Who we are

Global operators. Every sense of the word.

Two founders. A collective of senior operators behind us. We've built and scaled businesses across continents, sectors, and stages. We bring the same instinct into yours.

Small by design. Senior by default. The people who meet you are the people who do the work.

The founders

The team that built Uber Africa from zero.

Together, Lindsey and Jon took Uber across Sub-Saharan Africa. $600M+ in gross bookings, 60,000+ drivers, millions of riders, 30+ markets. No playbook. No safety net. Just execution at a scale most operators never see.

Since then: founded airlines, built B2B software, exited companies, and advised businesses across six continents. The growth brain and the operational engine. In the same room, working for you.

LE
Lindsey Elkin
The Rainmaker

One of Uber's first global employees. Helped build the business across Sub-Saharan Africa from zero. 6+ countries, no playbook, markets most operators never touch.

Since then: eight countries called home, deals forged from Lagos to Tokyo. Founded Yayem, a hospitality OS used by top brands globally. Knows what it takes to grow from every side of the table, as an operator, a community builder, a founder, and an investor.

JA
Jon Ayache
The Engine

Founder and CEO of LIFT Airline. Launched a new South African carrier in 90 days during the pandemic, the first new entrant the industry had seen in over a decade. No playbook. No safety net. Just execution.

Before LIFT, built Uber Africa from the start, taking the business from zero to operations across the continent. Built under pressure, in markets with no pre-existing playbooks, and scaled them anyway.

Between us

$600M+
Built at Uber Africa
5
Businesses founded
$10M+
Raised
30+
Countries

The collective

No bench. No overhead. No junior staff.

D3 isn't a firm of employees. We're a small founding team backed by a network of senior operators we've worked with for years. VC leaders, compliance officers, regional experts across markets most operators have never set foot in.

When an engagement needs more than the two of us, we bring in the people who fit. Vetted by us. Accountable to us. Sized to what the work actually needs, not to what a headcount-heavy firm would charge you for.

Decades to build. Yours from day one.

How we think

A few things we believe about the work.

Operators build differently from consultants.
We've sat in the seats we now help fill. We know what it costs to get a decision wrong, because we've made those decisions in our own businesses. The work we do reflects that.
AI is a lever, not a product.
We learned to execute before AI. The instincts and discipline came first. AI is what lets us deliver in weeks what used to take quarters. The lever, not the answer.
Outcomes beat outputs.
A deck is an output. Revenue is an outcome. We're accountable to the second, not the first, and we structure every engagement around that.
Small is a feature, not a constraint.
A small number of engagements at a time means the founders are in the work, not selling the next deal. Selectivity is the offer.
Let's Talk

If this sounds like the team you need, let's talk.

If the timing is right, let's talk.

Get in touch