About ScaleUp

Built by entrepreneurs.
For what comes next.

Building a company changes the way you see a business. Our coaches bring that perspective to founders and leadership teams who want to take theirs further.

Illustrative leadership team in conversation

Why ScaleUp

You have built something worth growing.

There comes a point when the next stage of growth asks different things of a business. More customers bring more complexity. Good people need clearer ownership. Decisions that once happened naturally start to compete for the founder’s attention.

Sometimes the challenge is keeping pace with growth. Sometimes it is finding growth again. We work with the people leading the business to understand what needs to change and help them move it forward.

Our role is to bring perspective, ask useful questions and support the decisions you and your team make. You know your business. We bring experience from building our own and working alongside other founders.

The people alongside you

Five operators.
Four exits.

Based across Cape Town, the Winelands, Johannesburg and Durban. Each brings their own operating experience, with a shared commitment to helping founders build stronger businesses.

Nicholas Thiede

Cape Town

Built four companies of fifteen to a hundred and seventy people. Exited Semigator AG. Ex-BCG. EO Cape Town, and founder of EO Tanzania.

Jamie Surkont

Paarl

Founded and led getWorth to an R800M exit to Motus. Former CEO of Electronic Toll Collection SA.

Andrew Shuttleworth

Johannesburg

Co-founded and scaled Brave Group to about a hundred people, sold to private equity in 2025. Former MD at McCann and Grey across sixteen African markets.

Simon Hartley

Cape Town and Hoedspruit

Founded WumDrop and sold it to Massmart. International retail and logistics executive.

Justin Lewis

Durban

CA. Led his family’s motor group, the country’s largest Isuzu and Stellantis retailer. Founder of Pace Capital, investing in SMEs.

Our approach

A foundation.
And judgement.

Verne Harnish’s Scaling Up methodology gives the work a foundation across People, Strategy, Execution and Cash. Our experience helps you apply it to your company’s circumstances and ambitions.

We work with the founder and leadership team together. That creates space for different perspectives, clearer decisions and shared ownership of the next phase.

We are independent coaches, not an accredited Scaling Up partner. The conversation starts with what your business needs.

What you can expect

Useful perspectives.
Honest conversations.

Respect for what you have built

Your team’s experience matters. We take time to understand the business before challenging its assumptions.

Clarity about what matters

Growth creates choices. We help you decide which deserve attention and what you can set aside.

Ownership across the team

The leadership team needs to carry the decisions forward. The work involves the people who will make change happen.

A commitment to progress

Good conversations need follow-through. We stay alongside you as priorities meet the realities of running the business.

Let’s talk

What would you like to change?

Tell us where you want the business to go, and what is getting in the way.

Book a Conversation ↗Get in touch

Built by entrepreneurs.For what comes next.