Why Most African Startups Fail Before Their First User (And How to Avoid It)
The hardest truth about the African startup scene isn’t the funding gap or infrastructure. It’s that most ventures die in the dark before a single paying customer ever experiences the product. A 2025 report by the African Venture Capital Association highlighted a sobering statistic: while investment flows have increased, up to 70% of funded African tech startups still fail to achieve sustainable product-market fit. The real failure rate for the vast, unfunded majority is presumed to be far higher, with most disappearing during the silent, pre-launch “build phase.” ...