Calls grow to redesign entrepreneurial ecosystems in the Global South
Charleen Duncan, head of public affairs and communications at Agof, addressed global delegates on the structural flaws that continue to limit entrepreneurial success for marginalised founders.
Speaking at the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (Ande) Conference in Mexico, Duncan said prevailing global systems place unfair expectations on entrepreneurs to succeed within frameworks that were never designed to include them.
“Startup entrepreneurs from marginalised backgrounds are expected to play by the rules of systems built without them in mind,” Duncan said.
“This is exactly why we advocate for transforming entrepreneurial ecosystems in South Africa and across the Global South, to normalise equitable access to opportunity.”
Structural barriers embedded in current systems
According to Duncan, existing entrepreneurial systems are exclusionary by design, favouring those with access to established networks, capital and inherited norms.
“In our current systems, success often means conformity,” she said. “Entrepreneurs are required to adapt to dominant models to be seen as viable, while power in the form of resources, knowledge and decision-making remains concentrated among a small group and is rarely redistributed or co-owned.”
She argued that meaningful change requires systemic design shifts rather than incremental fixes.
“We need inclusion by design. Diversity must be baked into how systems are built, not retrofitted. This means designing with, not just for, historically excluded groups.”
Rethinking how value and power are defined
Duncan also called for a broader definition of entrepreneurship that recognises alternative models such as community-based enterprises, informal businesses and co-operatives.
“These forms of entrepreneurship are no less than formal models. They are differently powerful,” she said.
She added that power within entrepreneurial ecosystems needs to move away from gatekeeping towards partnership, supported by platforms that enable co-creation and community ownership.
“Entrepreneurship should not be reduced to economic output alone,” Duncan said. “It is also about agency. Thriving entrepreneurship drives job creation, reinvestment and meaningful community change. If we are serious about addressing unemployment, we need to shift from producing job seekers to enabling job creators.”
Building inclusive entrepreneurship in South Africa
Duncan outlined Agof’s pipeline approach, which begins at school level. She said entrepreneurship needs to be embedded into South Africa’s basic education system in practice, not only in theory.
“This is why we have introduced initiatives such as the Allan Gray Entrepreneurship Challenge in schools, where the focus is on investing in potential rather than polished outcomes,” she said.
She emphasised that access to capital alone is insufficient.
“Entrepreneurs need belonging, identity and support. They require emotional and psychological safety to take risks, as well as peer networks, mentors and long-term developmental support.”
Agof’s approach, she said, prioritises the intentional development of entrepreneurial competencies, personal growth and managerial capability.
“Investment-readiness should not be an exclusive outcome reserved for a few. It should emerge naturally from education and youth development over time. Supporting founders means building their capacity, not only refining their pitch decks.”
An uncomfortable truth about the ecosystem
Duncan concluded by challenging the underlying foundations of South Africa’s entrepreneurial landscape.
“Our entrepreneurial ecosystem was built by a few, for a few. The norms, networks and language of success were shaped to preserve power, not distribute it,” she said.
“Inclusion has become a buzzword. We invite a few new voices into old rooms and expect transformation. But real change does not come from cosmetic fixes. It comes from rebuilding the foundation.”
She warned that without structural redesign, efforts to support entrepreneurship would remain superficial.
“Potential exists everywhere. Community matters as much as capital. Investment-readiness is taught, not inherited. If we do not redesign the foundation, we will simply keep fixing the cracks.”