Ubuntu Advisory Group Take part Take part
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Who we are

Williams students.
Free market research.
African startups.

Ubuntu Advisory Group brings Williams students and African startups together around questions that matter. Startups receive free market research. Students build judgment by taking responsibility for work a real decision can use.

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Our home
Williams College
Our partners
African startups
What connects us
Questions worth answering

Why Ubuntu

No one moves forward alone.

“I am because we are.”

Ubuntu is a Southern African philosophy of shared humanity. It begins with a simple idea: none of us becomes who we are, or succeeds, entirely on our own.

That idea shapes this group. Founders share the context and questions only they can know. Students bring time, curiosity, and disciplined research. Startups gain clearer evidence, students gain deeper judgment, and each side helps the other move forward.

Our explanation follows the South African Government’s account of Ubuntu and the isiZulu phrase umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu. Read the source.

Why we exist

One question. Two kinds of growth.

Founders need time and evidence. Students need responsibility and room to stretch. Ubuntu puts both around the same consequential question.

For African startups

More questions than hours.

Building a company means making consequential decisions while the rest of the business still needs you. The research keeps moving down the list.

Product and customers
Building the right thing, serving current users, and understanding who needs it next.
Team and cash flow
Supporting people, keeping everyone aligned, and protecting limited runway.
Fundraising and regulation
Preparing for capital conversations while navigating rules that vary across markets.
Pricing and expansion
Watching competitors, choosing a channel, and deciding where growth should come from.

For Williams students

More curiosity than a classroom can hold.

Some skills only take shape when the question is unfamiliar, the evidence is imperfect, and another person is depending on the quality of your thinking.

Research judgment
Learn to separate useful evidence from noise and test the assumptions behind a number.
Commercial thinking
See how customers, competitors, regulation, and context shape a real business decision.
Clear communication
Turn complex information into an argument another person can understand and use.
A wider perspective
Work across markets and learn from people whose experience is different from your own.

Ubuntu in practice

A startup gains clearer evidence. A student builds better judgment. Progress is shared.

How the exchange works

One question becomes shared work.

The startup knows the decision and the market context. The student team brings time, method, and the willingness to keep following the evidence.

  1. Step 1

    Frame it together

    The startup brings the decision and its context. Together, we shape one focused question.

  2. Step 2

    Follow the evidence

    The student team reviews public records, credible sources, and market voices where appropriate.

  3. Step 3

    Challenge the findings

    We cross-check important figures and keep disagreements or missing information visible.

  4. Step 4

    Return something useful

    The startup receives a clear brief with findings, sources, uncertainty, and the options ahead.

What each side gives

Founders share context no public source can provide. Students make the evidence clear and keep uncertainty visible. The result is not perfect certainty, but a stronger basis for the decision ahead.

Cost to the startup

No money changes hands. Value moves both ways.

The research is completely free for participating startups. There is no research fee and no invoice at the end. Students receive something a classroom alone cannot provide: the trust and responsibility of helping investigate a live business question.

  • No research fee
  • A live student project
  • Sources included

Built together

Real questions.
Curious minds.
Shared progress.

Each project is an exchange: startup context, student inquiry, and clearer thinking for both.

The Ubuntu exchange

Different knowledge.
One shared question.

Startup brings

Context + stakes

Students bring

Curiosity + method

Held in common

The question

Startup leaves with

Clearer evidence

A sourced research brief, free of charge.

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Students leave with

Stronger judgment

Experience turning imperfect evidence into a useful point of view.

Join the research team

Value moves both ways. Each side makes the work possible.

The student community

Meet the people doing the work.

Meet the full team Join the team
Lia Navon, a member of Ubuntu Advisory Group
Lia Navon
David LaPrade, a member of Ubuntu Advisory Group
David LaPrade
Nimoh Acheampong, a member of Ubuntu Advisory Group
Nimoh Acheampong
Clara Son, a member of Ubuntu Advisory Group
Clara Son
Zach Borzio, a member of Ubuntu Advisory Group
Zach Borzio
David DeRoo-Kury, a member of Ubuntu Advisory Group
David DeRoo-Kury

Visible accountability. The students responsible for each project are identified in the brief, sources remain visible, and uncertainty is stated honestly.

Student organisation. Ubuntu Advisory Group is registered at Williams College. It speaks for itself, and the College does not review or endorse the research.

Two ways to take part

Bring the question, or bring your curiosity.

African startups can request free market research. Williams students can join a team and learn by working on a real decision.

Bring us a question Join the team