Genesis Venture: Native & True
The Opportunity: Redefining African Skincare
Our thesis began with a clear market observation. A significant gap exists between two distinct poles in the skincare market:
International Brands: World-class formulation and safety, but lack an authentic local narrative. Local Brands: Authentic narrative and ingredients, but often lack global-standard formulation and branding.
The opportunity was to build a brand that offers the best of both worlds: world-class product efficacy, deeply rooted in a compelling, ownable African identity. Native & True was born from this thesis—to create the definitive, aspirational skincare brand for the modern consumer.
The Build: In Progress (As of October 2025)
Q2 2025
Incorporation & Foundational Capital
Fourth State Ltd. was formally incorporated, and foundational pre-seed capital was secured to fund the operational runway for our genesis venture.
Q3 2025
Brand & Product Formalization
The Native & True brand identity, positioning, and packaging were finalized. MVP formulations were completed with our partner lab.
Q4 2025
(Current)
Go-to-Market Execution
Our initial product batch is in production. We are executing our go-to-market strategy, focused on building our first 100 fanatical customers in our launch market of Nairobi.
The Next Milestones
Our immediate focus is singular: achieving verifiable proof of our thesis with Native and True.
- By Q3 2026: Achieve Product-Market Fit. Our primary objective is to build a core, loyal customer base and achieve a repeatable customer acquisition model with a clear path to profitability (LTV > 3x CAC).
- By Q4 2026: Codify the Playbook. We will document every facet of this journey—from supply chain to marketing funnels—to create the definitive, data-backed Fourth State Playbook for building CPG brands in the region. This playbook becomes the foundational asset for our next venture.