Evidence over opinion.

Dr. Tim Schneller has been a wonderful facilitator and mentor to the MEST Africa AI Startup Program, and I would highly recommend him to any organization looking for someone who brings both depth and practicality to entrepreneurship education.

Dr. Tim joined us in March to lead our Business Studio with a cohort of 30 entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds across West Africa. He worked with them on customer segmentation, business model development, market sizing, customer discovery, testing assumptions, and using insights from the market to iterate their ventures. He also facilitated additional workshops with Christine Schneller focused on influencing, credibility, customer conversations, and negotiation.

What stood out to me was the level of thought Dr. Tim put into how people would actually learn. His sessions were extremely well prepared, but never felt like lectures. He used scenarios, exercises, discussion, and practice to help participants work through concepts for themselves and connect them directly to the businesses they were building. He was intentional about creating an environment where people with different experiences, perspectives, and levels of confidence could participate meaningfully. That attention extended even to rearranging the seating in our training space to make it more conducive to discussion, interaction, and learning. He paid attention to the room, responded thoughtfully to questions, and adjusted based on what participants were grappling with.

Our participant feedback reflected the quality of that experience. Dr. Tim received 100% positive ratings across all five areas we measure: knowledge and clarity, engagement and support, responsiveness to questions, pace and structure, and overall effectiveness. Participants repeatedly named his Business Studio sessions among the highlights of the month. They particularly valued the practical nature of the sessions, including the use of scenarios and interactive exercises to work through concepts such as market sizing, ROI, segment snapshots, unit economics, testing, and measurement.

For me, one of the strongest indicators of Dr. Tim’s impact has been what has happened since. Our entrepreneurs have now moved into incubation, where they are actively building, testing, selling, and making decisions about their ventures. Months later, Dr. Tim’s sessions continue to be cited by participants as they work through those challenges. That staying power matters to me. It tells me that participants did not simply enjoy the sessions. They left with frameworks, skills, and ways of thinking that they are continuing to use.

Dr. Tim has also continued his involvement with the program by mentoring one of our venture teams during incubation. I have been equally impressed by the commitment he has brought to that relationship. He is engaged and generous with his time and thinking, while also challenging the team in the right ways. He does not simply give them answers. He pushes them to question their assumptions, sharpen their thinking, and make stronger decisions for themselves. That balance of support and challenge is exactly what early-stage entrepreneurs need from a mentor.

As Director of the MEST Africa AI Startup Program, I work with many experts, facilitators, and mentors across the different stages of our entrepreneurs’ development. Dr. Tim is someone I would gladly work with again. He brings strong business knowledge, careful preparation, an understanding of how people learn, and a genuine commitment to the entrepreneurs he works with. I highly recommend him.

Emily Fiagbedzi, AI Startup Program Director, MEST Africa