How do you know when your business is truly ready to scale?Growing a business and scaling a business are not the same thing.In this episode of Periscope, Lola Masha sits down with Adia Sowho, to unpack what founders need to know to scale their businesses. We explore what it really takes to build and scale businesses in complexa markets. Our guest, Adia Sowho, shares practical insights on identifying the key equations that drive your business, understanding your most important operational metrics, aligning incentives, and building the systems and infrastructure needed for sustainable scale.The conversation explores a critical question for every founder: are you simply getting bigger, or are you becoming more efficient as you grow?We discuss:• How to identify whether your business is truly ready to scale• The key equations and operational metrics every business needs to understand• Why a North Star metric is not enough on its own• The difference between growth and scaling• How incentives shape business performance• Why founders need to understand the real needs of their customers• The importance of infrastructure, processes and systems for scaling• How to recognize when a business needs to course-correct• Why solutions should be built around real customer problems—not trendsWhether you're an entrepreneur, operator, investor or business leader, this episode offers a practical framework for thinking about growth and scale in African and other complex markets.🎙️ Welcome to Periscope - the podcast helping founders see what they may not already know.Subscribe for more conversations on entrepreneurship, technology, fundraising, finance, AI, governance, regulation and the messy realities of building businesses.⏱️ Chapters00:00 — The early signs a business is ready to scale01:21 — Welcome to Periscope02:03 — Meet today's guest10:26 — Designing for scale in complex markets11:15 — When is a business truly ready to scale?11:48 — Understanding the key equations in your business12:18 — Finding the right North Star metric12:35 — Why a North Star metric is not enough13:02 — Understanding the drivers behind your metrics#PeriscopePodcast #Entrepreneurship #BusinessGrowth #Scaling #AfricanBusiness #Startups #BusinessStrategy #Leadership #AfricaTechFollow Adia SowhoLinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/adiasowhoFollow PeriscopeLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/periscope-podcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/periscope.podcastTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@periscope.podcastWebsite: https://www.periscope.media/

When is a business truly ready to scale? WATCH Full Episode Saturday, July 25thWe explore the difference between simply growing a business and scaling it sustainably. The key question is whether you truly understand the core equations that drive your business, from revenue and customer behavior to incentives and profitability. Growth may mean getting bigger, but true scaling means that each incremental unit of value becomes more efficient and less costly to produce.A powerful conversation about understanding your business model, knowing your customers' motivations, and recognizing when your business is genuinely ready to scale.
Follow Adia SowhoLinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/adiasowhoFollow PeriscopeLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/periscope-podcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/periscope.podcastTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@periscope.podcastWebsite: https://www.periscope.media/

What does it take to build an ecosystem instead of just a company?In this episode of Periscope, we sit down with legendary African technology entrepreneur, angel investor, and ecosystem builder  @TomiDavies  to explore over four decades of building technology companies, backing founders, and shaping Africa's startup ecosystem.From co-founding the  @Lagos-Angel-Network  and the African Business Angel Network (ABAN) to investing in companies like Super Strikers, Big Cabal Media, Semicolon, FlexiSAF, and many others, Tomi shares the lessons that have defined his remarkable journey.We discuss:1. Why impact matters more than returns2. How to identify exceptional founders3. Building sustainable startup ecosystems across Africa4. The future of AI, fintech, and crypto5. Why founders fail to raise capital6. The importance of vision, integrity, coachability, and purpose7. Actionable advice for founders building the next generation of African companiesWhether you're a founder, investor, operator, or simply passionate about Africa's innovation ecosystem, this conversation is packed with timeless lessons on leadership, investing, and building for generations, not just exits.If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to Like, Subscribe, and share it with someone building the future of Africa.Timestamps00:00 Preview02:11 Welcome to Periscope04:06 Building Africa's Tech & Investment Ecosystem05:35 Tomi's "Six Ecosystem Sons" and Early Investments06:25 The Story Behind Super Strikers, Sproxil & SlimTrader07:23 Investing in FlexiSAF08:50 Big Cabal Media's Growth Story10:17 PowerStove and Investing for Climate Impact11:10 Semicolon and Building Software Talent12:10 Why Impact Investing Matters14:00 Tomi Davies' Career Journey15:32 Why He Returned to Nigeria20:12 Nature vs. Nurture: Tomi's Philosophy22:37 Spotting Opportunities in Africa26:20 The Origin of TVC Labs31:08 "Find. Fund. Follow." Investment Philosophy32:22 How the African Business Angel Network (ABAN) Was Created38:18 Investing for Permanence vs. Profit39:19 Why Female Co-founders Matter40:27 What Tomi Looks for in Founders43:30 The Importance of Coachability44:15 Common Founder Mistakes45:40 The Future of Fintech49:44 AI, The Internet & The Next Technology Revolution54:03 Building DG Collective58:57 Tomi's Three Pieces of Advice for Every Founder01:00:44 Closing Remarks#PeriscopePodcast #TomiDavies #AngelInvesting #AfricanStartups #VentureCapital #StartupAfrica #Entrepreneurship #Founders #Innovation #TechAfrica #AI #Fintech #LagosAngelNetwork #ABAN #AfricaTechFollow Tomi Davies  @TomiDavies  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomidee/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomidee/X: https://x.com/TomiDee YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TomiDaviesLearn More About Lagos Angel NetworkWebsite: https://www.lagosangelnetwork.net/Follow PeriscopeLinkedIn: / periscope-podcast Instagram: / periscope.podcast X(Twitter): https://x.com/perismedia?s=21TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@periscope.pod...Website: https://www.periscope.media/Subscribe for more conversations with founders, operators, investors, and business leaders shaping the future of African business.

As startups grow, so should the finance function.

In the early stages, one strong finance person can often cover a lot of ground. But as the business scales, so do the demands, from fundraising and accounting to audit and tax. At that point, specialized expertise becomes less of a nice-to-have and more of a necessity.

In this conversation with Babatunde Akin-Moses, CEO of Sycamore, we unpack the shift from broad finance support to specialist finance roles and why it matters for sustainable growth.

Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/_d0Pjz6HItA

What separates successful founders from struggling business owners? In this episode of Periscope, Lola Masha sits down with Babatunde Akin-Moses, CEO of Sycamore, to discuss financial fluency, cash flow management, fundraising, venture capital, debt financing, co-founder relationships, and the metrics every CEO should track.

They explore why many businesses fail despite having great products, how founders can use finance as a competitive advantage, and the lessons learned from building one of Nigeria's leading fintech companies.

Key moments from the conversation include:
• Why many founders struggle with the business side of business
• The role of finance in building and scaling a company
• Lessons from raising venture capital
• Choosing between equity and debt financing
• Building Sycamore from an idea at Lagos Business School to a fintech group
• The metrics every CEO should monitor
• Why liquidity can be more important than profitability
• How financial fluency becomes a competitive advantage

#periscopepodcast #businessgrowth #fundraising #financialleadership

Hiring can make or break a business, especially when you are building with limited resources.In this episode of Periscope, Lola Masha sits down with Abimbola Adebakin, Founder and CEO of Advantage Health Africa, to unpack what every founder needs to know about hiring top talent on a budget. From attracting the right people and building a strong culture to retaining talent, using fractional roles, and knowing when to let people go, this conversation is a practical guide for founders building teams without unlimited resources.Abimbola shares lessons from her journey as a pharmacist, consultant, and entrepreneur building Advantage Health Africa into a healthcare business with over 100 staff and a network of more than 1,000 pharmacies across Nigeria. She also explains why culture matters, why salary alone will not retain great people, and how founders can build teams of committed, curious, and capable people.Abimbola Adebakin is the Founder and CEO of Advantage Health Africa, a healthcare company improving access to medicines through technology, pharmacy aggregation, distribution, and market access solutions across Nigeria.She explains:• Why culture fit can matter more than technical competence• How early-stage founders can hire strong talent on a limited budget• Why mindset, curiosity, and commitment are critical in early hires• How to attract people who believe in the mission of the business• When to use full-time, part-time, or fractional talent• Why salary alone will not retain great employees• How transparency builds trust with your team• How to know when your business needs experienced executives• When to use performance improvement plans and when to let people go• Lessons from building and scaling Advantage Health Africa

Follow Abimbola AdebakinLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abimbolaadebakinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/abimbola_adebakinLearn More About Advantage Health AfricaWebsite:https://advantagehealthafrica.com/Follow PeriscopeLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/periscope-podcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/periscope.podcastX/Twitter: https://x.com/perismediaTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@periscope.podcastWebsite: https://www.periscope.media/Subscribe for more conversations with founders, operators, investors, and business leaders shaping the future of African business.#hiring #talentmanagement #startupfounders #companyculture #leadership #africanbusiness #healthtech

Building a business is not just about strategy, funding, or product-market fit. It is also about who you become while building it.In this episode of Periscope, Lola Masha sits down with Affiong Williams, CEO and Founder of ReelFruit, to unpack the inner journey of entrepreneurship. From starting a dried fruit business in Nigeria at 26 to building a manufacturing company, running a factory, exporting to global markets, and staying committed for over 14 years, this conversation is a practical and honest guide for founders building through uncertainty.Affiong shares lessons from her journey building ReelFruit into one of Nigeria’s leading dried fruit and healthy snack companies. She explains how purpose, resilience, focus, networks, and emotional stamina have shaped her as a founder, and why building a scalable business requires patience, support systems, and the ability to keep going when the business does not follow the original plan.Affiong Williams is the CEO and Founder of ReelFruit, a Nigerian food processing and healthy snack company producing dried fruits, nuts, and fruit-based products for local and international markets.

She explains:• Why founder resilience matters when building in difficult markets• How ReelFruit started and why Affiong chose dried fruit• The emotional struggles of starting a business from scratch• Why purpose can keep founders grounded through uncertainty• How ReelFruit evolved from a snack brand into an export-focused manufacturing business• What it takes to build a factory and supply chain in Nigeria• Why focus is critical when building a scalable business• How founders can use networks to unlock opportunities• Why support systems outside work are essential for entrepreneurs

Follow Affiong WilliamsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/affiongwilliams/Learn More About ReelFruitWebsite: https://reelfruit.com/Follow PeriscopeLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/periscope-podcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/periscope.podcastX/Twitter: https://x.com/perismediaTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@periscope.podcastWebsite: https://www.periscope.media/Subscribe for more conversations with founders, operators, investors, and business leaders shaping the future of African business.#entrepreneurship #businessgrowth #founderjourney #africanbusiness #reelfruit

Building an asset-heavy business is difficult. Building one that can scale, raise capital, and become profitable requires even more than ambition.In this episode of Periscope, Lola Masha sits down with Adetayo Bamiduro, Co-Founder and CEO of MAX, to unpack how capital-intensive companies can raise the right funding, build infrastructure, and create a path to profitability. From mobility and electric vehicles to fleet financing, OEM partnerships, venture capital, debt, automation, and discipline, this conversation is a practical guide for founders building in complex, infrastructure-heavy markets.Tayo shares lessons from his journey through technology, oil and gas, MIT Sloan, Techstars, and building MAX into one of Africa’s leading mobility platforms. He explains why asset-heavy businesses need a different funding strategy, how MAX moved from an app-based logistics idea into a mobility infrastructure company, and why profitability depends on discipline, accountability, and strong internal systems.Bamiduro Adetayo is the Co-Founder and CEO of MAX, a mobility company providing drivers with access to vehicles, financing, electric mobility solutions, and the infrastructure they need to earn a living.He explains:• Why asset-heavy startups need a different approach to fundraising• How founders should think about equity, debt, and fleet financing• Why early-stage companies should avoid taking debt too soon• How MAX used OEM partnerships to unlock asset financing• Why infrastructure can become a competitive advantage• How MAX evolved from logistics into mobility and electric vehicles• Why credibility matters when raising capital• How automation and AI are changing the future of workFollow Adetayo BamiduroLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adetayobamiduro/Learn More About MAXWebsite: https://www.maxdrive.ai/Follow PeriscopeLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/periscope-podcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/periscope.podcastX/Twitter: https://x.com/perismediaTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@periscope.podcastWebsite: https://www.periscope.media/Subscribe for more conversations with founders, operators, investors, and business leaders shaping the future of African business.#startupfunding #businessgrowth #mobility #venturecapital #africanbusiness

A successful launch is not the day you announce your product. It is the strategy that turns awareness into adoption, usage, retention, and revenue.In this episode of Periscope, Lola Masha sits down with Olajumoke Abiodun, CEO of Marketedge Advisory, to unpack what founders need to know about go-to-market strategy. From launch planning and customer activation to cohort retention, user behaviour, paid marketing, offline distribution, and trust-building, this conversation is a practical guide for founders preparing to take a product to market.Olajumoke explains why many founders mistake launch day for the full launch, why downloads do not equal users, and why founders must measure what happens after people discover their product. Olajumoke Abiodun is the CEO of Marketedge Advisory, a marketing and growth advisory firm helping businesses build stronger market strategies, customer acquisition systems, and go-to-market plans.She explains:• Why a launch is a strategy, not an event• What founders get wrong about launch day• How to define and measure go-to-market success• Why app downloads are not the same as active users• How to track adoption, usage, activation, and retention• Why founders need to understand customer behaviour after launch• How to identify power users and refine your ideal customer profile• How to choose the right go-to-market channel• Why offline distribution and sales agents still matter• How to build customer trust before scaling digitally• Why activation is the missing link between interest and revenueFollow Olajumoke AbiodunLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theolajumoke/Instagram: Learn More About Marketedge AdvisoryWebsite: https://www.marketedgeadvisory.com/Follow PeriscopeLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/periscope-podcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/periscope.podcastX/Twitter: https://x.com/perismediaTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@periscope.podcastWebsite: https://www.periscope.media/Subscribe for more conversations with founders, operators, investors, and business leaders shaping the future of African business.#gotomarket #startupmarketing #businessgrowth #entrepreneurship #africanbusiness

You no longer need a full engineering team to test a product idea, validate an MVP, or get your first version into users’ hands.In this episode of Periscope, Lola Masha sits down with Tarebi Alebiosu, CEO of Q Shop, to unpack how founders can use no-code, low-code, vibe coding, and AI-assisted tools to build and test MVPs faster. From choosing the right tools and writing better prompts to avoiding over-engineering, protecting user data, and knowing when to hire engineers, this conversation is a practical guide for founders creating digital products in today’s AI-powered world.Tarebi shares lessons from over 20 years as a developer and five years building Q Shop, an e-commerce SaaS platform helping retailers sell online without needing to code. She explains why founders should focus less on buzzwords and more on what their MVP is meant to prove, why technical founders often overbuild, and why non-technical founders may not need as much tech talent as they think at the earliest stage.Tarebi Alebiosu is the CEO of Q Shop, an e-commerce platform that helps retailers across Africa create online stores, manage inventory, accept payments, and sell online without writing code.She explains:• What no-code, low-code, vibe coding, and AI-assisted coding actually mean• How founders can build MVPs without a full engineering team• Why your MVP should be designed to test a specific assumption• How tools like Lovable, Cursor, Claude Code, Bubble, Shopify, Wix, and Q Shop fit into the product-building journey• Why prompt engineering matters when using AI tools• How to create a product requirements document before building• When to move from no-code tools to custom code• Data privacy and security basics every founder should knowFollow Tarebi AlebiosuLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tarebi/Learn More About Q ShopWebsite: https://qshop.tech/Follow PeriscopeLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/periscope-podcast/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/periscope.podcastX/Twitter: https://x.com/perismediaTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@periscope.podcast?Website: https://www.periscope.media/Subscribe for more conversations with founders, operators, investors, and business leaders shaping the future of African business.#nocode #startupmvp #aiforfounders #productdevelopment #entrepreneurship