Nicholas Thiede
Co-founder, ScaleUp Company SA
I've built and exited 4 companies. Now I help founders scale with clarity and build businesses worth exiting. I coach from experience, not theory — using Scaling Up and EOS to turn ambition into execution.
What Nicholas's clients achieve
Is Nicholas right for you?
- A founder or CEO of a 20–160 person company who's scaling fast but feels the cracks forming
- Building toward an exit and need clarity on what makes a business truly exitable
- Want a coach who's actually built and sold companies — not someone who's only read about it
- Based in Africa, Middle East, or open to remote coaching with a global perspective
- Dual methodology expertise — Scaling Up and EOS. Can help you choose the right framework or blend both
- Emerging market scaling — built companies across Africa, Middle East, and Europe with unique market dynamics
- Founder accountability through EO-style peer learning — built two EO chapters from scratch
- B2B sales and marketplace businesses — deep operational experience in these models
About Nicholas
"I support founders to build their dreams and hold themselves accountable for their own path. The best coaching relationships are partnerships — I bring the frameworks and real-world scars, you bring the ambition and domain expertise."
I'm a serial entrepreneur who's been in the founder's seat four times — building companies from startup through scale-up to exit, with teams ranging from 20 to 160 people across Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. I know what it feels like when the company outgrows your ability to hold it all in your head. That's exactly the moment where Scaling Up and EOS transform a business.
I co-founded ScaleUp Company South Africa because I saw too many ambitious founders hitting the same walls I hit — and I knew the frameworks existed to break through them. Before coaching, I served as Founding President of EO Tanzania and Founding Member of EO East Africa, building entrepreneur communities from zero. That taught me something: founders don't need more advice. They need accountability, the right tools, and someone who's been where they're going.
Through ScaleUp Company, the ScaleUp Podcast, and our events series, I work with founders who are ready to move from hustle to system — from founder-dependent to exit-ready.
Track Record
4 companies built from startup to exit
Founded and led four ventures across B2B sales, marketplaces, and technology — scaling teams to 160 people and achieving successful exits. Applied Scaling Up principles to navigate growth-stage challenges in competitive, multi-market environments.
Founded EO Tanzania & EO East Africa chapters
Created East Africa's leading entrepreneurs' network as Founding President of EO Tanzania (2014–2017) and Founding Member of EO East Africa. Built peer accountability structures that supported hundreds of founders in emerging markets.
Techstars mentor for B2B sales & growth
Selected as Techstars mentor (2016) to help early-stage startups refine their B2B sales, marketing, and go-to-market strategies. Provided hands-on guidance from founder-to-founder experience.
Co-founded coaching practice for ambitious scale-ups
Built ScaleUp Company South Africa as a dedicated coaching practice combining Scaling Up and EOS frameworks. Runs workshops, coaching engagements, and the ScaleUp Podcast featuring candid conversations with founders about the reality of scaling.
Content & Media
The ScaleUp Podcast
Candid conversations with founders about the real challenges of scaling — from first hires to exits. Featuring entrepreneurs who've built businesses from scratch and navigated the messy middle that scaling frameworks are designed to solve.
How Nicholas Works With You
- Scaling Up & EOS CoachingFull implementation of Scaling Up or EOS — or a tailored blend of both. Structured around the Four Decisions (People, Strategy, Execution, Cash) with accountability built in from day one.
- ScaleUp Workshops & EventsIntensive sessions designed to get leadership teams aligned and moving. Part of the ScaleUp Company events series — in-person in Cape Town or remote for distributed teams.
- Exit Readiness AdvisoryCoaching specifically focused on building exitable value — the systems, team independence, and strategic clarity that makes a business attractive to acquirers. From a founder who's been through it four times.
Scaling Up & EOS Coaching
Full implementation of Scaling Up or EOS — or a tailored blend of both. Structured around the Four Decisions (People, Strategy, Execution, Cash) with accountability built in from day one.
ScaleUp Workshops & Events
Intensive sessions designed to get leadership teams aligned and moving. Part of the ScaleUp Company events series — in-person in Cape Town or remote for distributed teams.
Exit Readiness Advisory
Coaching specifically focused on building exitable value — the systems, team independence, and strategic clarity that makes a business attractive to acquirers. From a founder who's been through it four times.