Why Early-Stage Founders Cannot Afford to Be Invisible
Maria Adediran, Associate Director and Head of Wimbart Lite
They say PR people are the worst at doing their own PR, and that is not far from the truth. We are good at helping other businesses find the right words, refine their message, and build the kind of visibility that moves a brand forward. But when it comes to our own services, our own launches, or even talking about client wins, it is often met with silence.
I have spent the last 10 years working in African tech PR and communications, and when I look back, I can count on both hands the number of times we have really stepped forward to tell our own story. That is not because there was nothing to say. It is because, like many people in this industry, we have been busy doing the work. But African tech has evolved, and the role communications plays in that market has shifted, too.
A decade ago, the ecosystem was still tirelessly proving itself. Founders were proving their models. Investors were still learning the market. Media interest was more selective, and often filtered through outdated assumptions about what an African founder story should sound like. Back then, PR was often seen as something that came later. First came funding. Then came PR. That was the order. Communications sat in the nice-to-have bucket, not the strategic one.
But even then, that was never quite true.
Yes, founders needed capital. Yes, they needed product, growth and traction. But they also needed people to get what they were building, why it was relevant, and why they were worth paying attention to.
That was true then, and it is still true now. The difference is that more founders recognise it for what it is.
Looking back at 2015/2016, you had companies like Paystack, Moniepoint and PiggyVest coming through, alongside firms like TLP Advisory supporting founders from a different angle. The numbers tell part of that story, too. In 2016, Partech recorded $366.8 million raised by African tech startups. By 2025, that figure had reached $4.1 billion across equity and debt – far removed from the ecosystem many of us, including Wimbart, came into a decade ago.
What was once still emerging is now a much more established ecosystem, with sharper operators, more informed investors, more scrutiny, and higher expectations across the board. The headlines are bigger now, and the sector is more visible. Some of the companies that started out as scrappy startups are now influencing policy, acquiring other businesses, entering new markets across the globe, and operating at a very different level. That growth has brought more attention, but it has also made the environment less forgiving.
Hype on its own does not carry the same weight it once did. Founders now have to communicate real progress more clearly.
And that is where I think communication plays a different role today.
PR in African tech is no longer just about awareness or getting coverage for the sake of it. It is about helping people understand what a company is, the problem it is solving, and why it deserves attention. If they do not understand your story, they will struggle to properly value your progress. This is especially important for early-stage founders.
While much of the attention goes to scaleups, unicorns, and companies announcing big rounds, there is also a large group of early-stage founders quietly building solid businesses. Some are getting real traction, but you would barely know it from the outside. Not because they have nothing worth saying, but because strategic communications has too often been treated as something reserved for the biggest players or the best-funded companies.
As Wimbart’s long-term retainer model became the core of the business, we had to confront a gap we could not ignore – early-stage companies want the quality, strategic thinking, and market understanding we are known for, but do not need or cannot yet justify a full retainer.
They still need to turn milestones into market confidence, but too often they are left waiting for a Series A+ or some other form of validation before communications become part of the plan.
The waiting game does not make much sense to me anymore. Communications should not only kick in once traction is obvious to everyone else. Often, it is what helps investors, partners, customers and talent see that traction in the first place.
That is part of why we built Wimbart Lite the way we did – for early-stage teams that need speed, substance, and strategic support that matches the pace they are operating at.
Launching Wimbart Lite also reminded me of the very thing we advise clients on every day. We made the announcement during the week of Africa Tech Summit Nairobi, and the response reinforced something I have believed for a long time – news is the starting point. Conversation, context and proximity are equally important.
The announcement generated strong engagement, and being on the ground gave it even more meaning. People had already seen the news, so by the time I was in the room, the conversation had started before I even introduced myself. Some recognised me from the announcement or from social media. Some wanted to ask questions. Some wanted to meet. That is when it really clicked for me – this was not just coverage sitting on a tracker, it was opening doors. That, to me, is the power of PR.
That is the effect many founders are looking for, whether or not they describe it that way. Not visibility for vanity’s sake, but the kind that strengthens credibility and helps a founder walk into investor conversations, partner meetings, or industry rooms with more confidence and leverage.
African tech has matured. The way we communicate within it also needs to evolve. And for me, that means making sure strategic visibility is not reserved only for the companies that have already made it. Early-stage founders deserve that advantage too.
If this resonates, head over to Wimbart Lite to learn more: https://www.wimbart.com/lite
