Adia...if no one has said it, I'll say it over and over. You're a genius! This is a gem. We're trying to provide easier access to insurance with Skydd. We've been going the brand + good UX route and haven't thought that deeply about distribution yet. And this is very timely to shift how we think about commoditised businesses like these.
Interesting and nuanced piece—no one does it quite like Adia. Just to build on the conversation, while distribution is challenging, I don’t think it’s as difficult as it once was. Agency banking has created a new infrastructure in Nigeria that MVNO can leverage to win. I have to re-emphasise: it is still a hard nut to crack.
If I had a crystal ball, I’d say international players collaborating effectively with local teams (like Lebara-Vas2Net) and building strong synergies with agency banker outlets would be well-positioned to win.
Incredibly sharp breakdown. The point that stood out to me—and which echoes across multiple industries in emerging markets—is this: “distribution isn’t just a moat, it’s the battlefield.”
It’s a theme I explore regularly in my own work, especially around African VC, creative IP monetization, and early-stage legal structuring. Whether we’re talking MVNOs, music rights, or micro-utility platforms, you can build the best product in the world—but if you can’t reach the user at scale, you’re just an idea with expenses.
I unpack these kinds of dynamics in The L.U.M.I. Brief, where I dig into how capital compounds in overlooked corners of Africa’s innovation economy. If this piece resonated, some of my recent posts—like on distribution-driven dominance in music and venture—might too.
Adia...if no one has said it, I'll say it over and over. You're a genius! This is a gem. We're trying to provide easier access to insurance with Skydd. We've been going the brand + good UX route and haven't thought that deeply about distribution yet. And this is very timely to shift how we think about commoditised businesses like these.
Thank you, Adia.
Good insight 😃. Can i translate part of this article into Spanish with links to you and a description of your newsletter?
Yes you can...🙏🏽
Interesting and detailed analysis. It reminds me of the last mile problem that affected e-commerce operations during its heyday.
Thank you so much for these writings!
This particularly, is really enlightening.
Thanks Adia
1. You gave us good and real life references not just talk
2. You stuck to a single point and drilled it down in a clear and easy-to-understamd manner
3. this is a timely article
Yes ma’am. Thanks for reading.
Always a great read.
Truly Distribution isn't part of the Strategy, it is the Strategy!
Interesting and nuanced piece—no one does it quite like Adia. Just to build on the conversation, while distribution is challenging, I don’t think it’s as difficult as it once was. Agency banking has created a new infrastructure in Nigeria that MVNO can leverage to win. I have to re-emphasise: it is still a hard nut to crack.
If I had a crystal ball, I’d say international players collaborating effectively with local teams (like Lebara-Vas2Net) and building strong synergies with agency banker outlets would be well-positioned to win.
Incredibly sharp breakdown. The point that stood out to me—and which echoes across multiple industries in emerging markets—is this: “distribution isn’t just a moat, it’s the battlefield.”
It’s a theme I explore regularly in my own work, especially around African VC, creative IP monetization, and early-stage legal structuring. Whether we’re talking MVNOs, music rights, or micro-utility platforms, you can build the best product in the world—but if you can’t reach the user at scale, you’re just an idea with expenses.
I unpack these kinds of dynamics in The L.U.M.I. Brief, where I dig into how capital compounds in overlooked corners of Africa’s innovation economy. If this piece resonated, some of my recent posts—like on distribution-driven dominance in music and venture—might too.
Thanks again Adia, for a great read.
Hello Adia,
I hope this communique finds you in a moment of stillness. Have huge respect for your work.
We’ve just opened the first door of something we’ve been quietly crafting for years—
A work not meant for markets, but for reflection and memory.
Not designed to perform, but to endure.
It’s called The Silent Treasury.
A place where judgment is kept like firewood: dry, sacred, and meant for long winters.
Where trust, patience, and self-stewardship are treated as capital—more rare, perhaps, than liquidity itself.
This first piece speaks to a quiet truth we’ve long sat with:
Why many modern PE, VC, Hedge, Alt funds, SPAC, and rollups fracture before they truly root.
And what it means to build something meant to be left, not merely exited.
It’s not short. Or viral. But it’s built to last.
And if it speaks to something you’ve always known but rarely seen expressed,
then perhaps this work belongs in your world.
The publication link is enclosed, should you wish to open it.
https://helloin.substack.com/p/built-to-be-left?r=5i8pez
Warmly,
The Silent Treasury
A vault where wisdom echoes in stillness, and eternity breathes.