Building a Path to ScaleDeveloping a Growth Framework forHigh-Impact African Ventures

This insight report examines the critical knowledge and resource-related challenges faced by high-growth firms in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Rwanda. Leveraging contextual insights from ScaleUp Nation’s Scale Diagnostics Report, the Argidius Foundation’s SCALE Toolkit, and expert literature, it proposes a pathway toward a framework designed to support the growth of African ventures while enhancing the effectiveness of entrepreneur support organizations (ESOs), informed by advisory insights from ScaleUp Nation.

Our findings are underpinned by a robust evidence-based and data-driven approach, offering actionable insights for stakeholders across the entrepreneurial ecosystem. By applying these findings, ESOs and other ecosystem enablers can adopt a more demand-driven, adaptable model to enhance their support for African ventures, thereby unlocking the growth potential of high-impact businesses across the continent.

This report underscores the importance of a structured, data-driven approach to supporting high-growth ventures across Africa. By prioritising the outlined recommendations for ESOs, policymakers, and ventures, stakeholders can build a robust ecosystem poised to drive impactful, sustainable growth. A customised (and fully contextualised) digital ecosystem platform, such as ScaleUp Global, with AI features, can further strengthen foundations, enhancing connectivity, resource allocation, and knowledge support for growth ventures.