2019 VC4A Venture Showcase – Series A
Africa's #1 showcase of disruptive scale-ups looking to raise Series ACALLING FOR DISRUPTIVE SCALE-UPS LOOKING TO RAISE BETWEEN $250K AND $5M.
We’re looking for 10 innovative, high-growth scale-ups to showcase at Africa Early Stage Investor Summit on Nov 13-14 in Cape Town. Are you operating in Africa, generating revenue and looking to raise your Series A round in the range of $250K and $5M? This is the opportunity you’ve been looking for!
In 2017-2018, we showcased 30 scale-ups from across the continent as part of the Africa Early Stage Investor Summit, resulting in a number of Series A deals totaling over $15M. Building on this success, the ‘VC4A Venture Showcase – Series A’ is now a central component of our annual Summit. This is an exclusive opportunity to introduce your company at once to everyone who’s anyone in Africa’s early-stage investment space.
WHAT WE OFFER
- All-expenses-paid trip to Cape Town on Nov 10-16, 2019
- 3 min pitch in front of 300+ investors at the Africa Early Stage Investor Summit
- 30 min deep-dive session with investors in a private room
- Two days of networking with investors, including Speaker Cocktail and Industry Leaders dinner
- Mentorship and pitch training by partner VC investors
- Opportunity to attend and pitch at partner event AfricaCom
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
- Your company is for-profit and registered as an independent legal entity;
- You have a product or service available on the market and generate revenue;
- Your product or service is clearly innovative and/or your business model is new, disruptive and designed for scale;
- You have a very strong management team of at least 3 people;
- Your team is based in one or more countries on the African continent;
- At least one of the founders has an African nationality;
- You are seeking Series A investment in the range of $250K – $5M;
- While there will be exceptions, most likely your startup has already received external investment, structured as either debt or equity, or received grants from donor organizations.
OUR SELECTION CRITERIA
Commercial Value of your Product/Service (25%)
Your company addresses a real problem in the market. Your product or service is different from others in the industry. Your business model is new and designed for scale.
Strategy for Growth (25%)
The market size is significant and there is potential to expand locally and into new markets. Your startup is scalable and has a clear strategy for growth. You can show demonstrable progress.
Management Team (25%)
Your team has the qualifications needed to make the business successful.
Market Traction & Financials (25%)
We will evaluate your market traction, revenue streams, and unit economics. If any outside funding has been raised before, it’s a plus.
TIMELINE
| Jun 1 – Jul 31 | Application period |
| Aug 1 – Sep 15 | Selection process / investor review / interviews |
| Sep 15 | Showcase participants announced |
| Sep 15 – Nov 10 | Working on presentations with mentors (VC investors) |
| Nov 12 | Pitch practice with investor feedback |
| Nov 13 | AfricaCom and AHUB participation |
| Nov 14 | VC4A Venture Showcase – Series A at Africa Early Stage Investor Summit |
| Nov 15 | Innovation tour |
WHAT WE EXPECT FROM YOU
If you are selected for the Showcase, you are expected to:
- Engage with assigned mentors (partner VC investors) and VC4A team to prepare your 3-minute and 20-minute presentations, as well as 2-pagers with investor data as part of the deal book;
- Be prepared to travel to Cape Town in the period of November 10-16, 2019 to attend the Africa Early Stage Investor Summit and be part of the VC4A Venture Showcase.
2019 SELECTION COMMITTEE
2019 SHOWCASE PARTNER FUNDS
2019 VC4A Venture Showcase – Series A
Details
| Application deadline | July 31 |
| Program dates | September 1 - November 16, 2019 |
| Organizer | VC4AService Provider |
| Website | http://vc4a.com |
| Location | Cape Town, South Africa |
| Targets | Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Congo, Democratic Republic of the, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Réunion, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, United Republic of, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe |
| Sectors | Agribusiness, Business services, Clean technology and energy, Utilities, Construction and manufacturing, Manufacturing, Creative, media and entertainment, Education, Financial services, Healthcare, ICT, Leisure and travel, Retail and wholesale, Consumer non-durables, Transport and logistics, Water, sanitation and hygiene, Cars, Household appliances, Luxury goods and jewelry |
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Thomas van Halen