![\"Sponsored](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fintech-Mixer.jpg\")
<\/a> Sponsored<\/p>\nOver the years, I\u2019ve had several ideas, some of which I never got around to executing, but I always knew that one day I\u2019d go all in on building something of my own. Running those e-commerce businesses eventually inspired the idea for Midddleman. At some point, we decided it was time to shut everything else down and focus fully on building it.<\/p>\n
What do you know now about building in African fintech that you didn\u2019t know two or three years ago?<\/p>\n
I think the first surprise for me has been how tough it still is to raise money here. When the whole funding winter started two or three years ago, no one thought it would drag on this long. I definitely didn\u2019t expect that by the time I was ready to build, I\u2019d still be facing the same challenges founders have been talking about for years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The second thing would be realising that there are still ideas our market just isn\u2019t ready for. And that can be really surprising; it\u2019s 2025, and there are concepts that have already come and gone in other parts of the world, yet here, the market is still not prepared for them.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s your approach to hiring and building a team?<\/p>\n
For us, the approach has always started with our network. I\u2019m not sure if that\u2019s unconventional, but we\u2019ve mostly worked with people we\u2019ve collaborated with in the past. So, the early team, our founding team, was made up of people we already knew and trusted. We\u2019d just reach out and say, \u2018Hey, we\u2019re building something new. Want to be part of it?\u2019 But over time, something really great started happening; people we didn\u2019t know began reaching out because they loved what we were building. They\u2019d pitch themselves, we\u2019d have a conversation, and if it made sense, they\u2019d join the team. So it\u2019s been this mix of pulling from our immediate network and building something that genuinely attracts people who want to be part of it.<\/p>\n
Because of how we bring people in, cultural fit becomes just as important as technical skills. Apart from hard skills, one of the biggest things I look for is teamwork. It\u2019s something we take seriously; everyone needs to be able to get along and collaborate well. The second thing would be adaptability. In the startup world, things move fast. New technologies, new directions\u2014it\u2019s a lot. And humans, by nature, resist change. Most people prefer to stick with what they are familiar with. So I really value team members who are open to change and can move quickly when things shift. That mindset makes a huge difference.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s something that looked like a small decision at the time but ended up having a big effect on your career?<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t know if I\u2019d call it a small decision, but looking back, one of the most impactful things I did was choosing to be more vocal about my work, just putting myself out there, especially on LinkedIn. That single decision changed my life significantly. It helped me build credibility in my field and made the transition into working on Midddleman full-time a lot smoother. People already saw me as someone who knew what she was doing, and that opened up opportunities; speaking engagements, collaborations, and even customer acquisition.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s interesting because we actually ask users how they found Middleman, and without any incentives, around 10% say it was through referrals. I genuinely believe a big part of that comes from my co-founder and I consistently talking about what we\u2019re building. Even when the people seeing our posts aren\u2019t our direct customers, they often know someone who needs what we\u2019re offering, and they refer us. So being visible and vocal has had a compounding effect.\u201d<\/p>\n
What app do you secretly wish you had built?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s going to be Canva. I just love the company. They\u2019re incredibly innovative, and I really admire that. Plus, it\u2019s even more inspiring knowing a woman founded it.<\/p>\n
What has been your lowest moment building Midddleman, and what pulled you through?<\/p>\n
I think one of the toughest moments was really early on, even before the product launched. Maybe I wouldn\u2019t call it a low point exactly, but it was definitely frustrating. Since my co-founder and I are non-technical, we had to hire engineers to build the product. The first person took our money and delayed us for months. We had to get a refund and find someone else, but that experience pretty much repeated itself. It was a really tough process. Eventually, we found someone willing to join as part of the team, not just a freelancer you pay and move on. That made all the difference, but those early struggles were definitely challenging.<\/p>\n
Have you encountered any challenges or biases as a female founder?<\/p>\n
I wouldn\u2019t say I\u2019ve faced direct bias. It\u2019s not like a VC will come out and say, \u2018We\u2019re not giving you money because you\u2019re female.\u2019 It doesn\u2019t work that way. You\u2019ll usually get other types of feedback or reasons why they\u2019re not backing the idea. Personally, I haven\u2019t had anyone tell me outright that my gender was the issue.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That said, I\u2019ve been intentional about approaching VCs that are more female-friendly. These days, there are firms that specifically back female-led teams, or at least require there to be a woman on the founding team. I tend to lean towards those, as well as grant opportunities that are designed to support female founders.<\/p>\n