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Built To 6m+ Users and a $450m+ Exit

Feb 14, 2026

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9 min read

Built To 6m+ Users and a $450m+ Exit

This fintech founder shares his story. How he quit investment banking, moved continents and built a billion-dollar fintech with a $450m+ exit to Grab this February.

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

Jan 24, 2026

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6 min read

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 👇🏾

The Startup Leap
The Startup Leap
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.

The Startup Leap
The Startup Leap
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.

The Startup Leap
The Startup Leap
When Investors Said No — Twice

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
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
The Startup Leap
Building Against the Odds

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

The Startup Leap
The Startup Leap
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
The Startup Leap
Not Every Startup Needs a VC Cheque

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
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
The Startup Leap

Coding

+2

You Don’t Need to Code to Think Like a Builder

Jun 22, 2025

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8 min read

You Don’t Need to Code to Think Like a Builder

From HTML on a Nokia to AI-powered healthcare - plus the latest from London Tech Week on investment in compute, the UK’s first Entrepreneurship Advisor, and the launch of the world’s first AI regulatory sandbox.

The Startup Leap
The Startup Leap
Fall Hard, Rise Smart. How Founders Bounced Back From Brutal Setbacks.

Jun 15, 2025

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7 min read

Fall Hard, Rise Smart. How Founders Bounced Back From Brutal Setbacks.

Inside the real moments founders almost gave up - and the exact moves that got them back on track.

The Startup Leap
The Startup Leap
The Startup Leap

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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