The 2025 edition of the Africa Startup Festival was held in Lagos recently, with entrepreneurs and stakeholders in attendance for brand exposure and networking.
The Africa Startup Festival, recognised by Business Insider as Africa’s top deal-making and networking event, brings together investors, founders, builders, and operators in one powerful gathering. It allows all to explore how emerging technologies and bold innovations are transforming industries across the continent. As the definitive season-ending gathering of 2025, this year’s edition set the stage for the partnerships and deals that will define 2026.
One notable highlight and takeaway from the Africa Startup Festival was the presentation by TeamSam Founder Sam Adedoyin, popularly known as AyRubber, who left a lasting impression on the audience.
Adedoyin served as a distinguished mentor to founders and startups at the Africa Startup Festival. His delivery and useful tips, dished out to innovators, founders, and startups, were cherished by those looking to do big things in their respective professional fields.
According to the TeamSam founder, the first rule for startups and founders is to “hire for values, not just skills. Skills can be taught, values can’t. Bring in people who believe in your mission, take ownership, and add to your culture, not copy it. These early hires shape your entire company.”
Adedoyin urged founders to “Build leaders, not followers. If the founder tries to lead everything, the company won’t grow. Give people autonomy, trust them with outcomes, and teach leadership early so the team can make decisions without you.”
Further speaking, he appealed to startups to “Create HR people actually love. HR isn’t paperwork. It’s the environment people work in. Give your team clear goals, real growth opportunities, recognition for good work, and systems that protect their well-being.”
Adedoyin then gave the fourth golden rule that founders must abide by: “Protect your culture. Culture is how your team behaves on the hardest days. Be transparent, remind people of the mission, encourage collaboration, and hold everyone accountable with empathy.”
He noted that founders should “Lead with vision, not control. Your job isn’t to micromanage, it’s to create clarity. Show the team where you’re going and why it matters, then let them figure out the how.”
Giving the sixth rule that founders should adopt, AyRubber said: “The simple formula of hiring people should align with your mission. Train them to lead. Reward behaviours that reflect your values. Support their growth. Communicate clearly. Lead with a vision that inspires.”
About Africa Startup Festival, Adedoyin said he saw founders who could sell their vision with their whole heart, stressing that one even flew in from Port Harcourt to pitch his idea in person. “He didn’t let me leave until I fully understood the impact his product would have on the industry and the economy. The conviction was powerful,” he said.
He said one thing that stood out was how many founders admitted that they struggle to delegate without feeling like they are losing control. “This level of vulnerability showed just how committed they are to growing as leaders and building companies that can scale beyond them,” he said.
“Investors are asking smarter, team-focused questions. Leadership structure, processes, and retention strategies are becoming part of due diligence.
“Founders are finally prioritising people over product. There’s a new maturity in the ecosystem; people now understand that a weak team destroys even the strongest ideas.
“Remote-friendly teams are becoming the new norm. Some founders blew me away with their documentation culture and async communication discipline,” he said.
