Alumni of the Venture Showcase – the award-winning program for scale-ups in emerging markets – raise $300 million and entrepreneurs in Latin America can now apply.
- The program seeks 8 most promising startups in Latin America looking to raise SEED+ or Series A rounds between $500,000 and $10 million.
- Startup ecosystem builder VC4A launches the award winning Venture Showcase program as a special edition in Latin America.
- The Venture Showcase facilitates collaboration between investors during finalists’ evaluation and selection process. Entrepreneurs will enter a 6-week program focused on raising investment from leading investors focused on the region.
The all new VC4A Venture Showcase Latam is an exclusive program of choice for investor-ready scale-ups looking to raise $500K-$10M. After 8 editions graduating 95 startups, this is the first time VC4A launches a special edition for entrepreneurs in Latin America. With the support of PES Latam, a global regional alliance, the Venture Showcase opens applications to fill 8 spots available for companies operating in Latin America, showing solid commercial traction, and gearing up for further market expansion. The Venture Showcase puts a spotlight on the region’s top startups working to scale disruptive high growth high impact solutions.
The Venture Showcase has run successfully every year since 2017 in Africa, with over 120 partnering venture funds and angel groups actively involved in the vetting and selection process, and with the 95 startups showcased to date having jointly raised over $300M. This is the first time VC4A launches the Venture Showcase in Latin America, and supports the growth of the startup ecosystem in the region. The program receives consistently high ratings from participating founders, with over 90% reporting to be in ongoing conversations with investors they met through the Venture Showcase in the weeks following the program and 65% have closed their financing rounds successfully.
VC4A does not charge entrepreneurs or investors for their participation and finances the Venture Showcase through sponsorships. No equity, no success fees, no hidden charges! The organization implements the Venture Showcase with the aim to give promising scale-ups the support they need and to further build strong startup ecosystems.
Speaking on the mission to expand the program to startups in other emerging markets, Ben White, Founder & CEO of VC4A remarks – “Latin America is an exciting region with immense potential. VC4A has been working with partners to identify up-and-coming startups and already has more than 3,000 startups registered as part of the network. Now using a tried and tested format like the Venture Showcase, we are super excited for the 8th edition with alumni having raised more than $400 million, we look forward to putting a spotlight on some of these amazing ventures.”
A group of finalists will be part of a technical residency that will allow them to get mentorship sessions and training to further prepare their fundraising campaigns. Finally, 8 Startups will be selected to participate in a DealRoom, that are 1-1 sessions with investor organizations. This remains one of a kind opportunity for selected entrepreneurs to introduce their companies to leading investors focused on the region.
“Investors we have been talking to are enthusiastic as we see increasing pollination across markets, for example, the Venture Showcase 2019 company FlexClub that started in South Africa and then expanded to Mexico. We need to do more to further unlock these cross-border networks and opportunities.” Ben White adds.
Apply to the 1st edition of the Venture Showcase Latam
The call for applications for the Venture Showcase in Latin America is open for startups based or focused in the region between March and April, 2022. An additional eligibility criteria is that startups are seeking to improve the lives of customers facing economic, social, and environmental challenges and that thanks to the investment received, the startups can further deepen their reach and impact at the bottom of the pyramid. It is in the philosophy that the greatest investment opportunities are focused on addressing the world’s most pressing problems.
“It’s very exciting to see the positive response from investors across Latina America. We already have 15 investment firms, which includes Kaszek, Dalus Capital, ALLVP, Alive Ventures, among others who have confirmed their participation. Now that we are receiving applications from startups, we expect more investors to join in the following weeks” explains Iris Parra, Latin America Lead and coordinator of the Venture Showcase Latam.
VC4A welcomes investors interested in joining this special edition and entrepreneurs seeking to raise SEED+ or Series A funding are invited to submit their application. We are also talking to many organizations about joining as Sponsors and Technical Partners and are super keen to form these new partnerships and collaborations. It’s always amazing to see how a startup community comes together around a shared mission like this, and where we all see opportunities to further catalyze investment for the region.
APPLY NOW! Interested startup founders are invited to apply for the Venture Showcase Latin America can apply on this page. Investors who want to join the global investor’s network and also wish to refer a company can contact Iris Parra at iris[at]vc4a[dot]com.