Wimbart bets on pre-seed Africa with new PR unit for founders under $1m mark

As Africa’s early-stage tech ecosystem grows more competitive, communications agency Wimbart is targeting pre-seed startups with a new public relations service designed for companies that have raised under $1 million.

This is even as the agency has announced the launch of Wimbart Lite, a menu-based PR offering aimed at giving early-stage founders the visibility and media credibility often reserved for later-stage companies.

The service comes amid a backdrop of smaller funding rounds across the continent, where investors are increasingly selective and competition for attention is intensifying.

“Many early-stage teams don’t yet require full-scale, month-to-month PR support, but they still need their story to travel. Wimbart Lite allows founders to highlight milestones, partnerships, and early fundraises in a credible, structured way,” Jessica Hope, Wimbart’s founder and CEO, stated in a press statement.

Wimbart Lite focuses on three strategic tracks: milestone announcements for product launches, partnerships, or updates; founder profiles for thought leadership and media positioning and fundraise communications for early-stage investment rounds. Selected VC-backed startups also receive a discounted rate for fundraise support.

To lead the new division, Wimbart promoted Maria Adediran, a founding team member and associate director, to head of Wimbart Lite. Adediran brings over a decade of experience running multi-market campaigns for African startups and VCs, including Andela, M-KOPA, TLcom, and Kobo360.

“There was a time when raising $1 million felt like a major milestone for the ecosystem. Now early-stage teams are under scrutiny much earlier. Wimbart Lite exists to convert traction and early wins into a clear, credible story the ecosystem can understand and trust,” Adediran said.

Founded nearly ten years ago, Wimbart has worked with more than 180 companies across 20 African countries. The launch of Wimbart Lite, ahead of the agency’s 10-year anniversary, underscores its commitment to professionalising communications for Africa’s growing pre-seed and early-stage market, reflecting the continent’s evolving startup landscape and funding realities.

Royal Ibeh is a senior journalist with years of experience reporting on Nigeria’s technology and health sectors. She currently covers the Technology and Health beats for BusinessDay newspaper, where she writes in-depth stories on digital innovation, telecom infrastructure, healthcare systems, and public health policies.

Join BusinessDay whatsapp Channel, to stay up to date