The bridge between venture capital and African Innovation
The bridge between venture capital and African Innovation
The Basic Insights is a curated, growing collection of early- and growth-stage startups shaping the future of Africa. Designed for investors, journalists, founders, and ecosystem enablers, the platform showcases innovative businesses driving impact across sectors — from fintech and healthtech to climate and education.
The Basic Insights is a curated, growing collection of early- and growth-stage startups shaping the future of Africa. Designed for investors, journalists, founders, and ecosystem enablers, the platform showcases innovative businesses driving impact across sectors — from fintech and healthtech to climate and education.
The bridge between venture capital and African Innovation
The Basic Insights is a curated, growing collection of early- and growth-stage startups shaping the future of Africa. Designed for investors, journalists, founders, and ecosystem enablers, the platform showcases innovative businesses driving impact across sectors — from fintech and healthtech to climate and education.
The Challenge
The Challenge
The Challenge
Africa’s startup ecosystem is growing rapidly, but access to accurate, up-to-date, and centralised information remains a major barrier — especially for stakeholders looking to engage meaningfully with the continent's innovation landscape.
Africa’s startup ecosystem is growing rapidly, but access to accurate, up-to-date, and centralised information remains a major barrier — especially for stakeholders looking to engage meaningfully with the continent's innovation landscape.
Through research and first-hand experience, I identified several key challenges:
Through research and first-hand experience, I identified several key challenges:
Fragmented Information: Data about African startups is scattered across media articles, pitch decks, Twitter threads, and outdated directories. There was no single source offering a holistic and reliable view.
Outdated or Incomplete Profiles: Many existing databases list startups but lack meaningful depth — often with stale data, broken links, or no clear insight into a startup’s business model, traction, or funding stage.
Visibility Gaps for Local Startups: Founders building high-impact startups outside major hubs like Lagos, Nairobi, or Cape Town often struggle with discoverability, despite strong potential.
Lack of Credible Context: Existing tools tend to lack editorial or expert input, making it hard to trust the validity of listed startups — especially for international investors unfamiliar with local nuances.
Fragmented Information: Data about African startups is scattered across media articles, pitch decks, Twitter threads, and outdated directories. There was no single source offering a holistic and reliable view.
Outdated or Incomplete Profiles: Many existing databases list startups but lack meaningful depth — often with stale data, broken links, or no clear insight into a startup’s business model, traction, or funding stage.
Visibility Gaps for Local Startups: Founders building high-impact startups outside major hubs like Lagos, Nairobi, or Cape Town often struggle with discoverability, despite strong potential.
Lack of Credible Context: Existing tools tend to lack editorial or expert input, making it hard to trust the validity of listed startups — especially for international investors unfamiliar with local nuances.
These gaps create friction for investors, accelerators, media, and founders alike. I saw an opportunity to design a lean, credible, and user-friendly database that solves these pain points and builds trust in the ecosystem.
These gaps create friction for investors, accelerators, media, and founders alike. I saw an opportunity to design a lean, credible, and user-friendly database that solves these pain points and builds trust in the ecosystem.
Africa’s startup ecosystem is growing rapidly, but access to accurate, up-to-date, and centralised information remains a major barrier — especially for stakeholders looking to engage meaningfully with the continent's innovation landscape.
Card-based startup grid with filtering by country, sector, and funding stage
Content-first layout to highlight expert-written summaries
Fully functional web app built with React.js
Designed and implemented a robust, scalable front end that supports real-time updates, structured data display, and smooth navigation.Custom tagging system for ecosystem relevance
Key Design Decisions
Key Design Decisions
Key Design Decisions
Card-based startup grid with filtering by country, sector, and funding stage
Content-first layout to highlight expert-written summaries
Fully functional web app built with React.js
Designed and implemented a robust, scalable front end that supports real-time updates, structured data display, and smooth navigation.Custom tagging system for ecosystem relevance
Card-based startup grid with filtering by country, sector, and funding stage
Content-first layout to highlight expert-written summaries
Fully functional web app built with React.js
Designed and implemented a robust, scalable front end that supports real-time updates, structured data display, and smooth navigation.Custom tagging system for ecosystem relevance
Role
Lead Product Designer
Scope
4 Months
Scope
4 months
Role
Role
Lead Product Designer
Scope
4 Months
Final Design
Final Design
The final product is a clean, content-first platform optimised for ease of discovery, credibility, and scale. I focused on a modular UI system powered by React.js, with clear visual hierarchy, editorial clarity, and intuitive filtering.
Key Highlights:
Homepage with dynamic startup grid
Designed to showcase a growing list of startups with filters for country, sector, and funding stage. Each card is compact but informative, with tagging for fast scannability.Startup Profile Pages
Each profile is designed like a mini case study — clean layout, strong typography, and space for key details: funding info, founding team, sector impact, and editorial summary.Spotlight Features
A dedicated section for curated stories and interviews, blending journalism with UX. These act as high-trust entries into deeper startup discovery.CMS-Ready Architecture
The system is designed to scale — with structured fields and reusable design components ready for integration with a CMS like Sanity or Headless CMS solutions.Responsive & Accessible
Fully responsive layout with accessibility considerations in colour contrast, type sizing, and keyboard navigation.
The final product is a clean, content-first platform optimised for ease of discovery, credibility, and scale. I focused on a modular UI system powered by React.js, with clear visual hierarchy, editorial clarity, and intuitive filtering.
Key Highlights:
Homepage with dynamic startup grid
Designed to showcase a growing list of startups with filters for country, sector, and funding stage. Each card is compact but informative, with tagging for fast scannability.Startup Profile Pages
Each profile is designed like a mini case study — clean layout, strong typography, and space for key details: funding info, founding team, sector impact, and editorial summary.Spotlight Features
A dedicated section for curated stories and interviews, blending journalism with UX. These act as high-trust entries into deeper startup discovery.CMS-Ready Architecture
The system is designed to scale — with structured fields and reusable design components ready for integration with a CMS like Sanity or Headless CMS solutions.Responsive & Accessible
Fully responsive layout with accessibility considerations in colour contrast, type sizing, and keyboard navigation.
To capture the essence of trust and accessibility in hair restoration, we created a design that is user-friendly, informative, and engaging. Since finding reliable hair restoration information and professionals is the primary need for users, we ensured seamless navigation, clear expert insights, and easy access to real patient experiences. The design prioritizes transparency and ease of use, making it simple for users to connect with specialists and make informed decisions
Final Design
Reflection and Takeaways
Reflection and Takeaways
Building the African Startup Database gave me valuable experience in designing and launching a product from scratch in a fast-moving, underserved market. Key takeaways include:
Balancing design ambition with delivery speed: Working as both the designer and product owner, I had to prioritise ruthlessly — focusing on building a strong V1 with the features that would drive the most impact, while designing for future extensibility.
Designing for structured data and scale: Crafting a system that could support hundreds of startup entries, custom tags, and filters required careful consideration of content hierarchy, component reusability, and CMS integration.
Collaborating across roles: Although I led the project, I worked closely with content contributors, researchers, and developers — aligning design with real-world constraints and available resources.
Component-first thinking with React: Working in a React.js environment pushed me to think more modularly — designing UI components that were flexible, composable, and easy to maintain.
Building credibility into UX: In a space where trust is everything, I had to think beyond aesthetics — incorporating editorial cues, consistent formatting, and clear sourcing to reinforce trustworthiness.
Building the African Startup Database gave me valuable experience in designing and launching a product from scratch in a fast-moving, underserved market. Key takeaways include:
Balancing design ambition with delivery speed: Working as both the designer and product owner, I had to prioritise ruthlessly — focusing on building a strong V1 with the features that would drive the most impact, while designing for future extensibility.
Designing for structured data and scale: Crafting a system that could support hundreds of startup entries, custom tags, and filters required careful consideration of content hierarchy, component reusability, and CMS integration.
Collaborating across roles: Although I led the project, I worked closely with content contributors, researchers, and developers — aligning design with real-world constraints and available resources.
Component-first thinking with React: Working in a React.js environment pushed me to think more modularly — designing UI components that were flexible, composable, and easy to maintain.
Building credibility into UX: In a space where trust is everything, I had to think beyond aesthetics — incorporating editorial cues, consistent formatting, and clear sourcing to reinforce trustworthiness.
Developing Graft Guru highlighted the need for transparency, trust, and accessibility in hair restoration. We saw how misinformation, high costs, and limited resources create barriers for individuals seeking treatment. By fostering expert insights, real patient experiences, and open discussions, we bridged this gap and empowered users.
Key takeaways include the power of user-driven content, expert participation, and community support. Moving forward, we remain committed to expanding and enhancing the platform to better serve those on their hair restoration journey.
Reflection and Takeaways