Wimbart, an award-winning public relations agency specialising in business and technology sectors across Africa and emerging markets, has launched Wimbart Lite, a dedicated service designed specifically for pre-seed and early-stage startups.
The new division will be led by Maria Adediran, Associate Director and founding team member, who has been appointed as Head of Wimbart Lite, the public relations firm stated in an email on Monday.
Having navigated some of the continent’s most complex news cycles for nearly a decade, Wimbart has built a strong reputation across African markets, including Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, and Egypt. As Africa’s technology ecosystem matures, competition for attention has intensified.
For early-stage companies, clear and credible communication across online, broadcast, and print media has become essential.
Wimbart Lite aims to bridge this gap by providing focused, fast-turnaround support for startups, venture capital portfolios, and global partners seeking trusted storytelling.
Founder and CEO at Wimbart, Jessica Hope, said the launch of Wimbart Lite is a response to the evolving needs of Africa’s startup ecosystem.
“Wimbart was built in the trenches with African tech founders before the market had fully caught up with their vision. Wimbart Lite has been in development for some time, as a service for early-stage companies who may not require full-blown month-on-month public relations support, but do need to get a news story out there,” she said.
The service is specifically curated for African companies that have raised under $1m. It employs a service-led, menu-based approach structured around three core strategic routes. The Milestone Announcement Pack provides press releases and strategic outreach for key launches, partnerships, and company updates. The Founder Profile Pack helps elevate leadership voices and category perspective through op-eds and interview pitching. The Fundraise Pack coordinates funding communications for early-stage rounds and venture capital portfolios, including a 15 per cent discount for portfolio companies.
Adediran brings over a decade of experience in consumer and corporate PR to her new role. She has led multi-market campaigns for both venture capital firms and high-growth companies, ranging from early-stage ventures to unicorns, including Andela, M-KOPA, TLcom, and Kobo360.
Speaking on her appointment, Adediran said: “I joined Wimbart at a time when African tech was still small enough that a $1m raise felt like a massive milestone for the whole ecosystem. Now that the market has matured, early-stage teams are put under the microscope much earlier. Wimbart Lite exists to turn real work and traction, early milestones, partnerships, and fundraises, into a clear, credible story the ecosystem can understand and trust.”
Since its inception, Wimbart has supported more than 180 of the continent’s most ambitious companies across 20 countries. The launch of Wimbart Lite comes ahead of the agency’s 10-year anniversary, marking the next step in its mission to professionalise communications across Africa’s tech ecosystem.
By offering tailored support for startups, Wimbart Lite provides an alternative to traditional, full-scale PR campaigns. It allows early-stage companies to access strategic communications resources without committing to long-term contracts, helping them gain visibility, attract investment, and establish their brand in an increasingly competitive market.
Hope emphasised the importance of storytelling in the African startup landscape: “Maria is Wimbart’s day one and has grown with the company, and with dozens of African tech startups over the past decade; she understands exactly how to turn a good story into something that actually travels.”
