Expanding the pool of business mentors in South Africa, Zambia and Botswana

VC4A is excited to announce its new Mentor-Driven Capital (MDC) program launching in South Africa, Zambia and Botswana in February 2020, with support from the SAIS2 program.

VC4A is collaborating with, among others, mLab Southern Africa and Jozi Angels in Johannesburg, BongoHive in Lusaka and the Botswana Innovation Hub and partners in Gaborone, to recruit and engage at least 75 mentors in 2020.

VC4A and partners will coach mentors on how to best leverage their knowledge, expertise and networks to mentor startup founders. Next to this, local experts on angel investing and corporate partnership building will share their insights with the mentors.

Together, the partners will also identify at least 60 promising entrepreneurs, and match them to mentors for mentorships lasting 3 months. The program will run for two cycles, with the second happening in May/June 2020. The goal? By October 2020, VC4A and partners will have established networks of mentors in each of the countries who are available to guide rising stars when they’re ready, for instance after entrepreneurs come out of one of the partners’ acceleration programs.

What is mentor-driven capital (MDC)?

VC4A believes MDC is core to unlocking Africa’s potential. Of course, every startup requires cash to operate, but it is the smart application of capital that secures a greater impact and returns on investment.

Productive mentorships enable founders and their startups to become more capital ready, if not by the mentors themselves who choose to invest as an angel investor. Growing the mentor networks, we believe, is a solid way to build up the number of angels that are active across the continent and critical to maturing the early-stage investment space.

Powered by Finland’s Southern Africa Innovation Support (SAIS)

Next to in-country partners, VC4A is working alongside Impact Amplifier to carry out the SAIS-powered MDC program. ‘SAIS 2’ is a regional initiative that supports the growth of new businesses by strengthening innovation ecosystems and promoting cross-border collaboration between innovative roleplayers in Southern Africa.

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Interested in learning more, or participating as a mentor or entrepreneur? Visit the following pages for country-specific program info and to apply.

MDC program South Africa

MDC program Zambia

MDC program Botswana:

Feel free to also contact Melissa Ruggles melissa [at] vc4a [dot] com.