JUST IN
Global VC deployment rises 14% quarter-on-quarter, led by climate tech ● Lagos-based NexPay closes $60M Series C at a $500M valuation ● STARTUP NEXT Summit adds fifth city: São Paulo, November 2026 ● The Next 100 nominations open for this year's awards class ● Seed valuations in Southeast Asia climb for the third straight quarter ●

Cover Story — Founders

The Founder Who Refused to Sell — and Built Africa's Fastest-Growing Fintech Instead

Aliya Bello turned down two acquisition offers before her 30th birthday. Inside the five-year bet that turned NexPay into the payments backbone for 40 million unbanked users across West Africa.

By Tomiwa Adeyemi Features Editor  ·  14 min read  ·  Lagos
Aliya Bello, founder and CEO of NexPay, photographed in her Lagos office
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Read the full feature

Research & Data

The STARTUP NEXT Index

A quarterly read on global venture activity, compiled by our research desk from 40+ data partners across 68 countries.

$0B Global capital deployed, Q2 2026 ▲ 14.2% QoQ
0 Venture deals closed worldwide ▲ 6.8% QoQ
$0M Median seed round size ▼ 2.1% QoQ
Climate & Energy Fastest-growing sector by deal count ▲ 31% YoY

Flagship Report

Capital Is Concentrating — and That's Good News for Category Leaders

Our Q2 analysis of 3,412 priced rounds shows fewer, larger checks going to companies that have already found distribution. For operators, the read is blunt: traction now buys more than a strong deck ever could.

Download the full report (PDF)

The Old Playbook

Chase the raise. Optimize the pitch deck. Hope the market cooperates.

  • Growth measured in headlines, not retention
  • Advice recycled from a bull-market playbook
  • Coverage that ends after the funding announcement

The Next Playbook

Build the operating muscle first. Let the story follow the numbers.

  • Frameworks tested against 3,400+ real rounds
  • Reporting that follows founders for years, not weeks
  • A community built for the next decade, not the next cycle

MOST STARTUPS DON'T FAIL FROM A BAD IDEA.
THEY FAIL FROM A BAD PLAYBOOK.

The Podcast

NEXT UP
with Ravi Chandran

Ravi Chandran, host of the NEXT UP podcast
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Unfiltered conversations with the founders, operators and investors shaping the next economy. New episodes every Thursday.

Spotify Apple Podcasts YouTube
Latest Episode

EP. 118 — "We Almost Ran Out of Money Twice" with Sofia Marín, CEO of Cultiva

52 min  ·  Aug 20, 2026

EP. 117 — Building in Public: Lessons From 200,000 Users

41 min  ·  Aug 13, 2026

EP. 116 — The Term Sheet Clauses Founders Always Miss

37 min  ·  Aug 6, 2026

EP. 115 — Hiring Your First VP of Sales, With Nobody Watching

45 min  ·  Jul 30, 2026

Browse all 118 episodes

Video

STARTUP NEXT Films

Visit the video hub
Still frame from documentary following a founder through a Y Combinator batch
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18:24

Documentary

Founder Diaries: 72 Hours Inside a Y Combinator Batch

1.2M views

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7:52

The Return of the Tech IPO, Explained in 8 Minutes

340K views

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11:03

Inside the Office That Grew From 4 to 400 in Two Years

218K views

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24:10

Live: The Next 100 Pitch Finals, Unedited

96K views

Wide shot of a packed auditorium at a STARTUP NEXT Summit event
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Events & Community

STARTUP NEXT Summit 2026

12,000+ founders. 40 countries. One stage per city. Applications for delegate passes close 30 days before each date.

SEP 18 Singapore Marina Bay Convention Hall Apply
OCT 09 Lagos Eko Convention Centre Apply
NOV 04 São Paulo Cidade Cultural Hall Apply
DEC 02 Dubai DIFC Conference Centre Apply

Awards

The Next 100

Our annual recognition of the founders, operators and investors setting the pace for the industry — chosen by an independent panel of 30 judges.

Portrait of the Founder of the Year award recipient
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Founder of the Year

Aliya Bello

NexPay

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Rising Startup

Cultiva

Sofia Marín, CEO

Portrait of the Impact Award recipient
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Impact Award

Grid&Grain

Daniel Osei, CEO

Portrait of the Innovator of the Year award recipient
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Innovator of the Year

Priya Nair

Fieldstack Robotics

See the full Next 100 list

In Partnership With

Organizations Building the Next Economy With Us

Partner with STARTUP NEXT