The Founder Files

Get ready to learn from an extremely accomplished entrepreneur who is in the business of building successful businesses. Allon Raiz is the founder and CEO of Raizcorp, an incubator that is focused of growing entrepreneurs in all life cycle stages, they offer programs from pre-entrepreneurial education right through to scaling. In this episode we get into why Raizcorp has been labelled the only genuine incubator in Africa by The Economist and what they do different to other incubators, with some talk about the industry as a whole. You get to hear Allon's approach to building an offer that was truly scalable and could be backed with a guarantee, as well as his approach to forming strategic partnerships. Allon shares his rocky start with entrepreneurship and how a lot of it was based on luck and intuition. Enjoy this episode filled with strategy and mindset principles that anyone can apply for success! --- This episode is brought to you by Metavolve. Metavolve turns highly capable African founders into confident business leaders by helping them develop clear and comprehensive business strategies that make building a great sustainable business less complex. Reach out to our team to learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://metavolve.co/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ --- To support The Founder Files: 🔔 Follow The Founder Files EVERYWHERE ⭐ Leave a review right here 💭 Share your thoughts on Linkedin and tag Cameron Coutts ---------- 00:00 Introduction 02:21 Welcomes 03:05 What is Raizcorp? 05:17 Raizcorp’s Model As An Incubator 14:00 Raizcorp’s Different Divisions 21:59 What Other Incubators Do Wrong 27:14 The Problem With The African VC Market 36:15 Starting An Incubator Without LP’s 45:26 Brought To You By Metavolve 46:49 Initial Growth of Raizcorp 51:12 Starting At Market Positioning vs Margin 55:17 Next Steps To Unlocking Growth 58:50 How Allon’s Reputation Helped Growth 1:04:26 Reading & Getting A Mentor 1:08:59 What Allon Got Right From The Get Go 1:14:08 Managing A Complex & Demanding Career 1:21:51 Strategic Partnerships 1:31:15 How To Stay Focused And Say No To Opportunities 1:35:29 What’s Next For Allon? 1:37:13 Would Allon Ever Sell Raizcorp? 1:38:09 Outro

When social impact meets entrepreneurship, you get something beautiful. Motion Ads has done just that. This week Jon Berkowitz and Elan Band join me to share insights about their business, that provides delivery drivers with extra income by turning them into moving billboards. We talk about the struggles in starting a business around a concept that didn’t exist before and the challenges in building trust with drivers and brands. We also cover their 0 - 1 journey, and how they almost went bankrupt but secured an enterprise client just in time! Get behind the scenes insights into how they built out their operations and tech stack to scale to 7 different cities, and learn how they landed a partnership with Uber and what that unlocked for them. There is lots to learn in this inspiring episode, with two passionate co-founders whose business is making a difference in South Africa! --- This episode is brought to you by Metavolve. Metavolve turns highly capable African founders into confident business leaders by helping them develop clear and comprehensive business strategies that make building a great sustainable business less complex. Reach out to our team to learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://metavolve.co/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ --- To support The Founder Files: 🔔 Follow The Founder Files EVERYWHERE ⭐ Leave a review right here 💭 Share your thoughts on Linkedin and tag Cameron Coutts ---------- 0:00 Introduction 2:25 Welcomes 3:10 More About Motions Ads 5:07 What Does Scale Up Mean To You? 10:12 Founding Story 20:05 Billboard vs Motion Ads 23:53 Getting Permission From Uber 26:57 0 - 1 Journey 33:10 Where It Started vs Now 35:38 Landing The First Large Corporate Client 44:55 Expanding To Cape Town 47:33 Managing Multiple Locations 52:23 Brought To You By Metavolve 53:46 Developing Scalable Operations 59:57 Building Out Effective Governance 1:16:51 Keeping The Product Desirable On The Road 1:22:27 Removing Founders From Operations 1:27:25 Scaling The Team 1:31:27 Building The Tech With No Investment 1:37:40 Landing A Partnership With Uber Eats 1:44:06 What's Next For Jon & Elan? 1:47:28 Unique Element Of Running A Business In South Africa 1:49:55 Running A Business With A Partner 1:51:13 Outro

Are you working hard enough? A question this episode is guaranteed to make you ask yourself! It's an honour to welcome Thomas Pays. Thomas is the co-founder of Ozow, the South African market leader for account to account transactions. Thomas takes us through the founding story of Ozow and the dark times he endured in the first 2 years. Although he thinks the company is still in infancy, he highlights the companies impressive growth to an 8 figure monthly revenue, but also how far they still have to go. Find out how people and culture has played a significant role in the success of Ozow and how Thomas created a powerful environment for his people to thrive. We also cover what pillars he had in place that allowed for Ozow's growth, having engagements with 296 VC's, and how it led to investments from the best. Enjoy this episode filled with valuable insights into what it takes to be the best. --- This episode is brought to you by Metavolve. Metavolve turns highly capable African founders into confident business leaders by helping them develop clear and comprehensive business strategies that make building a great sustainable business less complex. Reach out to our team to learn more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://metavolve.co/⁠⁠⁠⁠ --- To support The Founder Files: 🔔 Follow The Founder Files EVERYWHERE ⭐ Leave a review right here 💭 Share your thoughts on Linkedin and tag Cameron Coutts 00:00 Intro 02:23 Welcomes 02:48 Ozow's Business Model 03:24 Where Is Ozow In Terms Of Scale? 07:05 Ozow's Founding Story 11:34 Journey To Product Market Fit 19:13 Rebranding From i-pay to Ozow 24:50 The Very Dark First 2 Years 38:00 Growth After Finding Product Market Fit 44:50 Brought To You By Metavolve 46:13 The Potential Of Ozow 51:40 The Importance Of Partnerships 56:27 Human Capital & Culture 1:25:31 Investments & What They Unlocked For The Business 1:32:35 What Pushes Thomas To Work So Hard 1:35:50 Outro

This week, we are thrilled to welcome, Luke Jedeikin and Claude Hanan, the founders of Superbalist and Bash, two extremely well known South African e-commerce businesses. They take us through the journey of Superbalist, discussing its inception, growth to an impressive 1 billion rand per year, and eventual exit. We also delve into the personal challenges they faced when they left a high-performing business just as hard lockdown began, leaving them with little to do, and how the situation forced them to confront their identities. They take us through the genius strategy of Bash, how it came to be and the ambitious plans they have, not only for the business, but for the South African retail industry as a whole. Tune in for an e-commerce master class filled with actionable advice and valuable takeaways. --- This episode is brought to you by Metavolve. Metavolve turns highly capable African founders into confident business leaders by helping them develop clear and comprehensive business strategies that make building a great sustainable business less complex. Reach out to our team to learn more: ⁠⁠⁠https://metavolve.co/⁠⁠⁠ --- To support The Founder Files: 🔔 Follow The Founder Files EVERYWHERE ⭐ Leave a review right here 💭 Share your thoughts on Linkedin and tag Cameron Coutts 00:00 Intro 02:07 Welcomes 02:34 Superbalist's Business Model 05:22 How Claude & Luke Became Business Partners 13:46 0 - 1 Journey of Superbalist 38:25 Joining The Takealot Group 48:45 From Founders To Employees 57:25 Lessons From Superbalist's Growth 1:06:30 Brought To You By Metavolve 1:07:53 Exiting Superbalist Straight Into Lockdown 1:28:20 Journey Of Bash 1:44:52 The Strategy Of Bash 1:52:18 What Does The Future Look Like For Luke & Claude 1:55:18 Taking Notes From Brazil's Retail Market 2:02:20 Outro

This week we welcome Melvyn Lubega, Co-Founder of go1, an L&D business valued at over 2 billion dollars! We begin by exploring Melvyn's journey, delving into the source of his strong drive and ambition. We then talk about his experience at Y Combinator, one of Silicon Valley's top accelerators. Throughout this episode, Melvyn offers valuable insights on B2B sales, the importance of growth through partnerships, and finding the balance between product-driven and sales-driven growth. This episode, packed with essential topics for any B2B business, is one you won't want to miss. --- This episode is brought to you by Metavolve. Metavolve turns highly capable African founders into confident business leaders by helping them develop clear and comprehensive business strategies that make building a great sustainable business less complex. Reach out to our team to learn more: ⁠⁠https://metavolve.co/⁠⁠ --- To support The Founder Files: 🔔 Follow The Founder Files EVERYWHERE ⭐ Leave a review right here 💭 Share your thoughts on Linkedin and tag Cameron Coutts 00:00 Introduction 02:08 Welcomes 02:27 What Is go1? 03:10 Founding Journey 12:14 Zero To One Journey 16:23 The Source Of Melvyn's Ambition 25:45 Melvyn's Experience At Y Combinator 36:18 When Is The Zero To One Journey Over? 41:06 go1's Value Proposition 49:45 Brought To You By Metavolve 51:07 Post Zero To One Journey Growth Strategy 55:24 Melvyn's Unique Approach To Cold Outreach 1:03:44 Building A Stellar Sales Team 1:09:15 Competitors To Partners 1:17:38 Sharing Priorities Between The Leadership Team 1:22:50 Journey Of Building Partnerships 1:28:49 Other Growth Strategies Melvyn Employed 1:33:07 Scaling The Product 1:35:05 Teams & Culture 1:42:16 What Questions Do YOU Have For Melvyn? 1:43:04 Melvyn's Main Focus Right Now & Moving Forward 1:48:03 Why Melvyn Chooses To Stay In South Africa 1:49:36 Outro

Ever been frustrated with the complexities of legal tasks in your startup? This episode is for you. This week we welcome Patrick Rogers, co-founder and CEO of Clara, who is transforming legal services for startups. Patrick’s journey from corporate lawyer to startup founder highlights the need for accessible legal solutions tailored for venture-backed businesses. While sharing how Clara went from an idea to a global enterprise, Patrick discusses why founders should deeply care about the problems they aim to solve and make transparency with customers a fundamental principle. The episode also explores how to simplify complex legal frameworks and the benefits of registering businesses internationally. You'll hear about the strategic value of legal expertise, the power of robust networks and partnerships, and the intricacies of scaling a business across multiple countries. Tune in now! Patrick’s insights provide practical advice for navigating the legal landscape and aiming for growth. --- This episode is brought to you by Metavolve. Metavolve is a team of focused experts committed to helping entrepreneurs like you scale their businesses successfully. Reach out to our team to learn more: https://metavolve.co/ --- To support The Founder Files: 🔔 Subscribe and turn post notifications on ⭐ Leave a comment to let us know your thoughts 💭 Share your thoughts on Linkedin and tag Cameron Coutts 🔗 Connect with Patrick: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/progers1/ 🔗 Connect with Cameron: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefounderfilespodcast/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameron-metavolve/ --- 00:00 Intro 02:55 Welcomes 03:28 What is Clara? 05:26 Patrick's Background 08:18 Productising Legal Services 13:00 First Year of Clara 20:54 Clara's First Few Customers 24:03 Initial Team and Key Roles 28:54 Being Transparent During Building 31:50 Patrick's Unique Approach To Being A First Time Founder 36:20 Clara's Fundraising 39:57 Founder Passion For The Business 45:58 Brought To You By Metavolve 47:20 Getting Into Techstars Accelerator 50:56 Learnings From Techstars 53:53 How Techstars Accelerated Clara's Growth 57:50 Post-Techstars Growth 1:04:49 Partnerships & Networking 1:14:50 Acquiring A Business As A Start-Up 1:19:55 Making The Product Sticky 1:25:00 Geographical Expansion 1:32:43 Future Of Clara 1:34:04 Significance Of Dubai 1:36:17 Outro

This week, we welcome Mike Scott, a seasoned entrepreneur and founder of NONA digital (acquired by Yoco) to The Founder Files. He shares his practical lessons from his impressive career and personal growth journey. Tune in as we discuss: - The psychology of entrepreneurship - How Mike's past has shaped his identity - Survival mindset of a first-time founder - Mistakes Mike made in his first business - How Mike scaled NONA Digital - The importance of market positioning - What it was like to be acquired

A lot has changed since we last had Christiaan van den Berg from JOBJACK on the podcast! In this episode, Christiaan returns to share their impressive journey from pre-product market fit to scaling a successful SaaS business. In just a year, JOBJACK, now a leading recruitment platform in South Africa, has attracted over 3 million users, raised significant funding, and doubled their team. To understand how they did it, we get into: How JobJack found their traction and selected winning markets. The secrets behind creating a great user experience. Identifying repeatable value propositions for sustainable growth Approaching investment rounds and securing a 45 million rand pre-series A round Building a robust leadership team and scaling operations Balancing personal life with being a founder With practical insights on investment, leadership, and operational scaling, this episode is packed with actionable advice for entrepreneurs in South Africa. Tune in now! --- This episode is brought to you by Metavolve. Metavolve turns highly capable African founders into confident business leaders by helping them develop clear and comprehensive business strategies that make building a great sustainable business less complex. Reach out to our team to learn more: ⁠⁠⁠https://metavolve.co/⁠⁠⁠ --- To support The Founder Files: 🔔 Follow The Founder Files EVERYWHERE ⭐ Leave a review right here 💭 Share your thoughts on this episode with your network

In this episode, we welcome Paul Cook, the co-founder and managing director of Silvertree Brands. Join Cameron as he dives into Paul's incredible journey of building not just one, but a portfolio of purpose-driven, direct-to-consumer, and niche e-commerce businesses. Listen as they discuss: The innovative strategies behind Silvertree Brands' growth and portfolio selection Lessons learned from good and bad business models The critical importance of customer experience in scaling a business Transitions founders face when merging with larger groups The founder to CEO journey and founder exits Tune in for an engaging and insightful conversation filled with actionable takeaways and personal growth experiences. --- This episode is brought to you by Metavolve. Metavolve turns highly capable African founders into confident business leaders by helping them develop clear and comprehensive business strategies that make building a great sustainable business less complex. Reach out to our team to learn more: ⁠⁠https://metavolve.co/⁠⁠ --- To support The Founder Files: 🔔 Follow The Founder Files EVERYWHERE ⭐ Leave a review right here 💭 Share your thoughts on LinkedIn and tag Cameron Coutts

In this episode, Steve Uria, the founder of SWEAT1000 & Switch Playground recounts his journey from Cape Town to New York, sharing key lessons and missteps in scaling a business internationally. From conducting due diligence on a napkin to navigating the complexities of franchising, Steve's candid story provides a roadmap for entrepreneurs looking to make a global impact Fuelled by passion and a relentless pursuit of wellness, Steve's story is not just about scaling a business—it’s about building a lifestyle that reaches across borders. Tune in for an unmissable blend of inspiration, practical advice, and the raw realities of entrepreneurship. ---- This episode is brought to you by Metavolve. Metavolve turns highly capable African founders into confident business leaders by helping them develop clear and comprehensive business strategies that make building a great sustainable business less complex. Reach out to our team to learn more: ⁠https://metavolve.co/⁠ --- To support The Founder Files: 🔔 Follow The Founder Files EVERYWHERE ⭐ Leave a review right here 💭 Share your thoughts on Linkedin and tag Cameron Coutts