From Scarcity to Scale

Daniel Maloba
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Entrepreneurship

From Scarcity to Scale is a podcast about what it really takes to build and back enduring ventures in Africa. Hosted by Daniel Maloba, the show goes beyond startup hype to explore the realities of entrepreneurship, investing, infrastructure, capital, trust, distribution, and scale across African markets. Each episode features candid conversations with founders, investors, operators, and ecosystem builders who are building from constraint, navigating imperfect systems, and turning scarcity into strategic advantage. Because Africa is not a smaller Silicon Valley. Scarcity changes the rules. Build from reality. Build to last.

Episodes

  1. 21 Jul

    Making Champagne on a Beer Budget | Wessel Myburgh on African Biotech

    Biotech founder Wessel Myburgh reveals what it really takes to build African deeptech with limited resources and why founders on the continent often have to make “champagne on a beer budget.” Wessel is the co-founder and CEO of Urobo Biotech, a South African biotech startup developing biological recycling technologies for bioplastics. Urobo is working on enzymatic and microbial processes that break down used bioplastics and convert them into higher-value products, including chemical products, biogas, and green energy. In this episode of From Scarcity to Scale, Wessel speaks about the reality of founder life, the funding gap facing African deeptech startups, the challenge of moving from university research to commercialisation, and why African founders often build with a level of grit and resourcefulness that global investors underestimate. This conversation also explores co-founder dynamics, investor bias, the pressure of fundraising, and why founder well-being matters when the company depends so heavily on the person building it. From Scarcity to Scale is a podcast about building and backing enduring ventures in Africa. Because scarcity changes the rules. Build from reality. Build to last. Chapters 00:00 The Reality of Being a Founder 03:05 Why Fundraising Is So Difficult 07:05 Why Investors Say Deeptech Is Too Early 08:56 The Missing Middle in Deeptech Funding 12:47 How African Biotech Compares Globally 17:11 Investor Bias and Building in Africa 18:46 What Urobo Biotech Actually Does 20:18 Is Anyone Else Doing This in Africa? 22:37 Bridging the Context Gap With Investors 24:02 The Grit of African Founders 28:49 Why Investors Chase Flashy Ideas 34:46 From Scientist to Biotech Founder 40:55 Why Co-Founders Matter 44:54 Ego, Equity and Founder Vesting 49:05 Choosing a Co-Founder Like a Life Partner 53:30 Founder Well-Being and the Cost of Hustle Culture 59:22 Built in Africa, For the World Listen to From Scarcity to Scale: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033MvCMpADBiJkCFvzOvT3 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id6789160442 Follow Wessel Myburgh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wessel-myburgh-20939525a/ Urobo Biotech: https://www.urobobiotech.com/ Pre-order the book — From Scarcity to Scale: https://forms.gle/ZzFWzWSKT5EwsE5Z7 Follow Daniel Maloba: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielmaloba/

  2. 9 Jul

    Building Biotech Where It’s Hard | Diego Castillo on Scaling Deeptech in Africa

    Today’s guest is Diego Castillo, PhD, co-founder and CTO of Biomine Health, a South African biotech company working at the frontier of microbiome science, personalised health, and deeptech commercialisation. Diego’s background sits at the intersection of genetics, microbiome research, metagenomics, and bioinformatics. Through Biomine, he is helping turn complex microbiome science into practical health tools, including at-home gut microbiome testing and personalised insights for South African consumers. But this conversation is not only about biotech. It is about what it takes to build a deeptech company from Africa, where capital is scarcer, the ecosystem is thinner, and founders are often forced to execute with fewer resources than their global counterparts. And that is exactly why Diego is such a fitting first guest for From Scarcity to Scale. In this episode, we talk about the journey from scientist to founder, the realities of building biotech in South Africa, why constraint can become an advantage, and what it means to commercialise science in a market that is still being built.

  • 2 Episodes

About

From Scarcity to Scale is a podcast about what it really takes to build and back enduring ventures in Africa. Hosted by Daniel Maloba, the show goes beyond startup hype to explore the realities of entrepreneurship, investing, infrastructure, capital, trust, distribution, and scale across African markets. Each episode features candid conversations with founders, investors, operators, and ecosystem builders who are building from constraint, navigating imperfect systems, and turning scarcity into strategic advantage. Because Africa is not a smaller Silicon Valley. Scarcity changes the rules. Build from reality. Build to last.

Information

  • Creator
    Daniel Maloba
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    2
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Daniel Maloba
  • Show Website
    From Scarcity to Scale