Last night, I read Larry Fink’s 2025 Annual Chairman’s Letter to investors. Fink is the Chairman of Blackrock, the world’s largest asset manager, managing close to US$12 trillion. He wrote about the democratization of investing: “When the world’s first stock exchange opened in Amsterdam in 1602, investing became a more democratic enterprise. Until then, investing was mostly reserved for wealthy merchants. And indeed, about 90% of the original 1,143 investors at Amsterdam’s exchange were wealthy. But the remaining investors were ordinary people. They included 53 artisans, eight shopkeepers, six silk weavers, four soap makers—and at least two maids who each invested 50 guilders, about enough to rent a modest cottage for a year.
A few years ago, I was in Amsterdam on the invitation of The Netherlands Academy of Engineering, to speak on microelectronics and neuromorphics. They took me to a building, and shared the story of New Amsterdam, and what we call now New York City. As we toured the place, my mind flashed how capital has moved from Amsterdam, to the modern New York City, and massively democratized investing. In Fink’s letter, he wrote “Economies run on capital” and humans control capital.
On Monday, April 7 2025, Tekedia Capital will begin our twice yearly tradition where ordinary citizens come together, pool resources, and take positions in startups and empires of the future. As that next week arrives, we will have Tekedia Capital Open, a free and open event for all, titled “The Abundance of Nations”, and during that share a top-level synthesis of 17 startups joining our next investment cycle.
- Event: Tekedia Capital Open
- Topic: The Abundance of Nations and Preview of Next Tekedia Capital Investment Cycle’s 17 Startups
- Date: Saturday, April 5, 2025
- Time: 4-5pm WAT
- Zoom link: here
To learn more about Tekedia Capital and join our community, go here.
Find below the key dates for the next Tekedia Capital investment cycle.
- Duration: April 7 – May 10, 2025
- Startups Unveiling in Portal: April 7
- Demo Day: April 26, 2025
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Register for Tekedia Mini-MBA (June 9 – Sept 6, 2025), and join Prof Ndubuisi Ekekwe and our global faculty; click here.