By Adedapo Adesanya
Cascador, a Nigeria-based initiative supporting growth-stage, mission-driven founders building scalable and impactful businesses, has appointed Ms Oyin Solebo as its Chief Operating Officer (COO).
According to a statement, Ms Solebo’s appointment signals a strategic shift toward strengthening the systems, discipline, and infrastructure required to help growth-stage companies scale sustainably.
The ex-Managing Director of the ARM Labs Lagos Techstars Accelerator is regarded as a seasoned investor and ecosystem builder with deep experience across venture capital, startup acceleration, and corporate innovation in Africa. Her appointment underscores Cascador’s ambition to become a central engine for entrepreneurial scale in Africa, where leadership, capital, and execution come together to unlock lasting impact.
At ARM Labs Lagos Techstars Accelerator, she led investments in and supported high-growth startups across multiple sectors. Across her career, she has built a reputation for translating bold vision into disciplined execution, helping companies move from traction to true scale.
Cascador, in the statement shared with Business Post, noted that her appointment marks a critical step in Cascador’s evolution as it moves from a leadership-focused programme into a platform designed to scale high-impact companies systematically.
“Oyin is a force multiplier,” said Ms Trish Thomas, CEO of Cascador. “She understands what it takes to build and run organisations that endure. As we expand our focus from developing founders to scaling companies, her operational expertise will be instrumental in helping us deliver on that vision.”
She fits perfectly into Cascador’s model, which backs founders who can multiply the value they receive, turning education into execution and capital into lasting economic and social impact.
Through its ScaleUp Program, Cascador equips growth-stage entrepreneurs with the leadership skills, strategic clarity, and access to catalytic capital required to scale sustainably.
The programme is designed for founders with proven traction—those capable of absorbing significant investment and deploying it effectively to drive growth, job creation, and long-term resilience.
Speaking on this, Ms Solebo noted that, “In Africa, we don’t have a shortage of founders, we have a shortage of companies that successfully scale.
“The difference lies in systems, discipline, and the ability to deploy capital effectively. Cascador has built a powerful foundation by investing in people. The opportunity now is to extend that into building stronger companies that can absorb capital, institutionalise operations, and grow sustainably,” she added.
Ms Solebo, as COO, will focus on strengthening Cascador’s operational infrastructure and scaling its platform capabilities. This includes optimising programme delivery, deepening alumni support, and building systems that enable founders to transition from learning to execution and from execution to scale.
Her role will be particularly critical in advancing Cascador’s ScaleUp Program and Catalytic Fund, which deploys $2–$5 million annually in tailored financing to high-performing alumni. The fund is designed not simply to extend their runway, but to back ventures that can transform capital into durable financial performance and measurable impact.
“What makes Cascador different is its focus on multipliers—founders who can take what they learn and amplify it across their companies, teams, and markets,” she said. “If we can consistently support those founders with the right combination of education, networks, and capital, the ripple effects are enormous—more jobs, stronger industries, and a more resilient economy.”
On his part, Mr Dave DeLucia, Founder of Cascador, emphasised the strategic importance of the appointment.
“Cascador has always been about multiplying impact through entrepreneurship. With Oyin, we are strengthening our ability to ensure that the hard work of our team and the deployment of capital ultimately translates into scaled, enduring businesses. She brings the operational discipline and ecosystem insight needed to take us to the next level.”
Looking ahead, Ms Solebo aims to position Cascador as a long-term scaling partner for its entrepreneurs. “We are building more than a program. We are building a platform,” she said.
“A platform that identifies high-potential founders, equips them to lead, and then supports them with the financial and non-financial resources required to scale. If we do this well, we won’t just transform individual companies—we’ll shape the future of the African economy.”
