Beyond capital: How platform-driven support is shaping startup success

Almost two years ago, I wrote a piece reflecting on the emerging role of Platform in Africa’s VC landscape. At the time, I was a year into my role, and we were formalizing what “support beyond capital” could look like for us and our founders. We were guided by early lessons, conversations with founders, and a strong belief that intentional, scalable engagement could make a meaningful difference.

Now, as I approach the three-year mark, I’ve been reflecting on how much has changed. I had hoped to write more often about this journey, but somehow it’s already been two years since my last piece exploring the broader evolution of Platform, its growing relevance for African VCs, and the seven attributes I believed were critical within our context.

This piece is different. It isn’t about where Platform is headed in theory; it’s about what we’ve seen in practice. It’s a reflection on the journey with the team so far - the early outcomes, and the lessons along the way. It’s about the progress we’ve seen, not just in our portfolio companies, but in how we, as a team, continue to show up for them.

Why Outcomes Matter, Especially Here

Platform as a function is still emerging across African VC. When I stepped into this role in September 2022, very few firms on the continent had dedicated Platform teams. Since then, more firms have begun building out this capability, and with that has come growing curiosity about what effective Platform work really looks like.

For me, the measure is simple: does it help founders make progress that truly moves the needle? And can it do so in a way that’s both scalable and efficient as the portfolio grows? That’s the bar we hold ourselves to. 

In an ecosystem where founders often face limited resources, fragmented networks, and fewer pathways to scale, outcomes aren’t just important, they’re the clearest signal that the work we’re doing is meaningful. But achieving them isn’t straightforward. Platform work requires being both proactive and responsive - building long-term structures while staying close enough to founders to act quickly when challenges arise. And when it works, the impact is visible.

When Platform Works: The Outcomes We’ve Seen

One of the most rewarding parts of this journey has been seeing where the work translates into real outcomes for our portfolio. The three examples that follow highlight how our approach - built on systems designed for scale and substance - shows up in practice for founders.

The Founders Retreat: A Signature Experience

Three years ago, we set out to create a space where our founders could step away from the constant demands of building and take time to reflect, reset, and reconnect. What started as a pilot has now become one of the cornerstones of our Platform work - a signature experience our founders look forward to every year.

The retreat has become more than just a gathering. It’s a moment of alignment, where founders plan for the year ahead, share candid experiences, and gain new perspectives from conversations that wouldn't happen anywhere else.

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Over the years, we’ve seen countless commercial relationships and collaborations emerge organically from these retreats. Founders leave not just with ideas, but with new partners, shared strategies, and deeper trust across the portfolio. A big part of what makes this possible is the expert network and venture partners we’ve built over time, who bring their perspectives into one-on-one office hours and group sessions.

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Igniting Collaborations that Drive Growth

Another example of Platform at work is how we’ve designed systems that keep us close to our founders’ needs and able to act on them quickly.

Because we’ve built initiatives and systems that make it easier to listen, capture insights, and respond in near real time, we’re often able to spot opportunities before  they’re obvious. One such example is the collaboration we facilitated between one of our portfolio companies and one of our LPs. 

By staying deeply connected to our founders’ journeys and maintaining visibility on their priorities, we were able to connect the dots at the right moment. We facilitated conversations, coordinated a site visit, and shaped the partnership opportunity collaboratively.

The outcome? A strategic collaboration where Talstack now co-develops and hosts content, produced by the LP and distributed across its global portfolio. The partnership not only reinforces Talstack’s credibility as a content partner for similar institutions but also opens new distribution channels and visibility across emerging market ecosystems.

Soon, this partnership will go live, opening up new possibilities for both sides and benefitting the wider ecosystem. It’s one of those quiet reminders that when Platform works, it enables moments where the right people, resources, and timing converge.

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Increased Investor Readiness

For many African founders, the Series A fundraise can feel like uncharted territory. We saw this and began supporting our portfolio companies on a case-by-case basis, helping them clarify the best time to raise, sharpen their storytelling, prepare their data rooms, investor relations and more. But as we engaged more deeply, it became clear that we needed structure around this. 

This is where the Platform mindset comes in and that’s how our inhouse series A programme was born - a more deliberate, repeatable approach to helping founders navigate one of the most critical transitions in their journey. 

The results from the initial pilot have been clear. For Raenest, one of our portfolio companies, we onboarded them into the  programme and worked closely with the founders to map out the milestones that mattered most - traction, hiring, licensing, and strategic priorities. Along the way, we layered in targeted support: investor calibration calls, cap table modeling, and hands-on reviews of materials. The outcome? A successful Series A raise led by top-tier investors, on terms that worked for all parties. More importantly, it enabled the Raenest founders to own the process with clarity and confidence.

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Looking Inward: What These Outcomes Teach Us

Seeing these outcomes and more take shape has also clarified what makes this work possible. Along the way, a few principles have stood out to me.

The first is the importance of listening to founders. You can’t build a relevant Platform function if you’re not close enough to understand what founders actually need. That means designing systems and using tools that make it easy to listen, to capture those needs as regularly as possible, and to respond quickly - whether or not we’re able to provide direct support every time. That consistency builds trust. Founders know that when they reach out, they’re heard, and if we can help, we will.

The second is the value of running small tests and giving the initiatives time. Founders are busy, so it can take a while to see if an initiative really works. Some needs are seasonal; others aren’t. It’s important to recognise the difference and not be afraid to stop something that isn’t adding value. The key is to experiment, learn, and adjust without holding on to initiatives that don’t serve their purpose.

The third is staying guided by data and real needs. It’s easy to get pulled into doing too many things because everything looks valuable on the surface. But over time, I’ve learned to prioritise work that has a direct connection to the success of our portfolio companies, because ultimately, that’s what drives impact for them and for us as a firm.

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Looking Ahead

The work of Platform is never really finished. There’s always more to learn, more to test, and more ways to show up better for founders. In the last few years, I’ve come to understand even more deeply how much this work depends on consistency, context, and trust.

When we stay close to our founders, listen deeply, and focus on the right things, the outcomes compound over time - a founder who feels more confident, more business development wins or a successful fundraise. And through regular feedback loops - NPS surveys, portfolio review sessions, one-on-one conversations and debriefs - we continue to refine how we show up for founders. 

This journey keeps reinforcing why Platform matters - for our founders, for our firm, and for the ecosystem we’re part of.

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About Damilola Teidi-Ayoola

Damilola is currently Principal, Platform & Networks at Ventures Platform, where she leads a team focused on building expertise-driven post-investment support initiatives that create value for the fund’s portfolio companies and founders.

Her  career thus far has involved building strong pan-African startup programmes and initiatives , directly providing support to startups to build and scale solutions, as well as engaging with various key stakeholders to create an enabling ecosystem for startups to thrive.

She has led and supported the implementation of over 22 startup initiatives that have supported over 150 technology startups. Some of the initiatives in her portfolio include: Google's Black Founders Fund for Africa, The $1.5M AYuTe programme by Heifer International, The Meta (Deeptech) Accelerator, Africa4Future Programme III by Airbus and GIZ, The Women in Business programme and more.

In 2022, she was named one of 100 most inspiring women in Nigeria by Leading Ladies Africa and was a featured author in the 2022 Global Startup Ecosystem Report by Startup Genome and Global Entrepreneurship Network. She also sits on the advisory board of a fintech company.

She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology and a Masters’ Degree in Strategy and Innovation management from the University of Southampton, United Kingdom.

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