We’re proud to announce the 12 ventures (11 Series A and 1 Seed+) for the 2019 VC4A Venture Showcase.
These companies represent the best Series A investment opportunities on the continent. They have been vetted by VC investors through a rigorous referral and selection process. They demonstrate strong revenues and competitive edge, are well-positioned for regional and internal expansion and are working on important innovations in the healthcare, finance, transport, commerce and advertising sectors.
The founders will showcase their businesses in front of the investors at Africa Early Stage Investor Summit in Cape Town on November 13-14th, with the aim of raising $250k-$5mln in Series A capital. All companies provide technology-intensive or innovation-based products or services that are currently available in one or more African markets.
The 2019 VC4A Venture Showcase – Series A portfolio:
7keema is a technology-enabled healthcare services platform that enhances the accessibility and quality of nursing services while empowering female nurses everywhere.
Brimore is a social commerce platform that enables manufacturers to grow on a national scale through a powerful commercial arm of individuals, selling the products to their surrounding circles via all possible channels.
Buseet operates private high-end buses in transporting daily commuters. allowing businesses and employees to book trips on pre-defined routes through their apps.
CredPal is a financial technology company that enables consumers to make purchases across online/offline merchants and pay in fixed monthly installments by providing them with instant access to credit at the point-of-sale and also on credit cards.
CrowdForce is building an ecosystem of 1 million merchants that will render penetrative market research and financial inclusion services to the billions of consumers in Africa and other emerging markets.
FinChatBot develops bespoke Artificial Intelligence-powered chatbots to help financial service providers acquire and retain customers while reducing operating costs.
FlexClub is a managed marketplace helping independent drivers on digital platforms access vehicle ownership based on their skills while simplifying how purpose-driven investors can earn competitive returns from funding commercial fleets.
LifeBank is a medical distribution company focused on transporting supply chain-sensitive medical products such as blood, vaccines, and oxygen in developing countries using high and low technologies as well as smart logistics.
Mobiz is a powerful yet easy-to-use software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform that offers businesses of all sizes cutting-edge customer engagement. Mobiz’s proprietary SmartSMS product combines the ubiquity of established mobile channels with the personalization of the web to create unique calls to action.
Snapnsave is South Africa’s #1 cashback coupon app that gives shoppers and independent traders cashback when shopping in-store, just by snapping a photo of their shopping receipts.
YASSIR is an innovative transportation service that can be used with your smartphone anywhere, anytime. It allows everyone to book a driver and to move safely.
And last but not least, our special selection in ‘Seed+’ investment category:
VRapeutic develops virtual reality software for therapy, with a focus on learning disabilities and developmental disorders, such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and cerebral palsy.
The program
Over the next weeks, the selected startups will be linked to top VC investors as mentors and receive bespoke investor readiness training culminating in the 1-week residency in Cape Town, South Africa. During the residency, the startups will have the opportunity to interact with and learn from their mentors, peers, and partners, before delivering their pitches on the main stage of the Africa Early Stage Investor Summit. The program offers two days of networking opportunities at the Summit, where entrepreneurs will also engage with interested investors during deep-dive sessions. Moreover, the participants will pitch to a wider audience of corporates, investors and tech professionals at VC4A’s partner event, AfricaCom.
Investor collaboration
VC4A is excited to see the Venture Showcase becoming a great example of true industry collaboration. The vetting process is fully undertaken by our partnering external investors, where the angel groups and funds refer their portfolio companies ready for the next round. VC4A’s partner VCs then assess the opportunities and ultimately decide who will appear on the Summit stage.
Investor participation has been outstanding this year, with 40 major VCs and multiple angel groups involved in the process. We believe initiatives like this help to build trust and foster collaboration between industry stakeholders, and importantly, create both co-investment opportunities and exit opportunities for our partners.
2019 selection committee
If you are interested in attending the 2019 VC4A Venture Showcase – Series A as an investor or corporate partner, please book your tickets on www.AfricaInvestorSummit.com or get in touch with us by email at: team[at]africainvestorsummit.com.
Africa Early Stage Investor Summit #AESIS2019
The Africa Early Stage Investor Summit is an annual exclusive investor-only event co-organized by VC4A and ABAN, and will be hosted at Workshop17 in Cape Town, South Africa on 13-15 November 2019. It unites key ecosystem stakeholders from across the continent and beyond, to exchange best practices, learn from peers and recent transactions, and to make deals.
Our speakers and guests represent angel networks, impact funds, leading accelerators, corporate venture arms, industry associations, and public sector agencies.
Special Thanks
We are sincerely grateful for the 1,000+ entrepreneurs that took the time to apply for the 2019 Showcase. There are so many quality companies and management teams deserving of attention, making it a challenging decision-making process for us and our investor committee. The Showcase objective is to promote an increasing number of high-quality Series A investment opportunities on the continent. This is why we will also share our top-100 list – based on the investor committee ratings – with our wider investor network.
We are thankful to the investors and partners that support us along this journey. We believe that, together, we help raise global awareness and attention to the best the continent has to offer.
Look forward to seeing you in Cape Town!