It was standing room only when Jessica Hope, founder and CEO of Wimbart, took the stage at Moonshot by TechCabal. The audience of founders, investors, and operators leaned in as she opened with a simple line that cut through the noise: “PR is more than a press release.”
Hope has built Wimbart into one of Africa’s best-known communications agencies, working with startups such as Andela, PiggyVest, and Moove. Her message in Lagos was direct. In an ecosystem obsessed with funding announcements and product launches, PR remains the missing layer that turns visibility into trust. “Being covered in the media builds credibility,” she said, urging founders to treat communications as part of their business infrastructure, not an afterthought.
For many in the room, that shift in perspective landed. It reframed PR as an early-stage necessity, a way to tell a company’s story clearly before others define it for them.
Why Founders Overlook PR
Most startup founders know how to build, pitch, and raise money. What they often skip is learning how to communicate. Hope challenged that pattern. “PR is about wrapping communications around your business plan,” she explained, breaking down how public relations should move in step with product development, fundraising, and hiring.
She emphasised two principles that any founder could start applying immediately: clarity and nimbleness. Clarity means sharing your key messages simply and quickly. Nimbleness means being ready to move, respond, and plug in when opportunities arise, whether that’s a new partnership, a milestone, or an industry conversation.
Hope also reminded founders that not every story has to be a milestone. Small updates matter. Talking about lessons learned, customer stories, or new experiments can show momentum without waiting for a big headline. And in today’s attention economy social media is a founder’s first PR tool. Posting consistently builds visibility long before journalists come calling.
The Wimbart Playbook For Startups
Hope kept her message simple. PR is a process. She broke it down into steps that any early-stage founder could start using immediately.
First, understand your target audience. Know exactly who you’re trying to reach before you start speaking. Then, define your key message. What do you want people to remember about your company after hearing from you?
Once that’s clear, find the right media. Visibility isn’t about chasing the loudest headlines but about getting your story in front of the right eyes. Start with small, focused updates that align with your goals. “Write small press releases,” she said. “Keep them simple and clear.”
The Resource And The Reminder
The session wrapped up the way good ones do, with something to take home. Attendees left with Wimbart merch and a free PR resource from Yemi Kuti, a practical guide designed to help founders draft their first communications plan. It was a small gesture that reflected the session’s tone: less talk, more tools.
Hope’s closing message tied everything together. PR, she said, isn’t about hype or crisis management. It’s about being intentional with how you communicate, every step of the way. The more startups learn to tell their own stories, the less they rely on outside narratives to define them.
Her advice felt like a reality check for founders in a hurry to grow. Visibility doesn’t come from a single headline. It comes from the discipline of showing up, explaining clearly, and being ready to connect your story to the world around you.
