The quiet war on startup imagination
- Founders are now expected to show a path to profitability earlier than ever.
- A new vocabulary has emerged, focusing on capital efficiency and sustainable startups.
- There is a growing view that Africa's unicorn moment was premature, with too few startups being produced.
The current trend towards prioritizing profitability over innovation in Africa's startup ecosystem could lead to a stagnation of groundbreaking ideas. If investors continue to favor tidy business plans, we risk losing out on transformative innovations that require time and exploration to develop. A balance must be struck between supporting viable businesses and allowing space for experimental ventures that could redefine markets.
