2020 VC4A Venture Showcase – Series A

Africa's Showcase of disruptive scale-ups looking to raise Series A: $500K-$10M

CALLING FOR DISRUPTIVE SCALE-UPS LOOKING TO RAISE BETWEEN $500K AND $10M.

We’re looking for 10 innovative, high-growth scale-ups to showcase their solutions to the world. Are you operating in Africa, generating revenue and looking to raise your Series A round in the range of $500K and $10M? This is the opportunity you’ve been looking for!

In 2017-2019, we selected 60 scale-ups from across the continent as part of 4 showcase programs, resulting in a number of Series A deals totalling over $100M. Building on this success, the ‘VC4A Venture Showcase – Series A’ – in collaboration with AWS Activate – is now a central component of our efforts to support investors connecting with high-quality deal flow. This is an exclusive opportunity to introduce your company at once to everyone who’s anyone in Africa’s early-stage investment space.

Overview

Closed Days left Hours left Hour left Minutes left

August 14, 2020

Program dates	Sep 15-Dec 31, 2020
Organizer	VC4A
Targets	Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Congo, Democratic Republic of the, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Northern Africa, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Sectors	Sector agnostic

2020 VC4A Venture Showcase – Series A

79 followers

Followed by Boyewa, Jason and more

Share this page:

Articles

How African startups contribute to tackling the challenge of youth unemployment

The 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

#AESIS2020: Africa’s startups more investible than ever

Africa’s startups have never been more investible than now. There is a growing number of professional ‘super angels’ involved in record-breaking deals, and private… read more

Meet the portfolio for the 2020 VC4A Venture Showcase – Series A

We’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 Activate

VC4A 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

POWERED BY

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

WHAT WE OFFER

Being recognized as 2020 VC4A Venture Showcase entrepreneur
Participation in the VC4A Venture Showcase deal room, including 150+ early-stage investor organizations
Professional edited 3 minute virtual pitch
30 min deep-dive session with investors in a private room
Mentorship and pitch training by partner VC investors
AWS 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 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 $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 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.

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 pitch and engage with VC investors in the period of October – November 2020 and be part of the VC4A Venture Showcase.

TIMELINE 2020

Jun 16 – Aug 14	Application period
Aug 14 – Sep 14	Selection process / investor review / interviews
Sep 15	Showcase participants selection
Sep 15 – Oct 11	Mentorship program with VC investors
Oct 1 – Oct 11	Technical sessions with VC investors
Mid Oct	Launch of VC4A Venture Showcase – Series A deal room to 300+ VC investors
Oct – Nov	Ongoing showcase to VC4A investor network