Oyin Solebo Appointed COO of Cascador to Drive Scale-Up Growth Across Africa

Investor and venture builder Oyin Solebo has been appointed Chief Operating Officer of Cascador, marking a strategic move aimed at strengthening the scale-up ecosystem for African startups.

Solebo, who previously served as Managing Director at Techstars and held a role at Goldman Sachs, brings extensive experience in venture development and founder support. Her appointment comes as Cascador continues its transition from a founder development initiative into a broader pan-African platform focused on scaling high-potential businesses.

Speaking on her new role, Solebo highlighted a recurring challenge within Africa’s startup landscape: while the continent is rich in entrepreneurial talent, many companies struggle to scale effectively. She noted that the issue is not a lack of ambition, but rather gaps in systems, leadership, and capital deployment required for sustainable growth.

Cascador’s evolving strategy seeks to address these challenges through its ScaleUp platform and catalytic fund, which will deploy up to $5 million annually in a mix of debt and equity financing. The initiative is designed to support alumni companies with the capacity to convert capital into long-term financial and social impact, including job creation and business resilience.

Solebo emphasized that her new position builds on her long-standing commitment to helping founders navigate the critical transition from early traction to scalable growth, with a focus on governance and operational discipline.

She also acknowledged key members of the Cascador leadership team, including Dave DeLucia, Trish Thomas, and Amanda Etuk, for their trust and collaboration.

Applications for Cascador’s 2026 ScaleUp program are set to open on April 1, targeting founders across Sub-Saharan Africa who are looking to expand their businesses. Solebo also called on investors and ecosystem partners to collaborate in supporting the next generation of African scale-ups.

The appointment signals Cascador’s growing ambition to play a pivotal role in addressing one of the continent’s most pressing entrepreneurial gaps—turning promising startups into scalable, high-impact enterprises.