CASE STUDY
An investor was considering backing a payment platform. But was this the right founder to back?
We assembled a cohort of sector and geographic specialists and invited the founder to come and present.
- He was technologically sound
- Had built a robust platform relevant to the market
- The market opportunity was significant with little competition at present
- Was strategic in building relationships with potential customers
- No paying customers on board to date
- Was modest in his projections
- Ran a tight ship
- Knew his subject matter well
- Was open and transparent about the challenges and setbacks faced
So, the market opportunity was there. The platform was sound. But the current configuration was not going to work. To penetrate the market and build the required scale at speed, a new team would need to be on board, including a new CEO. But would the founder’s ego get in the way?
His reaction was ultimately what made those gathered decide to back him. Positive and genuine, he knew this is what was needed to succeed and saw it as an opportunity to focus on what he does best – building and strengthening the platform.
He now had the backing and support of the right people vested in mutual success.
CASE STUDY
An investor was considering backing a payment platform. But was this the right founder to back?
We assembled a cohort of sector and geographic specialists and invited the founder to come and present.
- He was technologically sound
- Had built a platform relevant to the market
- Was strategic in building relationships with potential customers
- No paying customers on board to date
- Was modest in his projections
- Ran a tight ship
- Knew his subject matter well
- Was open and transparent about the challenges and setbacks faced
So, the market opportunity was there. The platform was sound. But the current configuration was not going to work. To penetrate the market and build the required scale at speed, a new team would need to be on board, including a new CEO. But would the founder’s ego get in the way?
His reaction was ultimately what made those gathered decide to back him. Positive and genuine, he knew this is what was needed to succeed and saw it as an opportunity to focus on what he does best – building and strengthening the platform.
He now had the backing and support of the right people vested in mutual success.
REAL IMPACT OR GREENWASHING?
Recent years have seen an increase in ‘sustainability’ initiatives, but there is a difference between real impact and greenwashing. That difference lies in what gets measured and what gets done. Here are some questions to ascertain true impact.
WHEN INVESTORS COME IN
Bringing investors on board can help a company scale, but difficulties can arise from growing too quickly. Here’s how we helped a high-growth company tackle transition and the associated growing pains.
VISION + EXECUTION = VALUE
A budding entrepreneur wanted to create an investment company focused on Africa. We helped him define and shape the vision, as well as the values and behaviours he wanted to stand for and demonstrate. Wanting to ensure he could translate his vision into practice, we...