At Moringa, we don’t just evaluate the tech. We evaluate the team not in a checkbox way, but by asking: Can the founders carry complexity without collapsing under it?

We’ve met scientist who never imagined becoming CEOs. And operators with sharp instincts but not necessarily the vocabulary to articulate them. The best founders we work with see growth not just in their business model, but in their mindset—and in the quality of people they draw into the journey.

Curiosity is a common thread. The ones who ask: “What other applications do we have with this technology, what is the size of the market, and should we start global conversations now that we’ve built traction?”—those are the people pushing boundaries, not clinging to comfort zones.

When I was studying in Beijing, I had the privilege of attending Peter Thiel’s course in Startup Thinking and covering his dialogue at Tsinghua as a student reporter. He said: “Start with something you’re good at, and that you love.” It sounds deceptively simple—but I’ve never met a successful founder who isn’t both proud of their work and still energised by it, no matter how tough the path gets.

Today’s founders don’t just pitch to customers or investors. They pitch every day to their team—to stay, to believe, to give their best. They pitch to themselves, too. Leadership isn’t just driving growth. It’s communicating openly with stakeholders, including your earliest angels, and making them feel part of the journey—not just financiers.

I pay close attention to founder chemistry. Can they disagree productively? Do they build trust early, aligning not just on what to do but why it matters? Founding teams need to have each other’s backs. The battle is out there, not within.

We don’t just build products. We build teams.