In a bid to help startups, SMEs, and corporate teams assess and improve their operational health across ten core capabilities and ten levels of growth maturity, Caladium Consulting has launched a proprietary diagnostic tool, Caladium 10×10 Matrix.

The diagnostic framework, which has been deployed across more than 70 organisations in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and the UK, aims to give entrepreneurs, consultants, and investors a clearer way to evaluate what’s working in their businesses and what’s not.

Lead Strategist, Caladium, Ayo-Bankole Akintujoye, said, “Too many founders are moving fast but without structure. We built the 10×10 Matrix to change that. It’s a dashboard that helps leaders go beyond gut instinct to evidence-based decision-making.”

The Caladium 10×10 Matrix scores businesses on two key axes:

X-axis (Growth Maturity): Represents a grading scale that reflects a business’s development stage across each dimension, from startup (0–3) to growth (4–7) to maturity (8–10).

Y-axis (Dimensions of Business Assessment): Captures 10 critical indicators that drive overall performance and long-term viability. These dimensions include Revenue, Capital Adequacy, Structure, Process and Governance, Business Age, Staff Capacity, Systems, Infrastructure and Technology, Strategy, Customer Experience, Cash Flow, and Profit.

Through a structured, team-based process, organisations input key data and are scored against a weighted rubric. The result is a visual heatmap, capability profile, and an action-oriented report highlighting areas that need immediate attention, whether talent, governance, customer satisfaction, or revenue systems.

Caladium has deployed the 10×10 Matrix in diagnostic sessions with organisations across sectors such as film, fintech, logistics, education, real estate, manufacturing, and technology.

One standout application was with Filmhouse Group, a leading cinema and entertainment brand in Nigeria. Reflecting on the experience, Chief Content Officer, Filmhouse Group and FilmOne, Ladun Awobokun, shared: “Working with Caladium and using the 10×10 Matrix gave us something most frameworks don’t: clarity. It helped us see where we were strong, where we were vulnerable, and what we needed to focus on. It was a big part of sharpening our transformation and digital play.”

Another early adopter is Tango Brook Technologies, a Lagos-based fintech and software firm. Chief Executive Obi Wemambu described the tool as “an X-ray of the business. It helped us simplify startup complexities, refocus our priorities, and has become a core part of our execution strategy implementation process.”

The Matrix is designed for startup founders looking to identify gaps early, SMEs ready to grow but unsure what to fix first, consultants leading business transformations, corporate teams conducting unit-level diagnostics, and investors who want clearer insight into portfolio risks and readiness.

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