The Wimbart Way

The Wimbart Way
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The Wimbart Way is Wimbart’s original podcast series, created to mark the company’s 10th anniversary and document a decade of storytelling in African tech. Hosted by Wimbart Founder and CEO Jessica Hope, the show brings together founders, investors, operators, and media leaders for conversations on the business of storytelling, PR, and narrative building across the African tech ecosystem. Each episode offers an honest, high-level look at how strategic communications can shape outcomes for startups and scaleups, from launch through to growth, crisis, and beyond.

Episodes

  1. Jul 30

    What CNBC Africa Looks For in African Startup Stories | Kenneth Igbomor

    Kenneth Igbomor is an award-winning financial journalist, news anchor and television producer who spent over a decade at CNBC Africa, moving through the newsroom to become West Africa News Editor for Markets. His work has put him in conversation with founders, executives and decision-makers across the region, giving him a front-row view of how business stories get tested for television, what earns editorial attention, and where companies often fall short. Speaking with Jessica Hope during his time at CNBC Africa, Kenneth gets into what business media needs from African tech stories, why live TV exposes weak preparation quickly, how AI-written pitches can lose trust, and why crisis communications cannot wait until reputational damage has already started online. The conversation gets into: ◼️What CNBC Africa looks for in African startup and tech stories ◼️Why founders and senior leaders need media literacy before live TV ◼️How journalists spot AI-written pitches and empty PR language ◼️Why crisis comms planning should sit with leadership before the real pressure comes Watch the full conversation on The Wimbart Way. Follow Wimbart on Social Media: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wimbart/  X: https://x.com/Wimbart  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wimbartpr/

  2. Jul 2

    African Tech’s 99% Opportunity, Quiet Exits and Product Trust in Nigeria | Adia Sowho

    Adia Sowho has worked across some of the most important corners of African tech, from startups and corporate leadership to product, venture building and investment conversations. On The Wimbart Way, she joins Jessica Hope for a candid conversation on what founders, investors and operators often miss when they talk about building in African markets.The conversation moves between pitch decks, local trust, product design, exits, investor assumptions and the stories the ecosystem still struggles to tell. Adia brings an operator’s view to the gap between big market numbers and real customer behaviour, and explains why borrowed models often fail when they meet the realities of Nigeria and other African markets.She also discusses:◼️ Why Nigeria’s population should not be treated as automatic adoption◼️ What founders miss when competitor slides only show 1% of the market◼️ Why some African tech exits are happening quietly◼️ How trust, payment cycles and distribution change product design in NigeriaWatch the full conversation on The Wimbart Way.

  3. Jun 4

    How African Stories Make It Into the Financial Times | Aanu Adeoye

    Aanu Adeoye has spent the last decade reporting across Africa, with bylines and newsroom experience that include his work as an FT correspondent. In this conversation with Jessica Hope on The Wimbart Way, the former West Africa correspondent for the Financial Times talks honestly about what it actually takes for African stories to reach global publications - and why most pitches fail long before they ever reach the page. There’s also a candid look at the other side of his work: writing a book. That brings a different kind of pressure from daily journalism, especially around ego, criticism, time, and whether the work can stand on its own once it is out in the world. The conversation covers: ◼️How African stories get commissioned at the FT ◼️What useful pitching looks like from a journalist’s side ◼️Why editing, curiosity, and ego all sit inside good storytelling ◼️How authorship changes your relationship with critique Watch the full conversation on The Wimbart Way.

  4. May 14

    “Why Should Anyone Care?” The Test Most African Founders Get Wrong | Emeka Ajene

    Most founders can explain what they are building. Far fewer can explain why anyone outside their team, investors or family should care. That is the tension at the centre of this conversation with Emeka Ajene, founder of Afridigest and co-founder of Gozem. Emeka has sat on both sides of the table - first as a founder building across Francophone Africa, and now as a media operator thinking about how African tech is understood, covered and taken seriously. The conversation gets into the real work behind storytelling: not spin, not visibility for visibility’s sake, but the ability to give people enough context to understand why your company matters. We talk about: ◼️Why storytelling brought Emeka back to Africa ◼️How the media helped Gozem build credibility and open doors ◼️The question founders often avoid: “Why should anyone care?” ◼️The difference between being visible and being trusted ◼️AI-generated content, and why people can still tell when something feels off This is a conversation for founders, operators and investors thinking seriously about credibility, context and how African tech tells its own story. Watch the full episode and share what stood out.

  5. Apr 9

    Banking, Storytelling and the First Wave of Nigerian Fintech | Uzoma Dozie

    Uzoma Dozie doesn't describe himself as a banker. He "just worked in a bank" for 20 years - then built Sparkle MFB to do things differently. In this episode of #TheWimbartWay, Uzoma joins Jessica Hope to talk about storytelling, digital banking, and the early days of Nigerian fintech. He reflects on Diamond Bank, Sparkle, Tech Turks, and why the best stories come from customers, not the brand itself. He looks back on Tech Turks and Diamond Bank’s early support for founders, including his memories of engaging with Paystack early. Long before people started calling it this, he was using media as market research - learning directly from entrepreneurs while giving them a bigger platform. In this conversation, we discuss ◼️ Storytelling as a tool for simplifying complexity, changing minds, and carrying people with you ◼️ Tech Turks, Paystack, and the early days of Nigerian fintech visibility ◼️ Why “media as market research” mattered for Diamond Bank ◼️ Why products fail when they are useful but do not solve a real problem for an addressable market ◼️ Why customer stories are more compelling than anything a brand can say about itself ◼️ Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzV7cDySEo8 Read the full blog here: https://wimbart.com/https-wimbart-com-no-journey-no-story-uzoma-dozie-on-storytelling-sparkle-and-early-nigerian-tech/ Follow Wimbart on social media:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wimbart/  X: https://x.com/Wimbart  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wimbartpr/

  6. Mar 17

    The New Rules of African Tech: Storytelling, Trust & Due Diligence | Dr Omobola Johnson (TLCOM)

    Dr. Omobola Johnson has seen African tech from every angle. From her time as Nigeria’s Minister of Communication Technology to her current role as Senior Partner at TLcom Capital, she’s backed founders for over a decade - and seen what separates the ones who scale from the ones who stall. In this episode of The Wimbart Way, Omobola pulls back the curtain on the less visible side of venture capital. She explains why TLCOM pays attention to a founder’s digital footprint, why investors look for signs of a team [not just a headline founder], and why she - as a trained engineer and consultant - had to rethink what she believed about storytelling. If you’re fundraising, building a team, or navigating a crisis, this conversation will sharpen your thinking about communications. What we get into: How TLCOM uses media for deal flow - and why being “media shy” can become a brand riskSocial media as founder due diligence - what your posts signal over a 5-year partnershipWhy investors want evidence of a team - not only a “star founder”Why storytelling is a survival skill, not a “soft” oneRead the full blog on why we interviewed Omobola: https://wimbart.com/dr-omobola-johnson-on-storytelling-governance-and-the-maturation-of-african-venture-capital/ Follow Wimbart on Social Media: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wimbart/X: https://x.com/WimbartInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/wimbartpr/

  7. Feb 12

    African Tech PR Reality Check - What TechCrunch Covers and Why (feat. Tage Kene-Okafor)

    African tech PR is full of shortcuts that simply don't work. This is a no-nonsense look at how the industry actually operates from someone who spent years on the receiving end of those pitches.When we filmed this, Tage Kene-Okafor was TechCrunch’s Africa reporter. Now that he has moved into comms, the principles discussed here are even more relevant - he now has to live by the same standards he once held founders & PR folks to.Tage and Jessica Hope break down what really happens between "sending an announcement" and a story going live. They discuss editor approvals, fact-checking, and why a press release is just the start of the process. Tage also explains why asking a journalist “how much to pay for coverage?” is the fastest way to get blacklisted.We discuss:◼️ Why TechCrunch doesn't just copy and paste press releases.◼️ How editors decide which stories to "greenlight" (and why they are saying "no" more often).◼️ The specific pitching mistakes that founders keep making.◼️Why local media often provides better results and more depth for African startups.◼️Why AI tools can't replace the relationship-building side of PR.

  8. Jan 22

    Tomiwa Aladekomo | Building Big Cabal Media and the Media Business Behind It

    African tech media is usually described from the outside. This time, it’s explained by the person who actually runs one of its biggest newsrooms. In this episode of The Wimbart Way, Tomiwa Aladekomo, CEO of Big Cabal Media, pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to build a modern business in African tech - keeping investors patient, experimenting with products and events, and dealing with founders when coverage doesn’t go their way.  Tomiwa runs one of Africa’s most influential digital media groups, home to TechCabal and Zikoko. Under his leadership, TechCabal has become a central reference point for the African tech ecosystem, while Zikoko has helped define a distinct online space for a new generation of Africans.  In this conversation, he doesn’t romanticise the job. Instead, he talks about why his role often turns into  “unhappiness management” when stories land badly, and why being “editorial first” and “relentlessly commercial” is the only way a media house can survive in African markets. He also discusses: The mechanics of building a pan-African media business when margins are thin. How Big Cabal Media experiments with products and events.  How Tomiwa “talks founders off the ledge” when coverage lands badly. How TechCabal is growing a pan-African footprint, including its next market. Follow Wimbart on Social Media: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wimbart/ X: https://x.com/Wimbart Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wimbartpr/

  9. 12/11/2025

    Iyin “E” Aboyeji | The Blueprint for Unicorn Storytelling, the End of the “Curated Founder” & African Tech Press Is Over

    African tech’s ultimate storyteller breaks down the dark arts behind building the narrative of three unicorns. He argues that the tech press is over, the traditional media business model is broken, and that a "screaming headline" is the only way to align investors, talent, and markets. Iyinoluwa “E” Aboyeji is a Partner at Future Africa and a co-founder of three of Africa’s most significant tech companies: Andela, Flutterwave and Moove. He also reflects on his storytelling graveyard - where not every idea or angle made it to unicorn status.  A public figure known for his bold conviction, E has spent over a decade pushing uncomfortable questions into public view, using storytelling to frame ideas that others might shy away from. In this conversation, he doesn’t dodge the controversies he’s been involved in; instead, he unpacks what they taught him about audience intelligence, trust and the limits of “manicure PR”. He also discusses: ◼️ Why storytelling is “infrastructure” and how it determines who gets funded ◼️ The controversial truth about the state of African media and journalism ◼️ Why founders can no longer hide their lack of depth behind a PR machine ◼️ How to create a bar of excellence that competitors cannot match Download the full episode.  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6HDsfUJyVxKZwrqkuk0AsR  Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-wimbart-way/id1860019526  Read the full blog on why we interviewed E: https://wimbart.com/thinking-in-headlines-iyin-aboyeji-on-story-scale-and-conviction/ Follow Wimbart on Social Media: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wimbart/  X: https://x.com/Wimbart  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wimbartpr/

    Iyin “E” Aboyeji | The Blueprint for Unicorn Storytelling, the End of the “Curated Founder” & African Tech Press Is Over

  10. Season 1 Trailer

    Iyin ‘E’ Aboyeji : "Tech Press Is Over"

    Iyin ‘E’ Aboyeji, Partner at Future Africa, doesn't mince his words. He argues that the ecosystem's media platforms have devolved into "press release machines" that fail to hold the attention of modern readers - or plugged-in investors. His advice to founders? Stay off the news cycle. Build your own platform. Don't share a page with scandal. It is a searing critique of the landscape - delivered with the irony that only E can offer, given his own stake in the ecosystem’s biggest media platform. Is he right - or is the model just evolving? New Episode dropping soon #TheWimbartWay #MediaBusiness #AfricanStartups #TechCabal #FutureAfrica #AfricanTech

Trailer

About

The Wimbart Way is Wimbart’s original podcast series, created to mark the company’s 10th anniversary and document a decade of storytelling in African tech. Hosted by Wimbart Founder and CEO Jessica Hope, the show brings together founders, investors, operators, and media leaders for conversations on the business of storytelling, PR, and narrative building across the African tech ecosystem. Each episode offers an honest, high-level look at how strategic communications can shape outcomes for startups and scaleups, from launch through to growth, crisis, and beyond.

Information

  • Creator
    The Wimbart Way
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    10
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © The Wimbart Way
  • Show Website
    The Wimbart Way