Africa Early Stage Investor Summit 2018

For investors, by investors

Africa’s early stage investor community convened on November 11th and 12th for the Africa Early Stage Investor Summit 2018. This exclusive investor-only event, hosted at Workshop17 in Cape Town, South Africa, united key ecosystem stakeholders from across the continent and beyond, to exchange best practices, learn from peers and recent transactions, and do deals.

Celebrating its fifth year, the summit attracted the highest ever number of early stage African investors from 35 different countries, and more specifically 25 African nations representing 110+ investor organizations to share expertise, experiences, and fostering collaborations to bolster the ecosystem of capital provision for African entrepreneurs. Our speakers and guests represent angel networks, impact funds, leading accelerators, corporate venture arms, industry associations, and public sector agencies. Also in attendance were research organisations, academic institutions, leading accelerators and of course, highly driven entrepreneurs that managed to secure the very few seats available to them provided by the VC4A Venture Showcase – Series A: featuring 8 investor-vetted scale-ups from across the continent looking to raise between $250K and $5M.

WATCH THE HIGHLIGHTS

 

ORGANIZED BY

VC4A
ABAN

Articles

Why attend

The African startup ecosystem is on the move. Not only are the number of ventures growing, but the quality of the businesses is improving. Never before has the pipeline of African innovation been so investible. And where talent leads the way, money is close to follow. More than 60 angel networks are setting up across the continent and a growing class of Africa-focused VC investors is backing and scaling up the best of the best. Once a year, this community of industry leaders comes together to share best practices and to learn from peers. The best companies are invited to join this meeting as talent and capital collide.

  • 300+ leaders from the Africa startup, innovation and investment industry
  • The latest trends, insights and industry research
  • Workshops and masterclasses for investors by investors
  • Exclusive networking and co-investment opportunities
  • Option to nominate startups in your portfolio to attend this event
  • An awards ceremony recognizing the best of the best
  • Investor Cocktail, Industry Leaders Dinner and Innovation Tour
  • Full week VIP investor pass including partner events (AHUB, AfricaCom, AfricArena)

A rich networking experiences with a highly focused yet varied program. Lovely Waterfront Cape Town with views of table mountain.

Summit program

Sunday – November 11

Series of investor masterclasses and workshops at Workshop 17 (17 Dock Rd, V & A Waterfront) in partnership with UCT GSB Solution Space and MTN Group + invite-only investor cocktail at Nasdak Rooftop Venue (26th floor, Media24 Centre) hosted by our event partner Naspers.

Monday – November 12

Full day Summit at Workshop 17 (17 Dock Rd, V & A Waterfront), including networking breakfast + investor dinner at Radisson RED (No. 6 Silo, Silo Square, V & A Waterfront).

Wednesday – November 14 (optional)

Cape Town Innovation Tour, organized together with our partner Merck Accelerator.

AESIS

NOVEMBER 11, 2018 – ACADEMY DAY

The Academy Day is organized in partnership with UCT GSB Solution Space and MTN Group.

11:00 Registration open at Workshop17
12:00 Walk in coffee and brunch
Track 1 Masterclasses for aspiring and new angels

13:00 – 14:30 Introduction to angel investing
Profile Photo Tomi Davies, ABAN + Lagos Angel Network
Profile Photo Charles Sidman, ECS Capital Partners

14:30 – 15:00 Network break

15:00 – 16:30 The social impact investor
Profile Photo Aunnie Patton Power, UCT GSB

Track 2 Masterclasses for experienced (angel) investors

13:00 – 14:30 Mentor capital
Profile Photo Stephen Gugu, ABAN + VBAN
Profile Photo Abu Bakr Cassim, Jozi Angels

14:30 – 15:00 Network break

15:00 – 16:30 Unwrapping the exit
Profile Photo Keet van Zyl, Knife Capital
Profile Photo Andrea Böhmert, Knife Capital

17:00 Investor cocktail at Nasdak Rooftop Venue (26th floor, Media24 Centre, 40 Heerengracht Street) hosted by Naspers.

NOVEMBER 12, 2018 – SUMMIT DAY

08:00 Registration & Network breakfast
09:00 Opening remarks
Profile Photo Ben White, VC4A
09:10 Opening keynote
Getting investment ready!
Profile Photo Tomi Davies, ABAN + Lagos Angel Network
09:20 Opening panel
State of play: Understanding the current investment thesis
Leading investors from across the continent share their views on investing and the path for success in Africa’s early stage investment landscape.
Profile Photo Marieme Diop, Orange Digital Ventures
Profile Photo Keet van Zyl, Knife Capital
Profile Photo Khaled Ismail, KI Angel
Profile Photo Ido Sum, TLcom Capital Partners
Profile Photo Aaron Fu (moderator), MEST
10:00 Opening keynote
Lessons learned from a leading serial entrepreneur and startup investor
Profile PhotoJason Njoku, iROKOtv
10:10 Keynote
From the outside in
Profile Photo , EBAN
10:30 Fireside chat
The African exit
Profile PhotoSam Paddock, Getsmarter
Profile Photo Rebecca Enonchong (moderator), ABAN + Cameroon Angels Network
11:00 Network break
11:30 Parallel sessions

Investor panel
Is the Silicon Valley venture capital model not working in Africa?
Is there such a thing as ‘the African way to investing’? Do global investment rules not apply to investing on the continent? Leading investors debate if the traditional Silicon Valley Venture Capital model does or does not apply in Africa.
Profile Photo Wale Ayeni, IFC
Profile Photo Manuel Koser, Silvertree Internet Holdings
Profile Photo Craig Mullett, Branison Group
Profile Photo , Village Capital
Profile Photo Matthew Buckland (moderator), Ventureburn

——or——

Panel/roundtable
The impact of the rise of female investors
Understanding the impact of the rising number of female investors and the opportunities and challenges in catalyzing gender lens investing.
Profile Photo Jocelyn Cheng, Global Innovation Fund
Profile Photo Yemi Keri, Rising Tide Africa
Profile PhotoAllie Burns, Village Capital
Profile Photo Amee Parbhoo, Accion
Profile PhotoJohan Bosini (moderator), Quona Capital

12:15 Parallel sessions

Ecosystem panel
Changing the landscape. Building an enabling environment
Exploring the role international organizations, governments, FDI’s play in empowering local ecosystems and enabling entrepreneurs and investors to excel.
Profile PhotoAxel Pougin de la Maisonneuve, European Commission
Profile Photo , Proparco
Profile Photo , Egypt Ventures
Profile Photo Ilyes Bdioui, African Development Bank
Profile Photo Danai Musandu (moderator), Goodwell Investments

——or——

Panel/roundtable
The African way to investing: exploring alternative funding models
Examining how alternative funding models such as ICO’s, equity crowdfunding, blended capital can help untap much needed capital.
Profile Photo Llew Claasen, Newtown Partners
Profile Photo Thomas Festerling, GreenTec Capital Partners
Profile Photo , Entrepreneur Traction
Profile Photo , Lagos Angel Network
Profile Photo Christopher Campbell (moderator), SABAN

——or——

Panel discussion
Building bridges between entrepreneurs, innovation agencies and the angel investor community in partnership with Technology Innovation Agency.
Profile Photo , Dazzle Angels
Profile Photo Abu Bakr Cassim, Jozi Angels
Profile Photo Stephen Gugu, ABAN + VBAN
Profile Photo , Angel Investor
Profile PhotoWerner van der Merwe, TIA
Profile Photo Alexandra Fraser (moderator), ABAN + Dazzle Angels

13:00 Lunch
14:00 Special announcements
14:10 VC4A Venture Showcase – Series A
4 investor-vetted scale-ups from across the continent pitching on stage, all looking to raise their Series A round between $250K and $5M.
Venture Profile Nawah-Scientific image of Nawah Scientific Logo Nawah-Scientific Egypt



Investor judges:
Profile Photo , Innovation Edge
Profile Photo Emilian Popa, DiGAME Investment Company
Profile Photo Maxime Bayen, GSMA
Profile Photo Christoph Rohde,
14:50 Parallel sessions
VC4A Venture Showcase – Investor deep dive sessions
Got sparked by one of the pitches? This is your chance as an investor to engage with the founders and get a better sense on the business they are building in 4 separate breakaway sessions.

——or——

Research roundtable ‘Letting the data speak’
Fact-based research and access to reliable data are key to any investment decision and important building blocks of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Join leading research practitioners and learn from their main findings and insights.
Profile Photo Kenza Lahlou, Outlierz Ventures
Profile PhotoAziz Sy, Impact Hub Dakar
Profile Photo , SAVCA
Profile Photo , Disrupt Africa
Profile Photo Thomas van Halen (moderator), VC4A
15:30 Network Break
16:00 VC4A Venture Showcase – Series A
4 investor-vetted scale-ups from across the continent pitching on stage, all looking to raise their Series A round between $250K and $5M.
Venture Profile Gebeya Inc image of Gebeya Inc Logo Gebeya Inc Ethiopia
Venture Profile GoMetro image of Gometro Logo GoMetro South Africa

Venture Profile Shezlong image of Shezlong Logo Shezlong Egypt
Investor judges:
Profile Photo Huseyin R Demirhisar, BidNetwork
Profile Photo , Africa Tech Ventures
Profile Photo Fabrice Boulle, Compass Venture Capital
Profile Photo Kenza Lahlou, Outlierz Ventures
16:45 Parallel sessions
VC4A Venture Showcase – Investor deep dive sessions
Got sparked by one of the pitches? This is your chance as an investor to engage with the founders and get a better sense on the business they are building in 4 separate breakaway sessions.

——or——

Roundtable
‘How to boost early-stage deal flow in Africa’, in partnership with Village Capital
Profile Photo , Suguba
Profile Photo Mimshach Obioha, Ventures Platform
Profile Photo Simunza Muyangana, Southern Africa Venture Partnership
Profile PhotoMercy Zulu, Goodwell Investments
Profile Photo Thomas Festerling, GreenTec Capital Partners
Profile Photo Rachel Crawford (moderator), Village Capital
17:30 Closing panel
Connecting the dots – Making investing work In Africa
Taking investing to the next level. Summarizing key learnings from the day and setting the roadmap for the future.
Profile Photo , Blue Haven Initiative
Profile PhotoAlice Gugulev, Collective for Frontier Finance
Profile Photo , 4Di Capital
Profile PhotoNikunj Jinsi, IFC Venture Capital
Profile Photo Charles Ojei (moderator), HYBR Group
18:15 Closing ceremony
Profile Photo Ben White, VC4A
Profile Photo Tomi Davies, ABAN + Lagos Angel Network
19:30 Investor dinner at Radisson RED – No. 6 Silo, V & A Waterfront

NOVEMBER 14, 2018 – CAPE TOWN INNOVATION TOUR

The tour is organised in partnership with our event partner Merck Accelerator and can be booked at an additional cost of $20:
register here.

Cape Town has been recognized globally as an emerging global entrepreneurial hub, due to it’s vibrant startup community and innovative spirit. The greater Cape Town area is home to many accelerator programs, co-working spaces and global tech businesses, serving markets across the continent and globe.

This tour aims to give you a great introduction to the ecosystem, access to the entrepreneurs and leaders building the sector, and you’ll spend the day being hosted by industry experts who are embedded in the community.

08:30 Meet at the Solution Space at the UCT Graduate School of Business for morning coffee
08:45 Welcome to the Solution Space & Venture Incubation Program
09:15 Founder’s Panel: Scaling Start-ups in Africa (Yoco, Nomanini & SweepSouth)
10:15 Visit WeThinkCode Cape Town Campus
11:00 Depart for Stellenbosch
11:30 Arrive at LaunchLab in Stellenbosch, one of the leading university based start-up support hubs to have lunch with some of their entrepreneurs.
13:30 Depart Stellenbosch for Saltriver
14:15 Tour and growth story of AeroBotics on of the XL Africa Finalists from last year who are revolutionizing the agricultural industry.
15:30 Depart for Woodstock Exchange
16:00 Merck HealthTech Challenge and Pitches hosted at MEST
17:30 Networking and drinks
18:15 Depart for Workshop17

Tour Includes:
• Transport between venues on a luxury, air-conditioned coach
• Tea or coffee on arrival from at Workshop 17, V&A Waterfront
• Mineral water and fruit to snack on in the coach
• Morning coffee and snacks
• Healthy packed lunch with locally sourced produce
• Drinks at MEST Incubator

Brought to you by:

Limited seats available, secure your seat(s) now.

2018 Speakers

Headlining the Summit are renown international and local investors – with leading African angels and VC fund managers attending from 32 countries including South Africa, Nigeria, Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Kenya, Tanzania, Senegal, Mauritius, Ivory Coast, Benin, Malawi, Botswana, Ethiopia and Uganda amongst many others. Speakers include:




Ilyes Bdioui
African Development Bank

Andrea Böhmert
Knife Capital

Fabrice Boulle
Compass Venture Capital




Jocelyn Cheng
Global Innovation Fund

Llew Claasen
Newtown Partners




Rachel Crawford
Village Capital

Tomi Davies
ABAN + Lagos Angel Network


Marieme Diop
Orange Digital Ventures



Rebecca Enonchong
ABAN + Cameroon Angels Network

Thomas Festerling
GreenTec Capital Partners







Yemi Keri
Rising Tide Africa

Manuel Koser
Silvertree Internet Holdings

Kenza Lahlou
Outlierz Ventures



Craig Mullett
Branison Group

Danai Musandu
Goodwell Investments








Charles Sidman
ECS Capital Partners




Ido Sum
TLcom Capital Partners





Keet van Zyl
Knife Capital

In good company

Investors

4Di Capital
800 ventures
ABAN
Accion
African Development Bank
African Diaspora Network
Africatech Ventures
AHL Venture Partners
Akili
Algebra Ventures
Angelhub Ventures
Anges Quebec
AVCA
Blue Haven Initiative
Brooklyn Ventures
Cactus Advisors
Cairo Angels
CAN
Clifftop Colony
Dazzle Angels
DMM.Africa
Earth Capital
EAVCA
EBAN
EchoVC
Empretec
eVA Fund
fsdafrica
GBAN
Glenheim
Glo Ventures
Global Innovation Fund
Global Partnerships
GoBeyond
Goodwell
Greentec Capital
GSMA
Hivos
Horizen Ventures
Innovation Edge
Intelligent Capital
Invenfin
IetP
Investment One
iungo Capital
Jozi Angels
KAIN
Kalon
Knife Capital
Lagos Angel Network
Leapfrog Ventures
Maine Venture Fund
Mercy Corps
Movement Capital
NACO
Neon Ventures
Nest
Newtown Partners
Orange Digital Ventures
Outlierz
Pepperfield Ventures
Quona Capital
Rising Tide Africa
RMI
SABAN
Sanaga Ventures
SAVCA
Seedstars
Silvertree Internet Holdings
Singularity Invest
Small Foundation
Spark-ng
Starttech Ventures
Team Africa Ventures
Techstars
TLcom
VBAN
Ventures Platform
Village Capital
Visions2Ventures
 Zephyr Acorn

Your organization not on the list? Contact the organizers for opportunities and sponsor packages on team [at] africainvestorsummit.com.

Summit partners

AESIS2018 is powered by

Work in Progress! Alliance

 

Supporting partners

Supporting partners

Testimonials

Ido Sum

Ido Sum

TLCom Capital

“Being a regular participant in many such conferences, it was a unique collection of very high quality companies as well as the early stage tech focused African investors community. This intersection of top notch investors and founders led to a few great relationships and investment opportunities we looked in more depth into.”

Kola Aina

Kola Aina

Ventures Platform

“I found the Africa Early Stage Investor Summit to be a great opportunity to network and learn form other investors from around the continent. The sessions were useful and provided great pan-African perspective of the investment landscape. I will highly recommend it”

Keet van Zyl

Keet van Zyl

Knife Capital

“The Africa Early Stage Investor Summit brings together a diverse network of people with a common interest of starting and building sustainable companies that solve real problems on the continent. The status of the partners on board and profiles of the speakers ensure that the event is thought provoking, educational and fun!”

Any questions?

Contact the organizers on team [at] africainvestorsummit.com. Look forward to see you in Cape Town!