Pamela Ncube’s Two-Track Bet on Women and Science.

Josiah Sayyman
Oct 28
3 min read

Updated: Dec 4

From Lab Bench to Builder: Pamela Ncube’s Two-Track Bet on Women and Science a doctoral researcher on wildlife tuberculosis and the founder of N_Cube Consulting, Pamela Ncube is stitching rigorous science to a pragmatic support model for women-led startups. The timing, and the market need, are compelling.

When the funding grants were not successful, Pamela Ncube didn’t give up on her journey. She learned to write better proposals and went on to win over 10 grants throughout her academic journey. Years later, as her name was called for the Fondation L’Oréal–UNESCO Sub-Saharan Africa Young Talents Award., the scientist turned founder describes the moment as proof that persistence compounds, first in academia, then in business.

Ncube is a Zimbabwean based in South Africa, currently a PhD candidate at Stellenbosch University researching Mycobacterium bovis, a pathogen that causes animal tuberculosis, threatening wildlife & livestock, and the conservation economies that depend on them. In parallel, she leads N_Cube, a consulting venture mentoring women-led startups on strategy, brand presence, and execution. The bet is simple: evidence-based decision-making belongs in both science and small business, and Africa’s growth will reward founders who use it.

Recognition

In December 2024, L’Oreal Foundation announced Ncube as a recipient in the L’Oréal–UNESCO For Women in Science Young Talents (Sub-Saharan Africa) programme, an annual cohort of 30 winners selected from nearly 800 applicants, with the 2024 ceremony hosted in Cotonou, Benin, marking the programme’s 15th anniversary. Her work centers on improving diagnostics to reduce unnecessary culling and protect biodiversity. Her scientific footprint extends beyond announcements. In 2022, Ncube co-authored a peer-reviewed review in Microorganisms on latent tuberculosis in animals, mapping evidence gaps and host pathogen differences, useful context for designing better tests and policies.

Building the Engine

N_Cube Consulting, publicly introduced via its social channels, positions itself as a hands-on advisory for women founders: sharpening go to market strategy, clarifying brand, and stress testing operations. Rather than generic coaching, the pitch leans on research habits: define the problem, gather data, design the experiment, iterate. Partnerships aim to extend reach rather than add fixed cost. A collaboration with fashion house Martinet Couture, a Cape Town rooted label led by Martinet Ncube, signals how N_Cube Consulting intends to showcase female led creativity while building commercial pathways. (Martinet Couture traces its founding to the mid-2010s, and the brand itself confirms a 2016 origin.)

The Hard Parts

Science trains you to expect failure. Grant rejections, negative results, timelines that slip. Ncube frames these frictions as a training ground. “You fail more than you win” is not a posture, it is operating reality. The translation to venture building is clear: most early ideas are hypotheses, the skill is disciplined iteration, not bravado. There are trade offs. Dividing time between a PhD and a portfolio of founders invites capacity risk. The mitigation she cites: scope rigorously, publish on a cadence, and keep a small, high leverage partner network rather than a sprawling overhead.

Playbook & Lessons

Treat ideas like experiments. Define the hypothesis, measurement, and cycle time before spending.
Invest in diagnostics. In the lab it prevents needless culling, in business it prevents costly misallocation. Build decision dashboards early.
Use platform moments. Awards, cohorts, and posters are not endpoints, they are distribution. Convert attention into partners and pilots.
Normalize rejection. Write the next proposal and ship the next iteration. Cadence compounds.

What’s Next

Ncube’s focus is measurable mobility for women founders across Africa and the diaspora. N_Cube Consulting will publish a simple annual scorecard, survival at 12 months, revenue bands, jobs created, export readiness, and follow-on capital so founders, partners, and investors can act on evidence. It will formalise a diaspora bridge with time-boxed sprints and operator mentors in London, Toronto, and Dubai, aimed at unlocking the next commercial milestone rather than vague networks. Done well, the compounding effect is local jobs, global standards, and a higher bar for what African firms deliver.