Talstack, the corporate learning platform, has partnered with British International Investment (BII), the United Kingdom’s development finance institution, and Ventures Platform, a pan‑African venture capital firm, to launch an environmental, social and governance (ESG) programme aimed at helping African startups embed sustainable practices early in their growth.
The programme, which went live on Wednesday, offers four self‑paced, pre‑recorded courses – respectful workplaces, human resources and people management, anti‑bribery and corruption, and supply chain risk management – delivered through Talstack’s SaaS platform. Each course is divided into modules that combine instruction with practical application, followed by assessments and implementation frameworks.
For many African founders, ESG is often perceived as a compliance hurdle tied to fundraising rather than an operational priority. Kayode Oyewole, co‑founder of Talstack, said the initiative is intended to turn ESG from a later‑stage requirement into a set of tools that founders can apply from the outset. “When people hear ESG, what they think about is a complex set of rules and policies… Understanding the importance of this is critical to the sustainable growth of their company,” Oyewole explained.
A recent Bloomberg Intelligence survey found that nearly 85 % of investors expect assets allocated to ESG strategies to increase over the next two years, underscoring the growing capital pressure on startups to demonstrate ESG competence. Sonal Premjee, investment director for venture capital at BII, noted that many early‑stage African companies currently lack practical ESG capabilities, with existing frameworks often too complex for lean teams.
Talstack, founded in 2023 by Seni Sulyman and Kayode Oyewole, provides B2B learning content and tools to organisations in Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda and Ghana. The ESG track is free for portfolio companies of Ventures Platform and BII; other firms can access the courses through a Talstack subscription ranging from ₦13,000 ($9.46) to ₦156,000 ($113.50) per year, which also unlocks 400 additional courses on the platform.
Ventures Platform plans to embed the ESG track into its founder onboarding process and encourage adoption across its portfolio, while exploring extensions to other funds and ecosystem partners. “We contributed ecosystem insights drawn from our experience investing and supporting companies,” said Damilola Teidi‑Ayoola, Principal of Platform and Networks at Ventures Platform. “We were actively involved in the content review and development process, ensuring alignment between both organisations.”
The collaboration seeks to provide clear, usable guidance on people practices, supply‑chain integrity and anti‑corruption measures, helping African startups meet investor expectations and build resilient, sustainable businesses.
