What does an African founder really need to scale in the U.S.?
We didn't want to guess. So, we asked over 100 founders (57% from Nigeria ) what their biggest fears and top goals are.
The results were crystal clear, and they confirmed a powerful truth.
Here’s what we learned:
1. The Product is NOT the problem. Founders are already confident in their tech. "Product" consistently ranked last as a major concern. They've moved past the "idea-stage."
2. They are Pragmatic CEOs. What is their #1 goal? Not marketing. Not R&D. It's "building an impeccable operational and legal structure" (44.4%). When pitching investors, they (correctly) believe the "financial model" (51%) is more important than the product demo.
3. The 'Soft' Skills Gap is the Real Fear. What is their single biggest fear? 43.5% said it was "not having the right connections, cultural understanding, or pitching skills" to sell their idea in the U.S.
The Big Takeaway: African founders don't need another product accelerator.
They need a "hard skills" playbook for U.S. operations, legal, and finance. And they need a "soft skills" bridge for access, networking, and cultural pitching.
This data is the entire reason we exist. It's why we built the Global Launchpad to be that playbook, and the GITC to be that bridge.
We're here to solve the real problem.
The results were crystal clear, and they confirmed a powerful truth.
Here’s what we learned:
1. The Product is NOT the problem. Founders are already confident in their tech. "Product" consistently ranked last as a major concern. They've moved past the "idea-stage."
2. They are Pragmatic CEOs. What is their #1 goal? Not marketing. Not R&D. It's "building an impeccable operational and legal structure" (44.4%). When pitching investors, they (correctly) believe the "financial model" (51%) is more important than the product demo.
3. The 'Soft' Skills Gap is the Real Fear. What is their single biggest fear? 43.5% said it was "not having the right connections, cultural understanding, or pitching skills" to sell their idea in the U.S.
The Big Takeaway: African founders don't need another product accelerator.
They need a "hard skills" playbook for U.S. operations, legal, and finance. And they need a "soft skills" bridge for access, networking, and cultural pitching.
This data is the entire reason we exist. It's why we built the Global Launchpad to be that playbook, and the GITC to be that bridge.
We're here to solve the real problem.