The BIG5D Podcast is supported by The 2025 BigFive Summit Sponsors
We again want to extend our thanks to the amazing group of companies that supported the 2025 BigFive Summit in Cape Town.
The Summit’s supporters include Premium Sponsor Absa Group, as well as Dialog, NSPYRE, Networds, AfriGIS, and Pragmattica Digital Consulting. We also extend sincere thanks to Vendasta, Telkom, and Realm Digital for their support.
Stay tuned for announcements regarding future BigFive Digital initiatives, including the 2026 BigFive Summit in Cape Town.
Welcome to Episode 55 of the BIG5D Podcast, a production of BigFive Digital and the Africa B2B Tech Report.
For this episode, we once again turn to the May 2025 BigFive Summit in Cape Town for another great conversation about tech and business in Africa.
This conversation, recorded at Innovation City Cape Town on 6 May 2025, features a panel on “Go to Market Strategies for SMEs” led by BigFive Summit Co-host Amanda Louw-Bester (Pragmattica Consulting).
The panel features three entrepreneurs who have seen it all and can at the very least steer small business founders away from obvious mistakes in the early stages of their business journey.
The panelists offer a wide array of insights for founders on everything from tactics to avoid to tactics not to overlook, especially in a business's early stages.
The panelists joining Amanda are Bernadene Appalsamy, Ledger Leap; Timukudze Shoko, Umlilo Energy; and Remi du Preez, Polygon.
Show Clip: Advice for Early-Stage SMEs
Episode 55 Timestamps
Here are time markers for some of the highlights of our conversation with Lucie, Egla, and Thapelo. We encourage you to listen to the full podcast (or watch it on YouTube). However, if you prefer to skip around, these timestamps offer a good sense of what these tech leaders had to say about what it takes to truly support African startups.
Most commonly overlooked GTM strategies for SMEs {04:32}
Advise on building the SME tech stack {13:11}
How to solicit customer feedback {23:22}
GTM mistakes we have made {24:40}
The role of tech in reaching underserved markets {29:33}
Would you prefer to watch this conversation on our YouTube channel? Here it is.
Sponsored Message
Recommended Reading
The following is an aggregation and curation of recent, relevant news and analysis from around Africa, the Middle East, and the world related to B2B tech, digital marketing, small business, startup life, venture funding, M&A, and more.
For 8th July 2025
Are AI and GenZ Making a Cashless Future Inevitable for Africa?
What Role Will Stablecoins Play in Africa’s Future?
Flutterwave Relaunches Send App in US
Africa’s Data Center Industry to Grow by 17.5% Over the Next Year
Nigeria Plans to Digitally Upskill 10K Youth by 2027
Ecobank, Google Cloud Partner to Advance Financial Inclusion
About the BIG5D Podcast
The BIG5D Podcast is a weekly podcast featuring in-depth conversations about tech and business in Africa with the leaders who are building, investing in, or taking to market the digital products and services designed to make the continent’s businesses more successful.
This podcast is a BigFive Digital and Africa B2B Tech Report production. The podcast is produced and hosted by BigFive Digital Chief Content Officer Charles Laughlin.
The BIG5D Podcast has a clear ambition. By any measure, we want this to become the No. 1 show about tech and business in Africa. We can’t get there without your support.
The BIG5D Podcast is available here on Substack as well as on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen. Please follow, comment, rate, and review the BIG5D Podcast. Your engagement helps others discover us so they too can learn from the amazing builders and thought leaders we feature on the show.
Do you want to recommend a guest or sponsor an upcoming episode? Reach out to us at info@bigfivedigital.org.
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