ResearchStrategyBusiness Solutions

Evidence that informs decisions. Solutions that move you forward.

We help businesses and organisations understand people and markets, make strategic choices, and turn insight into practical solutions for growth and social impact.

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Consultants reviewing research findings together in an office

About Pointwave

A solution-focused consultancy connecting research, strategy and practical business advisory.

Our consultants bring combined experience across African markets in market, social, consumer and youth research. We explore behaviour, motivations and context to help clients respond to real needs and opportunities.

Researcher interviewing a trader at an open-air market

Services

Three ways we work with you.

01Research

Understand the people and markets behind your next decision.

We combine qualitative and quantitative approaches to explore customer needs, social contexts, youth perspectives and market opportunities.

Our work covers

  1. Market intelligence and sizing
  2. Segmentation and profiling
  3. Brand health
  4. Customer and employee satisfaction
  5. Concept and product testing

Core research specialties

Six approaches we are asked for most often.

  • Human-centred design (HCD)

    Understand lived experiences and unmet needs, then develop and test solutions around the people who will use them.

  • Co-creation

    Bring customers, communities and stakeholders into facilitated sessions to shape ideas, refine concepts and test solutions together.

  • Mobi-Qual

    Qualitative research conducted through moderated chat on mobile phones, exploring participants' experiences, attitudes and motivations through guided conversations.

  • Feasibility studies

    Assess demand, competition, commercial viability and delivery considerations to inform investment, market-entry and expansion decisions.

  • Consumer Connects

    Enable client teams to stay in touch with their consumers by directly participating in their lives through in-home visits, shop-alongs or more creative events.

  • Ethnography

    Combine participatory or non-participatory observation with interviews to capture context, unconscious behaviours and emotions, and the gap between what people say and what they do.

…more

02Strategy

Make clear choices about where to compete and how to grow.

We translate evidence into business, go-to-market and marketing strategies.

  • Where to compete

    Business, go-to-market and marketing strategy grounded in evidence.

  • How value is created and earned

    Clarify the business model, prioritise opportunities, and define positioning, pricing, channels and operating models.

  • How to deliver

    Practical roadmaps and performance measures to track progress.

…more

03Business Solutions

Build a business that works and is ready to grow.

Our experience supporting founders, leaders and growing organisations spans:

  • Business coaching

    Clarify priorities and strengthen execution.

  • Planning and forecasting

    Develop business models, business plans, financial forecasts and pitch decks for growth, funding and investment discussions.

  • Organisational systems

    Establish practical workflows, standard operating procedures, reporting systems, clear roles and accountability.

Digital transformation and risk and governance planning support this work.

…more

Our approach

From question to action in three steps.

  1. Understand

    Clarify the challenge and investigate the context.

  2. Co-create

    Develop options with the people who matter.

  3. Activate

    Translate findings into priorities, plans and solutions.

Experience

Collective expertise. Experienced teams. African reach.

Pointwave brings together experienced consultants through a consortium model. We draw on the expertise relevant to each assignment, supported by established agency partnerships across African markets.

100+ years
Combined professional experience across our directors and consultant network.
55+ years
Combined professional experience of our three founding directors.…more
5+ years
Minimum relevant experience of researchers assigned to your project.
20+ African countries
Collective delivery experience through direct assignments and partner agencies.

Experience figures are cumulative across individuals. The directors' experience forms part of the overall total. Country coverage reflects collective assignment experience, not office locations.

Relevant expertise for your challenge

Our consortium model allows us to assemble teams around the research question, market context and capabilities your assignment requires.

Experienced delivery at every scale

Whether the assignment is large or small, our commitment remains the same: research delivery by practitioners with at least five years of relevant experience, with a focus on delivering value within the agreed scope and budget.

Local understanding across markets

We work directly and with established partner agencies, drawing on local context and delivery capabilities in markets where we do not have a permanent presence.

Sectors and questions our consultants have worked across.

Commercial sectors

  • Financial services
  • Food and beverage
  • Retail and consumer packaged goods
  • IT and telecommunications
  • Healthcare
  • Agriculture and agro-processing
  • Real estate and construction
  • Media and advertising

Public and development work

  • Government and public institutions
  • NGOs and development programmes
  • Feasibility and baseline studies
  • Formative research
  • Outcome and impact assessment
  • Pre-, mid- and post-intervention evaluation

Social research themes

  • Children, adolescents and youth
  • Women and economic empowerment
  • Sexual and reproductive health
  • Water, sanitation and health
  • Education
  • Rural development, agriculture and energy

Selected clients we have worked with

  • KENAFRIC INDUSTRIES
  • OSHO GRAIN MILLERS
  • AIRTEL AFRICA
  • WASOKO
  • UN FOUNDATION
  • ATC KENYA
  • BEIERSDORF AG
  • STYLE INDUSTRIES LIMITED
  • SEVEN BRANDS
  • HEALPLUS PHARMA
  • JADA NAIL CLINIC
  • ECO CHARGE LTD
  • UNILEVER
  • SASAPAY
  • VISA

Tell us the expertise your next project needs.

Let's discuss your challenge, the markets involved and the experience needed to deliver useful answers.

Discuss your project

Why Pointwave

What you can expect from working with us.

  • Contextual understanding

    We read behaviour in its real setting, not in the abstract.

  • Combined Pan-African consulting experience

    Our consultants have worked across African markets in market, social, consumer and youth research.

  • Collaboration

    We work as partners with your team, not at arm's length.

  • Empathy

    We take the time to understand the people your decisions affect.

  • Integrity

    Credible, reliable data and insight you can act on with confidence.

  • A focus on actionable outputs

    Findings arrive as priorities, plans and solutions, not just reports.

Let's work on your next challenge.

Tell us what you want to understand, build or improve.

Call us+254 781 780 195