VC4A Venture Showcase is a programme for Africa-focused early-stage investors and startups looking to raise their Seed ($250K-$1,5M) and Series A ($1,5M-$10M) rounds. The VC4A Venture Showcase is part of the annual Africa Early Stage Investor Summit #AESIS2021.
Eight innovative, seed-stage startups will be selected for each of the two tracks for companies operating in Africa, showing solid traction and gearing for expansion.
Eligibility Criteria
- Your company is for-profit, registered as an independent legal entity with less than 3 years in operation;
- Your company has a product or service already available on the market and serving its first customers;
- Your product or service is clearly innovative and/or the business model is new and disruptive;
- Your business model scalability is visible through a growing number of customers or transactions, your pipeline shows future contracts and potential sales;
- You have a good estimate of your addressable market > 1M+ people/year with potential plans to expand across borders;
- You have a strong management team of at least 2 people;
- Your team is based in one or more countries on the African continent;
- At least one of the founders has an African nationality;
- You are seeking Seed/pre-Series A investment in the range of $250K to $1,5M*;
- While there will be exceptions, your company has received investment above 25K USD from “Founder, Family, Friends & Fans” but not exceeding 1M+ USD;
- Founder(s) who previously started a successful company is a plus.
Selection Criteria
- Commercial Value of your Product/Service (25%): Your company addresses a real problem in the market. Your product or service is different from others in the industry. Your business model is new and designed for scale.
- Strategy for Growth (25%): The market size is significant and there is potential to expand locally and into new markets. Your startup is scalable and has a clear strategy for growth. You can show demonstrable progress.
- Management Team (25%): Your team has the qualifications needed to make the business successful. Management team members have complementary expertise.
- Market Traction & Financials (25%): We will evaluate your market traction, revenue streams, and unit economics. If any outside funding has been raised before, it’s a plus.
Benefits
- Being recognized as 2021 VC4A Venture Showcase entrepreneur
- Participation in the VC4A Venture Showcase deal room, including 200+ early-stage investor organizations
- Professionally edited 3-minute virtual pitch featured at the Africa Early Stage Investor Summit (November 4-5, 2021)
- 30 min deep-dive session with investors in a private room
- Mentorship and technical support by partner VC investors
- AWS Activate offers selected cohort AWS credits ranging from $5,000 to $10,000, tools, resources, and more to quickly get started on AWS
- Joining the alumni network and having exclusive access to partner events and fundraising opportunities
Application deadline is July 24. Click here to apply.
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