Hey Startup Leapers 👋
Is it just us, or is the year already running at 1.5x speed?
We are currently neck-deep in recording a slate of episodes that we genuinely can’t wait to share with you..
We know your time is your most valuable asset. Our goal for every single episode is simple: One actionable, real-life insight, just the raw information from founders who’ve been there done that.
Useful advice that can hep you move the needle on your entrepreneurial journey.
Let’s get into it 👇🏾
The Question: How did an investment banker from Australia, build a $5bn AUM wealth tech in 10+ years, exiting to Grab for $400m+ this February?
🔹 Ed Robinson, Founder & CEO, Stash (Investing App For Beginners)
Ed always knew money management was broken. From 0 to 10 years, £5bn in Assets Under Management (AUM), his vision was validated in the biggest way possible: Stash officially exited to Grab (the publicly traded Super App) this month.
In our latest episode, Ed gives us at The Startup Leap an exclusive look under the hood of a consumer fintech giant. We talk the messy day zeroes. This isn't just a success story; it’s a blueprint for building in one of the toughest industries on the planet.
🔑 Key Takeaways:
On Conviction:
“I just couldn’t stop thinking about it.” (20:00)The idea disrupted his focus at work. That’s when he knew, it wasn’t optional anymore.
On Simplicity:
“Our message was simple. Invest with as little as $5.” (29:00)Clear promise. Low barrier. No jargon. Simplicity built trust.
On Execution:
“Most of that drop-off was around bank linking.” (39:00)A small UX change, adding “Remind me later” Took them from ~62 customers/day to ~500. In consumer fintech, the funnel is the business.
“It was crazy went to Starbucks and told people i’d give them $5 if they download the app” (33:00)
On Team: (Fun fact, they didn’t start with a technical founder on the team)
“We had three options.” (27:49)
Even high-growth startups flirt with zero. Fundraising is rarely comfortable.
🔹 Tayo Bamiduro, Founder & CEO, MAX (Eco-Friendly Mobility For Africa)
How does one build a tech startup powering logistics and electric vehicles in Africa?
Logistics in Africa isn't just a business challenge; it’s a structural one. After recently raising $24M in funding this February, we thought to bring this incredible episode back when Tayo joined us to break down how they are solving for one of the most complex markets on earth.
From the lecture halls of MIT to the pressure cooker of building, Tayo shares how they built the "boots-on-the-ground" reality of building infrastructure where none existed.
🔑 Key Takeaways:
On Simplicity:
“Mobility was still pretty much traditional… very old school.”
The insight was clear: modernize a broken, outdated system. No complexity. No hype. Just fix the infrastructure layer everyone depended on.On Conviction:
“This problem isn’t just something that was specific to one startup. Everyone needed it.”
Once he saw that logistics wasn’t a company problem but a continent-wide infrastructure gap, the opportunity was bigger than one business.On Execution:
“If you acquire a vehicle, you then become some sort of bank.”
A small strategic decision, own the assets or not, changes everything. In mobility, the business model is the strategy. Scale isn’t just operational, it’s financial.On Team:
“I didn’t fully understand how to pitch, especially to a US audience.”
Building locally and raising globally required learning a new narrative. The team had to evolve, not just operationally, but culturally, to compete on a global stage.
Tayo Oviosu, Founder & CEO, Paga (PayPal For Africa)
Payments in Africa isn’t just fintech, it’s infrastructure. After many years of ignoring the Nigerian market, Paypal has partnered with Paga, to enter.
In this episode, Tayo of Paga shares how a frustrating ATM moment turned into a 15-year journey building one of Africa’s largest payments networks.
From SMS-powered transfers and manual TV integrations to processing 19 trillion naira, this is the real story of building trust, rails, and resilience in a market where nothing was plug-and-play.
If you’re building in complex markets, this one’s for you.
🔑 Key Takeaways:
On Conviction:
“I found myself on a date once and none of my cards worked… I went to three ATMs before I finally got cash.” (07:00)That moment crystallized it. He was banked with two banks and still couldn’t access his money. That frustration turned into a 15-year mission to make it simple to access and use money
On Simplicity:
“We want to make it simple for a billion people to access and use money.” (02:00)The vision was clear from day one. Not “build a payments company.” Not “leverage infrastructure.” Just: make money simple. Big ambition. Simple articulation.
On Execution:
“We literally had four GSM modems plugged into our server.” (09:00)Before cloud. Before APIs. Before USSD rails. They hacked together SMS payments using physical modems and automated call-backs. It didn’t scale. It was confusing. But it worked. Do things that don’t scale, until they do.
On Resilience:
“$40BN processed, more than half of that over the last three years.” (48:00)After a tough 2020, capital challenges, and strategic pivots, the hockey stick came.The breakthrough came from 10+ years of persistence.
📢 One Last Thing: Help Shape The Startup Leap in 2026
We’re rethinking how we serve this community, and we want your input as we plan for 2026! What type of resources or content will you find most helpful? Hit reply and tell us. We read every message.
You can also send us an email on [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you!
✨ Startup building is hard. But builders will build anyway.
Till next time!
Yvonne & Maria
📚 Interesting Reads & Resources
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