“Africa is not the biggest problem in the world, it is the biggest opportunity” – Nicola Tyler.
Over 300 Africa-focused delegates converged at the 11th edition of the Africa Early Stage Investor Summit, and filled up the room for the AESIS Deal Morning ready to engage with Africa’s most promising founders. Next to another 15 highly promising startups, VC4A hosted eight female entrepreneurs from IFC’s She Wins Africa program, who took the AESIS2024 stage to pitch their solutions after completing an intensive technical residency in Cape Town. The energy was palpable, reflecting the increasing investor appetite for ventures that not only deliver commercial success but also drive meaningful impact across the continent.
In the opening remarks of AESIS which took place on November 28th and 29th with the theme “Pioneering Pathways: Innovating Investment Mobilization in Africa”,
VC4A CEO Vincent Hoogduijn set the tone for the two-day event. “Why does VC4A organize AESIS every year? The answer is simple – we are here to unite the African early stage investment ecosystem”.
Vincent Hoogduijn – CEO, VC4A delivers the welcome keynote at AESIS2024, Cape Town, November 28th, 2024
The conversations, panels, pitches and ‘investor experiences’ resonated deeply with the theme, as a strong call for collaboration not only within the investor community but also from hubs and accelerators, angel groups and venture studios as well as entrepreneurs themselves. Summing up what was a momentous event, here are the key highlights:
Day 1:
Deep Dive Sessions: The discussions focused on the shifting dynamics of the African ecosystem, particularly around capital market policies, collaborations, and pipeline building. A key takeaway was the need for cross-border collaborations and the role of tech-driven platforms in streamlining the investment process.
As Fridah Ntarangwi of Zidi Circle highlighted in the Collaborations and Partnerships panel, “Having functional tech-driven platforms to simplify the investment process, powered by AI and blockchain technology, is key for the ecosystem.”
Investor Experiences: An exclusive series of partner-hosted events to close Day 1 of AESIS2024, provided unique and casual style networking opportunities, to promote connections between investors, entrepreneurs, and leaders of industry. Partners include IFC, GIZ: SAIS, FMO Ventures, Lofty Inc Capital, TLcom Capital, Crypto Asset Investment Fund (CAIF), Digital Africa, ENZA Capital, Disraptors and Breega. The relaxed atmosphere facilitated meaningful conversations, affording the opportunity for long-term partnerships and friendships to be built.
Digital Africa X Disraptors ‘Investor Experience’, AESIS2024, Cape Town, November 28th, 2024
Day 2:
Deal Morning: 23 promising portfolio companies from 6 organizations – DEG Impulse: develoPPP Ventures, Digital Africa: Fuzé, Ennovate Ventures: TheNextFund, IFC: She Wins Africa, Open Startup and GIZ: SAIS program, pitched their innovative solutions to an audience of investors. The high caliber of startups and the strategic insights shared by the judges created a launchpad moment for the future of the African startup ecosystem, showcasing innovative and impactful solutions to real problems.
Founders from the She Wins Africa 2024 program after completing the VC4A Technical Residency at AESIS2024, Cape Town, November 29th 2024
The Partner Series: Keeping momentum of the power-packed first day, the partner series held segments on Capital Mobilization, Gender Lens and Impact.
Taking an apt quote from closing remarks by Thomas van Halen, Director of Investor Services at VC4A “The evolution of the African startup ecosystem reflects the growing maturity of the market, but also highlights the need for innovative and flexible exit mechanisms to meet the diverse needs of founders, investors, and funds.”
Thomas van Halen (VC4A), Zachariah George (Launch Africa), Ido Sum (TLcom Capital) and Wanji Ng’ang’a (Acumen) on the State of Exits: M&A, Secondary Buy-outs in Africa panel discussion, AESIS2024, Cape Town, November 29th, 2024
Inspiring quotes from AESIS2024
“Entrepreneurs are the architects of Africa’s success” said Phuti Mahanyele-Dabengwa, the South Africa CEO, Naspers, and the AESIS2024 Guest of Honour who delivered the moving keynote on Day 1.
Anne Kabugi, Regional Gender Lead at IFC, opening the Venture Showcase – She Wins Africa pitches, tasked the delegates with a question, a food for thought: “What if I told you that Africa’s food crisis is going to be solved by women?”
Nicola Tyler of The Thinking Company delivered a welcome on Day 2’s Deal Morning, charging the audience with a stand out statement: “Africa is not the biggest problem in the world, it is the biggest opportunity”.
Kenza Lahlou of Outlierz Ventures shared on the Global Development Funding Panel “The role of DFIs is not to be there forever but to provide the investments that work and exit.”
Closing out at the inaugural Awards Ceremony of the Africa Early Stage Investor Summit, Tomi Davies received a ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ for his decades of commitment to promote angel investing in Africa. He delivered a moving speech with all ears listening raptly as he concluded
”Africa’s youth population is the best source to build Africa’s infrastructure.”
Tomi Davies receives Lifetime Achievement Award at the inaugural Africa Early Stage Investor Summit Awards Ceremony, AESIS2024, Cape Town, November 29th 2024
In a statement that perfectly sums up the experience of co-hosting this edition: “AESIS2024 once again pointed out that collaboration is a must,” said Vincent Hoogduijn. “It’s been a tough year and we all need to work together to overcome the challenges ahead. Persistence, resilience and adaptability will be key ingredients to see the ecosystem thrive – go fast alone, go far together”
VC4A – Unlocking the next startup opportunity
VC4A is grateful for the opportunity to serve the ecosystem as a platform to connect, inspire, and empower. Looking ahead, the collective efforts of investors, entrepreneurs, and policymakers will be essential to unlocking Africa’s full potential and driving its economic growth. VC4A’s commitment is to continue to unite Africa’s startup ecosystems. Together with co-hosts ABAN, VC4A looks forward to reconnecting with old and new friends at AESIS2025 next year.
Media enquiries
Boye Abiodun-Adepoju: boyewa@vc4a.com
About AESIS
The Africa Early Stage Investor Summit (AESIS) is a collaborative venture between VC4A and ABAN, dedicated to advancing innovation and growth in Africa’s investment ecosystem. Celebrating its 11th anniversary, AESIS2024 brought together investors, industry leaders, and influencers with the aim of accelerating early-stage investing across Africa. Visit africainvestorsummit.com for more information.
About ABAN
ABAN is the largest pan-African organization of Angel investors in Africa. Established in 2015, ABAN represents the growing number of business angel groups in the African early-stage ecosystems’ future, providing vital human and financial capital to African startup companies creating jobs across the continent. Today, ABAN is a 75-member network in 37 African countries and the Diaspora representing over 5,000 angel investors. Visit the ABAN website at abanangels.com for more information.
About VC4A
VC4A is an ecosystem builder that leverages its infrastructure, network, and expertise for the programs that contribute to the startup movement in emerging markets. Since 2007, the organization has designed, structured, and implemented successful entrepreneurship programs in exciting regions. VC4A runs an online platform featuring a database of startups in Africa and Latin America, connecting entrepreneurs to resources, networks, and funding. Visit the global website at vc4a.com for more information.