Over two months ago, I met up with my good friend Satyender to brainstorm solutions to an issue that had been keeping me up at night. As a founder, that’s not exactly novel — sleepless nights and persistent problem-solving often come with the territory.
This particular challenge, however, felt different.
💭 The Challenge
We found ourselves at a crossroads. In our ongoing pursuit of product–market fit — and with no immediate plans for a new cohort — we lost access, for new community members, to the third-party platform that had supported our learning experience. Meanwhile, feedback from prospective sponsors reminded us that it was time to tighten our operations and reshape our model for sustainability.
But as we paused to regroup, a more profound insight surfaced: not all aspiring founders walk the same path.
👥 The Four Types of Founders We Met
As we observed and worked closely with participants, four distinct founder profiles began to emerge:
- The Entrepreneur — committed, driven by curiosity, resourcefulness, and resilience; equipped with the core traits of a successful founder.
- The Hustler — says “yes” to almost everything, convinced that success comes only by juggling multiple side hustles and never letting any opportunity pass by.
- The Job Seeker — “trying on” entrepreneurship while secretly hoping that a salaried job opportunity will soon come along.
- The Shiny Object Seeker — attracted by the glamour of entrepreneurship and the appearance of success but not yet ready for the commitment it demands.
The challenge was identifying which group each participant belonged to before the start of the program.
⚖️ The Realization
We also uncovered another underlying issue: the lack of skin in the game.
Without a tangible commitment, 5 – 10% of participants dropped out midway through the program. If we were to introduce a participation fee, it had to be thoughtful, inclusive, and progressive — aligned with what we’d learned about different founder types and designed to keep barriers to entry low for those genuinely interested in exploring entrepreneurship.
This realization meant that we needed to reengineer our platform entirely — creating a model that was personal, flexible, and sustainable.
🚀 The Turning Point
This was the conundrum I brought to Satyender’s doorstep that day. Our extended conversations marked the beginning of a journey that would soon culminate in the creation of the Africa 2100 Arise Mobile App, now preparing for its debut on the Google Play Store at the end of this week.
Together, with G19’s expertise, we envisioned a platform that could meet founders where they are — engaging them, individually or collectively, from the very beginning to understand their motivations, readiness, and entrepreneurial mindset.
From there, Arise would connect each user with the right training materials, mentorship, and resources tailored to their stage of growth.
🌱 Meeting You Where You Are
If you’re an aspiring or active entrepreneur — driven to create value, solve problems, and make an impact — yet despite your effort, success still feels just out of reach, you’re not alone.
You’ve been waiting for the right training, flexibility, and support to grow.
Arise meets you where you are — guiding you, equipping you, and walking with you on the journey to realizing your entrepreneurial dreams.
