How African startups contribute to tackling the challenge of youth unemploymentThe year 2021 has proved exceptionally successful for African startups, drawing more record-breaking fundraising deals than all of 2019 and 2020 combined. By early… read more
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Meet the portfolio for the 2020 VC4A Venture Showcase – Series AWe’re proud to announce the 10 ventures for the 2020 VC4A Venture Showcase Series A – virtual edition! To ensure that innovative high-growth ventures… read more
VC4A announces 2020 ‘Venture Showcase Series A’ in collaboration with AWS ActivateVC4A is calling for disruptive African scale-ups looking to raise between $500K and $10M. In proud collaboration with technical partner AWS Activate, VC4A will… read more
WHAT WE OFFERBeing recognized as 2020 VC4A Venture Showcase entrepreneurParticipation in the VC4A Venture Showcase deal room, including 150+ early-stage investor organizationsProfessional edited 3 minute virtual pitch30 min deep-dive session with investors in a private roomMentorship and pitch training by partner VC investorsAWS Activate offers selected cohort AWS credits ranging from $10,000 to $25,000, tools, resources, and more to quickly get started on AWS.Joining the alumni network and having exclusive access to fundraising opportunities
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIAYour 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 $500K – $10M*;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.*Are you raising your Seed Round in between $150K – $1M? Consider applying to the 2020 VC4A Venture Showcase – Seed track. Deadline September 11th.
OUR SELECTION CRITERIACommercial 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.
WHAT WE EXPECT FROM YOUIf 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 pitch and engage with VC investors in the period of October – November 2020 and be part of the VC4A Venture Showcase.
TIMELINE 2020Jun 16 – Aug 14Application periodAug 14 – Sep 14Selection process / investor review / interviewsSep 15Showcase participants selectionSep 15 – Oct 11Mentorship program with VC investorsOct 1 – Oct 11Technical sessions with VC investorsMid OctLaunch of VC4A Venture Showcase – Series A deal room to 300+ VC investorsOct – NovOngoing showcase to VC4A investor network
SERIES A SELECTION COMMITTEE Anshu Mandal Anton Gaylard Crossfin Technology Holdings Bitta Wycliffe Goodwell Investments BV Dayo Koleowo Microtraction Dhanyal Davidson Goodwell Investments Eline Blaauboer Africa tech Ventures, TBL Mirror Fund Fabrice Boullé Equitable Ventures Gregoire de Padirac Orange Ventures MEA Julio Mupemba Investisseurs et Partenaires Kenza Lahlou Outlierz Ventures Laila Hassan 500 Startups Laura Li Future Hub Manuel Koser Silvertree Holdings Maxime Bouan Seedstars Africa Ventures Nitin Nowjee LeapFrog Investments Nivesh Pather Norrsken22 Shudhan Kohli Grey Elephant Ventures Tamim El Zein Tim Rann Mercy Corps Ventures Tsendai Chagwedera EchoVC Yves Komaclo Oikocredit
70 SHORTLISTED VENTURESIn addition to the list of selected ventures we make the 70 shortlisted ventures curated by investors available to all VC4A Pro account users below.