Helix Africa Strategy

Strategy thinking for
ambitious African businesses.

Research, analysis, and direct thinking on strategy, operations, and data governance for African founders and leadership teams navigating growth.

Published Research
White Paper Strategy & Governance

The Post-Funding Execution Gap

Why African startups keep raising capital and still failing — and what the businesses that survive are doing differently. Between 2023 and mid-2025, at least 33 funded African startups shut down. The problem is almost never the product.

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33+
Funded African startups
shut down 2023–2025
<1 in 10
2022 seed cohort
reached Series A
25%
Drop in African tech
funding in 2024
White Paper Strategy

When Your Strategy Needs an Upgrade

Seven signs your business is running on a strategy that has outlived its usefulness. In a study of 12 established SME owners in Gauteng, not one described a formal strategy-formation process. Planning was financial, short-term, and concentrated in the owner.

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0 of 12
Gauteng SME owners with
a formal strategy process
78%
Sub-Saharan CEOs who shifted
strategy in the last 5 years
≤12mo
Typical planning horizon
for African SMEs
White Paper Operations & Scale

Why African Businesses Struggle to Scale Past 20 People

The structural reasons most African businesses stay small — and what the ones that grow are doing differently. Over 80% of African businesses have fewer than five employees. Only about 20% ever grow beyond the micro stage. The reasons are structural, not circumstantial.

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80%
Of African businesses have
fewer than 5 employees
17%
Of Nigerian SMEs have
documented processes
$330B
Financing gap facing
African SMEs