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The Startup Leap

#RealTalk #RealLessons 🚀 A podcast-focused newsletter exploring conversations with founders who took the leap to start their tech companies. ‍

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Featured Posts

TSL Monthly Roundup: Our First IRL Event. Community Shoutouts. Robin AI's Big Win. Steve Jobs. Our Takes on AI.

Apr 4, 2025

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10 min read

TSL Monthly Roundup: Our First IRL Event. Community Shoutouts. Robin AI's Big Win. Steve Jobs. Our Takes on AI.

#1 April edition 🌸

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Burn the Boats. Going All In On Your Startup Idea.

Jun 1, 2025

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7 min read

Burn the Boats. Going All In On Your Startup Idea.

Inside the moments with founders who didn't play it safe. No Plan B.

The Startup Leap

Lessons Building Africa's Most Valued Fintech Unicorn with ‘GB’ of Flutterwave

Feb 24, 2025

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8 min read

Lessons Building Africa's Most Valued Fintech Unicorn with ‘GB’ of Flutterwave

GB founded Flutterwave, streamlining payments across Africa and scaling it into a $3B fintech giant. Hear how he navigated trust, regulation, and resilience to build Africa’s top unicorn...

The Startup Leap

Female Founders

Nov 11, 2024

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7 min read

The Startup Leap Roundup #3

This founder started a fintech start-up at age 50 and has raised zero VC funding, a second founder left a career working with David Beckham to build a freelance talent marketplace. Our guests Sabrina and Raffi tell us their leap story...

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Apr 20, 2025

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7 min read

Should You Raise VC Funding?

Our hosts unpack the real trade-offs behind taking venture capital. From billion-dollar exits without VC to founders who bootstrapped before raising big, this is the honest guide to whether fundraising is right for your startup journey...

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Burnout

May 25, 2025

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5 min read

On Burnout & Managing Your Energy

How Six Startup Leap Founders Protect Their Most Vital Resource, Their Energy.

The Startup Leap

We’re back with 3 must listen founder stories + help us shape 2026!

Startup Leap Returns: New Year, Unfiltered Founder Wisdom and one ask. Let’s get into it 👇🏾

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Smuggle. Share. Scale. The Zero-Waste Marketplace That Beat the Bin

Aug 27, 2025

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8 min read

Smuggle. Share. Scale. The Zero-Waste Marketplace That Beat the Bin

Inside the zero-waste playbook: how a 12-person WhatsApp test became a 7M-user marketplace with a volunteer flywheel, flat-fee SaaS, and enterprise wins that beat the bin.

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Told ‘No’ at the Start - Heard ‘Yes’ at Apple

Aug 19, 2025

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8 min read

Told ‘No’ at the Start - Heard ‘Yes’ at Apple

A neuroscientist’s invisible HR engine and a music-ID moonshot, grown with grants, grit and day-one App Store timing.

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Aug 3, 2025

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9 min read

When Investors Said No — Twice

The untold stories of two founders who turned “impossible” ideas into market-defining companies.

The Startup Leap

How a Tanzanian TV Host Built Africa’s Most Relentless Fintech

Jul 27, 2025

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9 min read

How a Tanzanian TV Host Built Africa’s Most Relentless Fintech

From broken remittances to global infrastructure - Nala’s Benjamin Fernandes shares what it really takes to build on hard mode.

The Startup Leap

Jul 20, 2025

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6 min read

Building Against the Odds

How founders based in Africa turned regulatory chaos, investor doubt, and market scepticism into startup success

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How Coen Jonker Built a 17M-User Digital Bank From a Consulting Project

Jul 13, 2025

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9 min read

How Coen Jonker Built a 17M-User Digital Bank From a Consulting Project

Before TymeBank became South Africa’s fastest-growing bank, Coen was pitching inside Deloitte and hearing “no” from 250 investors. Here’s how he turned rejection into resilience and built a digital bank for 17M+ people...

The Startup Leap

Jul 6, 2025

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10 min read

Not Every Startup Needs a VC Cheque

Why bootstrapping, grants, and customer revenue might just beat chasing VC and how these founders made it work

The Startup Leap

From the Ground Up: Founders Rebuilding Our Climate Future

Jun 29, 2025

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9 min read

From the Ground Up: Founders Rebuilding Our Climate Future

From fintech to food systems - two founders turning carbon into a business model, plus what London Climate Action Week reveals about the future of removals, resilience, and real climate strategy.

The Startup Leap

Featured Posts

TSL Monthly Roundup: Our First IRL Event. Community Shoutouts. Robin AI's Big Win. Steve Jobs. Our Takes on AI.

Burn the Boats. Going All In On Your Startup Idea.

Lessons Building Africa's Most Valued Fintech Unicorn with ‘GB’ of Flutterwave

The Startup Leap Roundup #3

Should You Raise VC Funding?

On Burnout & Managing Your Energy

Archive

We’re back with 3 must listen founder stories + help us shape 2026!

Smuggle. Share. Scale. The Zero-Waste Marketplace That Beat the Bin

Told ‘No’ at the Start - Heard ‘Yes’ at Apple

When Investors Said No — Twice

How a Tanzanian TV Host Built Africa’s Most Relentless Fintech

Building Against the Odds

How Coen Jonker Built a 17M-User Digital Bank From a Consulting Project

Not Every Startup Needs a VC Cheque

From the Ground Up: Founders Rebuilding Our Climate Future

The Startup Leap