Cephas Ndubueze is the founder of the newsletter and event platform FOMO, which has built a solid community of founders, investors and entrepreneurs in Berlin and Munich. In Cape Town he also runs the FOMO WhatsApp group. He writes from Cape Town for Gründerszene about life, work and networking between the ocean, open tabs and open minds.
“It is up to us leaders to create dreams and opportunities that are more attractive to young people in Africa than picking up an AK-47.” With this sentence, Hardy Pemhiwa, CEO of Cassava Technologies, who is currently driving Africa’s first NVIDIA-based AI factory, opened the Counder Conference in Cape Town. At his side: Michael Weiser (CEO) and Leonard Stieger (Chairman) from Counder.
The Counder Conference is an exclusive, invite-only leadership and investor meeting in Cape Town where around 500 selected global investors, entrepreneurs and decision-makers come together for three days to explore future opportunities, trends and collaborations – particularly with a view to emerging markets, technology, capital allocation and cross-border collaboration. It is organized by the Counter network.
These familiar startup faces are there
The opening will take place at the German Residence in Bishopscourt. Among the guests are people from Germany’s startup scene: Julian Teicke (founder of wefox), Roman Kirsch (entrepreneur and investor at Bending Spoons, LAP Coffee and Ama, among others), Thomas Bachem (co-founder of the German Startup Association and founder of Code University), Finn Age Hänsel (founder & MD of Sanity Group), Mark Miller (MD of Carlsquare) and investor Carsten Puschmann.
What is striking is not who is there – but how they are there: without titles on the badges, without panels, without microphones.
There is no program after the speech. No official networking. No pitch. Instead, conversations that don’t sound like an agenda: What are you really working on? What’s on your mind right now? How can I help?
This is not a coincidence, but design. The Counder Conference is extremely curated – not to make an impression, but to enable trust. I naturally slide from one conversation to the next and think: This is what networking feels like when it doesn’t look like networking.
Breakout instead of buzzwords
The second day is quiet, almost decelerated. Everyone chooses two breakout sessions. I choose Sport & New Leagues and Digital Marketplaces. Sport because I believe in a simple thesis: ANTI-AI. The more digital our everyday lives become, the more valuable real experiences become. Ringier is leading the marketplace session. Media and platforms are central to me – and to FOMO.
The second round takes place at the Norval Foundation in Tokai, a modern art building with lots of glass and light. I sit next to the host and naturally switch to German with Robin Lingg. At the table: Tina Kleingarnert (Chairwoman of the Board at Project A), Axel Konjack (Ringier) and Kenneth Raydon Sharpe, CEO of WestProp Holdings.
Data remains king – especially for marketplaces. Whoever has the best data controls relevance, pricing and trust. At the same time, AI shifts everything: search moves from websites to agents. If decisions are made in the future via a few distribution channels such as ChatGPT, classic listing and traffic models will become less important. The central question for marketplaces – from jobs to real estate – will be how to position their data so that agents don’t make decisions based on them, but work with them.
And suddenly there is one of the most famous founders of our time
In the evening, Patrick Zimmerman invites you to a villa in Camps Bay with a view of the Atlantic. I walk through the big door: men in shirts, one button undone, two buttons undone – casual chic. Women in evening wear. Familiar faces. Berlin suddenly feels very close. The room opens up, an infinity pool overlooking Camps Bay beach, the Atlantic dark blue, the sun almost gone. Several fireplaces, small groups, conversations. No bar, no menu – you order what you want.
I see familiar faces from the Berlin startup environment, hug them, greet them, stop for a moment and move on. Then I’m standing next to someone, we’re talking, laughing, drinking – and suddenly I realize: It’s Nikolay Storonsky, founder of Revolut, most recently valued at $75 billion. We’re not talking about evaluation, but about life here in Cape Town, this beautiful country, the possibilities and opportunities – for us, but also for the youth of South Africa. In the end the realization remains: he too is simply human.
Brunch with top investors
The third day feels noticeably different than the days before. Less conference, less structure – more real life.
The Counder-Connect Day starts in the morning – deliberately without a focus, but with many equivalent options: padel, golf, sports Olympics, yacht tours or brunch with South African families. No recommendation, no ranking. You decide based on your feeling. I decide on brunch. Without expectation. Without preparation.
A few hours later I’m sitting at Oakvale Farm, a place that feels more like a retreat than an event location. The driveway takes over 15 minutes, past greenery, space and silence. A waterfall runs through the area, everything seems decelerated, almost distant. There are people with very different backgrounds sitting at the table – all successful in their own way. Different industries, different stories – but a noticeable eye level.
Swedish investor Henrik Persson Ekdahl speaks. The discussions follow Chatham House Rules. What remains are clear lines: first company over 20 years ago, IPO, family, work – and above all, hustle. Timing helps. Lucky too. But Hustle is often underestimated, perhaps because it’s not glamorous. Brunch takes longer than planned. Nobody looks at the clock. And that’s exactly what feels right.
Off to the gala dinner
In the evening the gala dinner at the World Cup Stadium. Black shirt. Black pants. Leather boots. Very me. I’m tired, but I’m here. I’m sitting with old friends from Berlin, including Daniel Tippold (Founder & Managing Director of EWOR). Extremely focused. Ambitious. And has already invested in several unicorns with EWOR. I have to admit: As an EWOR scout, I’m a little biased.
Later I end up next to Tristan Keyte. 35 years of entertainment. Concierge for global VIP experiences. Formula 1 yacht parties. Coachella. Backstage. And real commitment to South Africa. Just a few buzzwords are not enough to begin to describe this man. 10:50 p.m. Time to go.
A party at the end
I’m ending this week with another villa party in Camps Bay. I’ve been to many gatherings in my life – but this is one of the best. The location makes a big difference: three-floor mansion, ocean & mountain view, open rooms, ceilings that feel ten meters high. Friends. Beautiful people. Good music.
Not just young people. In the crowd are people like Jonathan Teklu – serial founder with exit (including to Holtzbrinck) and early-stage investor with early investments in Airbnb, Uber, Trade Republic, Enpal and OneFootball – and many others who are successful in their own way.
My 3 learnings
Proximity beats reach: Real relationships, direct conversations and trust with a few people bring more than thousands of loose contacts or views.
Time beats speed: Depth comes from spending time together, listening, seeing each other again, sticking with it.
Trust beats titles: Credibility and reliability count for more than positions or business cards.