Startup Governance & Control Series (Part 1)
Board Seats, Observer Rights, and the Politics of Startup Power in Africa
Africa’s startup governance culture is broken — not just because investors overreach, but because too many founders treated governance as theatre until it was too late.
Why This Series on Startup Governance in Africa Matters
Startup founders in Africa are coached to optimize for capital — but rarely taught how to structure power.
This series double-clicks on the legal and political mechanics of early-stage control: board seats, investor consent, governance rights, and how they shape startup outcomes.
Boardrooms Aren’t Neutral — Founders Must Structure for Control
Across Africa’s venture ecosystem, startup governance is too often symbolic.
Board seats are granted for prestige, observer rights for “alignment,” and info rights handed out casually — without clarity or consequence.
But these rights aren’t administrative. They’re instruments of power.
Control d…
