A new model for market entry · Africa & Asia
GSD provides fractional country leadership for frontier tech and impact ventures. We open markets, navigate regulators, and build partnerships on the ground, then hand it off when you're ready to hire your own.
On the call: we pressure-test your target markets, tell you whether GSD is the right fit, and suggest the first country to validate.
Nigeria · Kenya · Tanzania · Uganda · Ghana · Côte d'Ivoire · Rwanda
Ghana · Malawi
Indonesia · Philippines · Thailand · Tanzania · Rwanda
Kenya · Tanzania · Zimbabwe · Zambia · South Africa · Nigeria · Ghana · Rwanda · Uganda · Ethiopia
Namibia · Mozambique · Kenya
Most GTM consultancies sell decks. We send people.
Fractional country leadership is a senior in-country leadership team you hire by the month instead of building one yourself. That is what GSD is, in your priority markets. Our country leads live where your customers are. They speak the languages, know the regulators, and follow up in person.
We start with a Discovery Sprint: a fixed-scope engagement returning a documented go/no-go decision by Week 4, with a full market thesis by Week 8. When the work proves out, we expand into ongoing country support: modular, by the month, by the geography. We scale up when programs land, and wind down on your timeline.
You have three options for entering a new market, compared below.
| APPROACH | FIRST OUTPUT | COST | RISK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Build a country team yourself | 18 months | Seven figures | |
| Hire a fixer | One deal landed, no strategy | ||
| Work with GSD | Week 4 go/no-go decision | By the month | Wind down on your timeline |
A senior operator who already lives there, working under you, by the month.
We don't take work outside what we know.
Who we serve
Climate-tech and weather-intelligence ventures, including TIME100 honorees, landing programs with ministries, national meteorological services, and pan-African research bodies.
What we solve
Country entry, regulator navigation, and partner development where relationships determine whether the work moves.
Outcomes we've delivered
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Who we serve
Health-tech ventures and humanitarian funders working from diagnostics to surgical training to neonatal care across sub-Saharan Africa and South-East Asia.
What we solve
Standing up in-country delivery, from Ministry of Health relationships to district-hospital partnerships, so hardware, software, and clinical programs actually run.
Outcomes we've delivered
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Who we serve
EMS operators, air-evacuation companies, and mobility ventures scaling time-critical services across new geographies.
What we solve
Connecting the dots between operators, embassies, MoH, and global funders, so dispatch infrastructure and air-evac networks scale fast and stay grounded.
Outcomes we've delivered
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Who we serve
Research institutes, multilaterals, and policy bodies working on climate finance, carbon markets, and the agriculture-climate intersection across Africa.
What we solve
Synthesizing complex sector data into actionable strategy and policy briefs that ministries, donors, and CGIAR-affiliated bodies can act on.
Outcomes we've delivered
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Who we serve
Aerospace and autonomous-logistics ventures bringing emissions-free aviation to markets where roads do not reach, from solar-powered airships to eVTOL aircraft, scaling first with humanitarian and government anchors.
What we solve
Regulator approvals, anchor partnerships with UN agencies and ministries, and the institutional funding that unlocks commercial deployment in markets where the buyer is government, multilateral, or both.
Outcomes we've delivered
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Proof from the field.
Four sectors. Hard-to-enter markets. One operating model.
GSD played a pivotal role in enhancing our market knowledge, needs and opportunities within the healthcare ecosystem in sub-Saharan Africa and South East Asia.
Caitlin Dolkart
Managing Director, Rescue.co
GSD's knowledge of the niches of African private sector, and the intersection of business and development, is unmatched.
Hannah Friedland
Health Programs Manager, JDC ImpactWell
In a short engagement, we explored entry into a new segment. Quickly got all the strategic data and key skills needed for that space, then followed it with an objective, methodical assessment that helped us decide whether to enter.
Shashi Bhushan
Founder & CEO, GTM4Health
Strong expertise in synthesizing complex data… I recommend GSD for research, strategy, or advisory work with great confidence.
Dr. Todd Crane
Principal Scientist, ILRI · CGIAR
One door at a time. Then the next.
We run in-country interviews with ministries, operators, and funders. We come back with a sharper version of your problem than you arrived with.
A fixed-scope engagement that delivers your country playbook, regulatory map, partner shortlist, and pricing framework, with a documented go/no-go decision at Week 4 and a full market thesis, customer pipeline, and regulatory pathway by Week 8.
A modular monthly retainer with a senior country lead and business-development support. You flex up when programs land, and wind down when you're ready to hire your own team.
We help you hire the in-house team that replaces us, running the interview panels, sharing comp benchmarks, and making the warm introductions. The exit is the point.
We're not the right fit for everyone.
Connect with us
For ventures
Book a 30-min discovery call. We'll tell you whether GSD is the right fit, and if we're not, who is.
Engagements typically start with a Discovery Sprint (Weeks 1–8, with a Week 4 go/no-go milestone), then move into monthly country support. Best fit for venture-backed teams entering 1–3 priority markets.
Book a 30-min discovery call →For funders
We help funders design and implement evidence-driven market entry across portfolios.
Partner with us →For operators
CoMEC is GSD's network of verified country-entry operators across Africa and Asia. We route relevant country-entry work to verified operators. Apply to join.
Apply to CoMEC →Or write directly: hello@gsdglobal.io