended to do. You have the ability to easily turn off that single algorithm.   

There’s a caveat however, Data Incognito mode needs to be enabled at the site level by the client of a Brainsy powered platform. We provide clients with highly customized and configured features on their Brainsy powered site and some may not want to enable this feature. If you’re using a Brainsy powered site and don’t have access to Data Incognito mode, that’s an issue between you and whomever operates that Brainsy site. It’s a business decision whether or not to enable this feature.  

Why were we compelled to launch this new set of features? If you look at the large dominant social media platforms today, there’s a realization and consensus emerging that they are more harmful to society than the benefits they provide. These algorithmically based platforms are driven by a click-for-profit business model and they divide, polarize, incite, and addict. There is a better way. And we want to show, by doing, a feasible path to creating a pro-consumer and privacy-respectful experience on (branded) social media. We welcome you to register on a Brainsy powered site and to join us on the journey.    

#dataincognito 
 

We at Brainsy usually don’t comment on items in the political sphere, but the attention around this sound bite deserves some commentary on the state of the media today. 

Clearly it’s disrespectful to dehumanize someone - even in jest. But typically such comments would be disregarded except when they support another narrative (eg. Joe Biden is spiraling out of control and lashing out at voters or that Joe Biden is losing his mental acuity -- what does "Lying dog-faced pony soldier" even mean?)

This headline was at the top of the Drudge Report, a site that curates sensational news headlines/links, and that is often referenced by reporters from traditional media channels and then amplified on mass market social media (MMSM). For example, it was tweeted by the President’s son, Don Jr. which then brings additional attention across all MMSM platforms with further shares and comments. 

Social media algorithms, designed solely to fuel engagement (leading to more $), then push the commentary into the Feeds of targeted audiences serving as flames to fuel a fire of polarization (and more engagement/$).    

Some people think this story could be a cannonball that sinks the Biden campaign ship. Others suggest it’s not an issue that Republicans should elevate given the President’s own track record of name-calling women and using animal faces:  

(See: Trump calls Stormy Daniels 'horseface'; she fires back with 'tiny' and notes the president's 'shortcomings'
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-calls-stormy-daniels-horseface-after-judge-dismisses-her-suit-n920701 )    

Regardless of one’s position on this quote by Biden or the politics of it, what is clear is that “traditional media” exists symbiotically with MMSM and both are being driven by algorithms designed to provoke. Combine that with the potential for anonymity on most MMSM platforms and this creates an online space for individual actors and groups to incite hate and virtual riots -- which has real world consequences offline.  

Sacha Baron Cohen, a comedian, has been a voice of clarity on the dangers of MMSM. (See his speech: Sacha Baron Cohen slams Zuckerberg and calls for a 'rethink' of social media Cohen says Facebook, YouTube, Google and Twitter "amount to the greatest propaganda machine in history."
https://www.cnet.com/news/sacha-baron-cohen-slams-zuckerberg-and-calls-for-a-rethink-of-social-media )

As more voices, like those of Cohen, cause MMSM to be increasingly scrutinized by regulators and politicians, one potential fix lawmakers should consider is to “End the Algorithm” on MMSM platforms. In other words, consumers should have the universal right to opt-out of any and all algorithms that match their profile, preferences, or viewing behavior with other content or ads. While this would likely be unpopular to lemur-faced CEOs like Mark Zuckerberg, it’s one of MANY fixes that could help break a vicious cycle that is harming our society and coarsening our discourse.  

#LyingDogFacedPonySoldier

Thanks for the inquiry. As an early stage company navigating new territory to advance commerce and knowledge sharing for online communities, we face lots of challenges and a major one is finding the right terminology to describe our business approach. People often characterize our business as a “white-label service” (can be branded by other organizations), or that is “SaaS” (Software as a Service) and as you indicate, “B2B” (Business-to-business) in contrast to “B2C” (Business-to-Consumer). Since we currently work with many associations and professional societies, they are keen to learn that Brainsy offers them "non-dues revenue” opportunities and also that we create "member value.”

Despite the many labels and descriptions that are commonly used, I find them all to be somewhat limiting. Rather than call ourselves a “B2B” company, I think Business-to-Ecosystem or “B2ECO” may be more appropriate because the “ECO” represents one big “B” partner (our association client), lots of small “b” (their members), and often lots of “C” (the customers of their members). So in essence, we’re working to support a whole ecosystem of entities that interact with us -- but mainly each other – and THAT can be a challenge.