The KASAMA® experience
Build commercial strength.
Stay true to your purpose.
Learn directly from your ideal customers, strengthen your leadership and act with confidence at make-or-break moments, with accomplished people beside you. Join a community that wants your company and its purpose to succeed.
01 / Commercial traction
Test product-market fit.
Expand the pipeline.
12 weeks + a growing network of customers
Purpose brought you here. Commercial traction helps you protect it.
Test your business model and product-market fit by learning directly from your ideal customers. We help you reach the people who might use, buy or distribute your product, and turn what you learn into commercial traction.
Reach relevant people.
Work on introductions to potential users, buyers and channel partners. Clarify who feels the problem, who pays and how you can reach them.
Learn what changes the business.
Prepare useful questions, stress-test your assumptions and review what you heard. Use the evidence to improve your product, pricing and business model, then test again.
The work in practice
A B2B founder tests the offer with people who own the budget. A consumer founder explores demand, conversion and repeat purchase. The evidence should match your company and its stage.
Paid use, conversion and repeat business build a stronger commercial case. Together, we work towards that evidence.
02 / Leadership
Lead with confidence.
Build a culture people believe in.
12 weeks + mentors beside you for three years
Build a culture where people take pride in the work and are committed to the company’s success.
Connect daily work to purpose, give people clear responsibilities and earn their trust. We help you strengthen your ability to hire, manage and lead through good times and difficult ones.
Choose and support the right people.
Think through roles, hiring, compensation and delegation. Decide where people, AI or a combination can do the work well, with clear responsibility.
Handle the hard conversations.
Prepare for feedback, performance concerns, co-founder disagreements and changing responsibilities. Build trust through clarity and fair treatment.
The work in practice
You can no longer make every decision yourself. Work out what to delegate, what good performance looks like and how to give your team room to take ownership.
03 / Capital choices
Become a chooser
of capital.
12 weeks + a mission-aligned investor network through next rounds
Build the evidence and relationships that give you more choice in how you finance and grow.
Commercial progress strengthens your position. Understanding the available financing paths helps you judge which ones fit your company, your purpose and the next stage of work.
Know what each path asks of you.
Explore customer revenue, grants, suitable debt and equity. Understand the implications for ownership, control, timing and growth expectations.
Meet investors early.
Build relationships with investors who care about your purpose as well as returns. Learn what evidence they need and whether your expectations fit.
The work in practice
Investor feedback reveals a gap in your commercial case. Work out what needs to be demonstrated next, which capital sources fit and whether now is the right time to raise.
04 / Decide with confidence
Stress-test your choices.
Decide with confidence.
12 weeks to three years, in the moment it matters
Learn your options and their consequences from people who have been through it.
Draw on exited founders, operators, investors and experts at the moment their experience matters. Test the assumptions behind your choices, examine the trade-offs and act on make-or-break decisions with confidence.
You make the decision. The people beside you know your company, its context and the journey that brought you here.
Nine make-or-break moments.
01The co-founder relationship
Roles, ownership or direction become a source of tension. Work through expectations, decision responsibilities and the conversation you need to have.
02Hiring with limited cash
You need someone strong, but cannot match their salary. Weigh the role, compensation options, ownership consequences and alternatives for getting the work done.
03Your own capacity
Time, health or confidence are stretched. Reassess priorities, delegation and the support you need to keep leading well.
04A term sheet with strings attached
The money comes with changes to decision rights or pressure on your timeline. Understand the terms, the consequences and your other financing paths.
05A customer who changes the roadmap
A large contract could reshape the product. Weigh the revenue against delivery demands and the company you are trying to build.
06A high performer who hurts the team
The output is strong, but others are struggling. Work through feedback, boundaries and the leadership decision in front of you.
07Growth that tests your purpose
A tactic improves the numbers but conflicts with how you want to treat customers. Explore ways to grow that you can stand behind.
08A decision to reduce the team
Cash and people’s livelihoods are both at stake. Think through alternatives, timing and how to act responsibly, with appropriate specialist advice.
09An acquisition offer
An offer creates different possibilities for founders, employees and investors. Understand what each path could mean for the company and its purpose.
These are examples, not a fixed sequence. We stay connected so the right conversation can happen when the situation arises.
05 / A trusted community
People you can be
honest with.
People you’re glad to see.
12 weeks + three years + for life
You should have people to call when the company is difficult to lead and the purpose is difficult to hold.
Your home cohort is the beginning of an ever-growing community of peers, exited founders, investors, operators and mentors. Accomplished people who give their time and experience generously, open doors and care about what you are trying to do.
Care and candor.
Share doubts, compare experiences and celebrate progress with people who understand the journey. Bring your own experience, make useful introductions and help others move forward.
Shared experiences.
Come back together in person every year to re-energize your mission. Make room for learning, laughter and shared experiences that grow into lasting friendships.
A community that keeps growing
As new cohorts join, the community gains experience, relationships and new perspectives. Three years of support gives those connections time to deepen. Your place in the community continues beyond the programme.
For founders uncompromising about their purpose
Build what you believe in.
Let’s talk about how.
Tell us what you’re building, who benefits and where you would value people beside you.
Twelve weeks begin a three-year relationship. Participation involves equity; we’ll discuss the arrangements, format and terms in the first conversation, before you decide.