Venture Builder Trium to Bet $100M on African Startups
TLDR
- Trium, a Lagos-based venture builder within the Coronation Group, is betting $100 million over the next five years to prove that Africa’s startup future can be built
- Trium develops startups from scratch, providing capital, talent, and infrastructure while maintaining majority ownership
- Ventures receive up to $50,000 for market validation and can grow to $2–3 million in funding as milestones are met
Trium, a Lagos-based venture builder within the Coronation Group, is betting $100 million over the next five years to prove that Africa’s startup future can be built, not just funded, TechCabal reported.
In contrast to traditional venture capital models, Trium develops startups from scratch, providing capital, talent, and infrastructure while maintaining majority ownership.
Founded in 2019 and led by Adebayo Adewolu, Trium’s model starts with in-house idea generation and “pretotyping”, where concepts are tested using simplified versions before larger investment decisions are made.
Ventures receive up to $50,000 for market validation and can grow to $2–3 million in funding as milestones are met. The firm has already built six ventures, including Clane, Sparkle, and Fiducia, and recorded one exit to an international payments firm.
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Key Takeaways
Trium’s venture-building approach marks a shift from Africa’s post-COVID venture slowdown toward more hands-on, sustainable startup creation. Instead of deploying capital across dozens of bets, Trium develops and controls fewer, stronger businesses—an approach that balances speed with risk management. Backed by the Coronation Group’s resources, the firm supports its startups with shared infrastructure, financial services, and operational expertise. Over the next six months, Trium plans to expand into Ghana, Rwanda, Zambia, Cameroon, Tanzania, and Barbados, with Namibia and Botswana also on its horizon. From 2026, it will begin inviting external founders to co-build ventures, focusing on pragmatic, execution-driven leaders. Its patient-capital model—prioritizing profitability and long-term ownership over short-term exits—could redefine how venture funding works in Africa. If successful, Trium’s $100 million bet may demonstrate that the continent’s most resilient startups will be those built from within, not just financed from outside.
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