From start-up to stay-up.
Most ventures die before year five. The ones that don’t share a small set of frameworks. I write about them, and I run a consulting practice for founders who want to apply them.
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What I write about.
The Stay-Up Philosophy
Long-form thinking on what it takes to grow a venture past year five.
02Founder Execution
Practical frameworks on goals, productivity, and the gap between intention and action.
03African Capital
Capital structures, term sheets, and the operator-investor lens, written from inside African markets.
04Teams & Governance
Building, hiring, and governing under the constraints of an early-stage African venture.
Recent essays
The Constellation: How Founders Build Multiple Ventures Coherently Rather Than Chaotically
Some founders operate multiple ventures simultaneously. The default pattern is chaotic and exhausting; the disciplined pattern produces a…
Filtering Counsel: How African Founders Should Evaluate Advice
Founders receive enormous quantities of advice. Most of it is wrong for their specific situation, and the cost…
Engaged Observation: The Discipline of Reading What Your Venture Is Telling You
Most founders react to what their venture surfaces; the disciplined ones observe their venture deliberately and detect the…
I’ve been on both sides of the table.
Founder of five ventures across Southern Africa. Author of Beyond Inception. Operator-investor on small African deals. I’ve watched companies survive year five and watched companies die in year three, and the difference was never what the founder books said it would be.
This site is the longer answer. I write the frameworks I wish I’d had earlier, and I work with founders who want to apply them through TBGA Consulting Group.
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