By Oluchi Omai
Partnership Announcement Overview
Africa’s dynamic tech landscape is witnessing a new chapter in startup support as SquirrelPR, the continent’s pioneer PR management platform, and Syncthesis Innovation Hub, a top communications and ecosystem enabler, unveil a strategic partnership aimed squarely at elevating visibility and market trust for Web3 startups across Africa. This collaboration, announced on August 25, 2025, marks a concerted industry effort to bridge the gap between groundbreaking technological innovation and effective storytelling in the fast-evolving, but often overlooked, Web3 ecosystem on the continent.
In recent years, Africa’s Web3 space has accelerated, attracting both home-grown innovation and global investment, but startups in the sector often grapple with limited media coverage, fragmented PR resources, and challenges around trust-building with users and the broader financial ecosystem. The partnership between SquirrelPR and Syncthesis aims to address these hurdles directly, offering structured, affordable, and high-impact PR services and mentorship to emerging Web3 projects and establishing much-needed pipelines for media attention, thought leadership, and strategic reputational growth.
Speaking on the partnership, SquirrelPR Co-founder James Ezechukwu remarked, “At SquirrelPR, our mission has always been to bridge the gap between innovation and visibility. African Web3 startups are building ground-breaking solutions, but too often they struggle to tell their stories to the world. This partnership with Syncthesis allows us to ensure these startups not only build but are also heard, trusted, and celebrated. Together, we are creating an ecosystem where visibility becomes a growth catalyst”.
SquirrelPR: Background and Services
SquirrelPR has quickly established itself as Africa’s first PR management software, forged to meet the specific media engagement needs of companies and agencies operating in Africa’s diverse economic terrain. The platform is designed as an all-in-one online solution, enabling public relations professionals and marketing teams to distribute press releases at scale, manage media events, monitor press pickups, and nurture relationships with a vast network of journalists and newsrooms spanning Africa, the Middle East, and even Europe.
The core pillars of SquirrelPR include:
• Vast Media Database: The platform aggregates a growing pool of vetted, practicing journalists representing traditional and digital media outlets. Users can discover, connect, and engage with journalists across a spectrum of sectors, from politics and finance to technology and entertainment.
• Press Distribution and Analytics: With SquirrelPR, a single press release can reach thousands of journalists in just a few clicks. The onboarding process and content management features are lauded for their simplicity, speed, and reach, delivering both automatic distribution and the ability to target journalist segments based on industry relevance.
• Event Management: Media event planning, including press conferences and media parleys, is streamlined through tools that automate invitations, manage real-time responses, and coordinate feedback and post-event communication without the logistic headaches that often plague such engagements.
• Monitoring and Reporting: SquirrelPR provides thorough media tracking, capturing published content and aggregating all links related to distributed press materials so companies can swiftly assess the reach and sentiment of their media coverage.
• Custom Database Features: Users can upload custom media databases and use unique messaging features for one-to-one journalist outreach or broader communication campaigns.
James Ezechukwu, Co-founder and CTO, has stated that SquirrelPR is about redefining the role of PR technology across Africa, promising, “This technology will revolutionise the media relations sub-sector. It is a simple, easy-to-use solution that any media manager will find invaluable in their day-to-day operations. At the heart of SquirrelPR is the ability to connect and deepen the relationship between the media manager and his main constituency – the journalists”.
Syncthesis Innovation Hub Profile
Syncthesis Innovation Hub stands at the crossroads of communications, startup development, and ecosystem connectivity in Africa. The company positions itself as an ecosystem enabler, working closely with both early-stage and growth-stage startups across the continent by offering storytelling, brand positioning, and strategic partnership solutions. Leveraging a deep network across Africa’s innovation landscape, Syncthesis acts as a bridge between high-potential startups and the resources—media, mentorship, and business connections—they need to build winning brands and sustainable growth trajectories.
Core functions and value-adds of Syncthesis Innovation Hub include:
• Ecosystem Connector: Syncthesis’s extensive reach allows it to link startups with mentors, investors, subject matter experts, and potential partners.
• Storytelling and Positioning: The company’s communications expertise helps startups shape compelling narratives, contributing to advancements in brand credibility and media resonance.
• Strategic Partnerships: Syncthesis organizes and co-sponsors activities and platforms—such as masterclasses, webinars, and accelerator programs—that drive dialogue, best practice sharing, and new collaborative ventures across the African Web3 space.
Boluwatife Ogunsina, representing Syncthesis Innovation Hub in the partnership, stated, “Our work at Syncthesis is about enabling startups to thrive through better positioning and ecosystem connections. Partnering with SquirrelPR allows us to deliver even greater value by ensuring our startups are equipped with world-class PR tools and mentoring. This collaboration is not just about communications; it is about building trust, accelerating adoption, and amplifying Africa’s role in the global Web3 economy”.
Partnership Objectives and Goals
The partnership between SquirrelPR and Syncthesis Innovation Hub is anchored on well-defined objectives, reflective of a shared vision to empower Africa’s Web3 sector by:
• Accelerating Visibility: Providing emerging Web3 projects with the tools and media connections to make their innovations and stories heard not just locally, but across the continent and abroad.
• Building Credibility: Supporting startups in establishing not just brand recognition but trustworthiness—a crucial differentiator in the blockchain and digital asset arena where skepticism remains high.
• Structured, Affordable, and Impactful PR Support: Lowering the barrier for professional PR by offering discounted access and mentorship through accelerator programs, direct startup nominations, and interactive guidance.
• Ecosystem Amplification: Ensuring that thought leadership, founder stories, and technical content from Africa’s Web3 scene receive structured media exposure on both mainstream and niche platforms.
• Commercial and Reputational Scaling: Leveraging Syncthesis’s role as an ecosystem connector so startups can leverage PR for both sales pipeline building and enhanced investor attention.
James Ezechukwu underlined the impact of ambition, noting, “Together, we are creating an ecosystem where visibility becomes a growth catalyst”.
Web3 PR Accelerator Program
At the heart of the collaboration is the Web3 PR Accelerator, an initiative tailored to directly support select startups with hands-on tools and guidance to succeed in Africa’s competitive and rapidly evolving digital innovation space.
Program Structure:
• Startup Nomination: Syncthesis curates and nominates promising Web3 startups for participation based on innovation, market readiness, and growth potential.
• Exclusive Access: Selected startups receive heavily discounted access to SquirrelPR’s suite of media engagement tools, removing traditional financial barriers to sustained PR campaigns.
• Mentorship and Guidance: Participating startups receive ongoing PR mentoring, covering areas such as strategic media messaging, crisis communication, and best practices for founder branding.
• Structured Support: The program is built to be practical and results-driven, combining training (via clinics and masterclasses) with active, real-world pitching and media connections.
The intent is to demystify PR for startups—making robust PR not a luxury, but a foundational part of their go-to-market and growth strategies.
Thought Leadership Initiatives
Beyond tactical PR, the partnership is also forging unique platforms for ecosystem education and leadership. SquirrelPR and Syncthesis will co-create a comprehensive thought leadership calendar, featuring:
• Webinars and Masterclasses: Knowledge-sharing sessions designed to upskill founders and communication leads on nuanced topics, such as how to craft compelling innovation stories for global audiences, leveraging media for fundraising, and navigating regulatory narratives in the Web3 space.
• Media Spotlight Sessions: Regular founder and startup features, case studies, and Q&As published in leading business and technology outlets, providing deep dives into Africa-driven technological breakthroughs and success journeys.
• Storytelling Workshops: Practical workshops to teach startups the mechanics of pitching third-party journalists, managing crisis communication, and building lasting media relationships.
With these initiatives, the alliance aims not only to drive coverage but also to build a homegrown knowledge pool and a new wave of African Web3 communications professionals.
PR Clinics at Web3 Events
PR Clinics are another crucial component of this partnership, designed to immerse founders and communication leads in live, practical engagement opportunities directly within the burgeoning network of African Web3 events.
• Onsite and Virtual Presence: PR experts from both SquirrelPR and Syncthesis will host clinics at major Web3 conferences, hackathons, and showcases, offering media training, press kit audits, and rapid consultancy on communicating complex innovation topics simply and effectively.
• Tailored Support: Clinics will address individual startup challenges, offering custom guidance on issues like navigating hostile press, leveraging success metrics in media outreach, and aligning tech announcements with mainstream business news cycles.
• Networking and Connection: Events will enable startups to connect with journalists, learn the specific needs of media professionals, and practice pitching their projects for real coverage opportunities.
This direct-in-the-field support is especially valuable in a sector where many founders come from technical backgrounds and lack formal media engagement training.
Startup Spotlight Sessions
Startup Spotlight Sessions are a key media amplification mechanism through which promising Web3 founders and projects are positioned for introduction to influential journalists, bloggers, and business editors. These spotlights serve several purposes:
• Curated Media Coverage: Top startups are featured in well-crafted articles and interviews, supported by press releases disseminated via SquirrelPR’s database, ensuring continental and sometimes international read-outs.
• Founder Storytelling: Through first-person narrative pieces, founders share their entrepreneurial journeys, unique problem-solving approaches, and community impact, contributing authentic African perspectives to the global Web3 dialogue.
• Case Study Publication: Startups that demonstrate measurable impact or notable growth may be selected for detailed case studies highlighting their use of PR as a lever for adoption, funding, or partnership development.
These sessions also serve as “credibility milestones,” creating third-party documentation that can support investor due diligence and strategic partnership formation.
Leadership Perspectives: Quotes from SquirrelPR
James Ezechukwu’s remarks during the partnership announcement encapsulate the central thesis of SquirrelPR’s approach:
“At SquirrelPR, our mission has always been to bridge the gap between innovation and visibility. African Web3 startups are building ground-breaking solutions, but too often they struggle to tell their stories to the world. This partnership with Syncthesis allows us to ensure these startups not only build but are also heard, trusted, and celebrated. Together, we are creating an ecosystem where visibility becomes a growth catalyst”.
This statement highlights the persistent problem of the “builder’s silence” in Africa—a phenomenon where breakthrough technologies are developed but struggle to find user trust, adoption, and even local visibility due to limited communications budgets and skill gaps.
Ezechukwu has long championed the idea that Africa’s digital leapfrog is as much about narrative as it is about code, and that sustainable growth in emerging sectors like Web3 is underpinned by a robust ecosystem of supportive, credible media.
Leadership Perspectives: Quotes from Syncthesis
According to Boluwatife Ogunsina, representing Syncthesis Innovation Hub:
“Our work at Syncthesis is about enabling startups to thrive through better positioning and ecosystem connections. Partnering with SquirrelPR allows us to deliver even greater value by ensuring our startups are equipped with world-class PR tools and mentoring. This collaboration is not just about communications; it is about building trust, accelerating adoption, and amplifying Africa’s role in the global Web3 economy”.
Ogunsina’s comments reinforce that this partnership is more than a transactional arrangement; it’s about powering a narrative shift. The Web3 sector, which often faces doubt and regulatory misunderstanding, needs proactive communications to earn trust—both from the public and institutional investors. As such, the partnership’s ambitions transcend headline metrics; it is about ecosystem-building and amplifying Africa’s voice in emerging tech dialogues worldwide.
Impact on the African Web3 Ecosystem
The SquirrelPR–Syncthesis partnership is poised not just to serve individual startups but to initiate systemic change in how African innovation interfaces with global markets, investors, and users. The collaboration comes at a pivotal time:
• Rapid Web3 Growth: Africa has become regarded as a hidden giant in global Web3 adoption, with high growth rates in cryptocurrency use, blockchain development, and decentralized applications across sectors such as finance, agriculture, and education.
• Media Gap in Innovation: Many African startups operate in “news deserts” or find it challenging to access reputable press, both locally and regionally, resulting in a lack of awareness among potential customers, partners, and investors.
• Trust and Regulatory Challenges: Stereotypes and regulatory ambiguities often limit the prospects of blockchain projects, creating a need for proactive, accurate, and compelling communication.
By establishing supported, scalable, and credible PR pathways—through discounted tool access, founder clinics, and professional storytelling—the partnership is expected to:
• Increase Media Pick-Up: Doubling or tripling the number of press mentions, features, and interviews for participating startups.
• Attract Regional and International Funding: By enhancing visibility, startups can command attention from international VCs, development agencies, and corporate partners who are increasingly looking to Africa for new investment opportunities.
• Raise Adoption and Retention: End-users are more likely to trust, adopt, and stick with products that feel “endorsed” by independent, credible news sources.
• Build Capacity in PR Skills: The ecosystem as a whole gains from the proliferation of founders and communications leads who are trained in modern PR best practices, crisis management, and media strategy.
This “ecosystem impact” approach is designed for longevity, where even those startups that don’t directly participate in programs benefit from elevated standards of communication and cross-border news circulation.
Implementation Timeline and Rollout
While the partnership’s ambitions are large-scale and ongoing, the early rollout is focused on quick wins and demonstrable value, structured along the following sequence:
1. Initial Setup (Immediate–Month 1):
- Finalization of operational agreements between SquirrelPR and Syncthesis.
- Joint announcement and media coverage campaign to signal open applications or nominations for the PR Accelerator.
- Recruitment and onboarding of the first cohort of startups.
2. Web3 PR Accelerator Launch (Month 1–3):
- Startup nomination and screening by Syncthesis.
- Access grants and training for selected startups via SquirrelPR tools.
- Launch of the first round of PR mentorship, including clinics and tailored support meetings.
3. Thought Leadership and Event Integration (Month 2–6):
- Rollout of joint webinars, founder masterclasses, and content syndication.
- Embedding of PR Clinics at scheduled Web3 events and meetups; collection of feedback for continuous refinement.
4. Startup Spotlight Sessions and Media Outreach (Month 3–12):
- Launch of regular startup features in print, online, and televised settings.
- Monitoring reach, pickup, and conversion to partnership or funding inquiries.
5. Data-Driven Review and Scale (Quarterly, ongoing):
- Collection of activity, media impact, and user story data.
- Scaling of the accelerator and clinics based on measured ecosystem needs and success stories.
The partnership is designed with feedback loops in mind, providing space for rapid, flexible adaptation as the needs of African Web3 founders evolve.
Towards an Inclusive, Visible Web3 Ecosystem for Africa
The landmark partnership between SquirrelPR and Syncthesis Innovation Hub is more than a transaction between two forward-thinking organizations—it is a call to action for the entire African technology, investment, and innovation landscape. Now, as Africa continues to emerge as a global leader in digital transformation, partners are converging to ensure that neither talent nor innovation is lost in the shadows due to a lack of visibility or navigable pathways to media trust.
By marrying cutting-edge PR technology with ecosystem-building expertise, the alliance is well-positioned to catalyze a cycle where African Web3 startups are empowered to tell their stories, earn trust, attract funding, and build the networks required for enduring success. From the first startup spotlight to the final round of funding, the SquirrelPR–Syncthesis partnership serves as both a model for cross-sector collaboration and a beacon for the next generation of African tech storytelling.
As James Ezechukwu underscored: “African Web3 startups are building ground-breaking solutions, but too often they struggle to tell their stories to the world. This partnership allows us to ensure these startups not only build but are also heard, trusted, and celebrated.”
In the words of Boluwatife Ogunsina: “This collaboration is not just about communications; it is about building trust, accelerating adoption, and amplifying Africa’s role in the global Web3 economy.”
The impact of this partnership will no doubt be measured not only in lines of code or transaction volumes, but in the stories that reach the world—stories of innovation, ambition, and pan-African progress, finally finding their rightful spotlight.
BHG-InfoDesk
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