WHAT WE OFFER Being recognized as 2021 VC4A Venture Showcase entrepreneur Participation in the VC4A Venture Showcase deal room, including 200+ early-stage investor organizations Professionally edited 3-minute virtual pitch featured at the Africa Early Stage Investor Summit (November 4-5, 2021) 30 min deep-dive session with investors in a private room Mentorship and technical support 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 partner events and 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 $1,5M – $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 $250K – $1,5M? Consider applying to the 2020 VC4A Venture Showcase – Seed track.
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. Management team members have complementary expertise. 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 and the Africa Early Stage Investor Summit.
TIMELINE 2021 Jun 01 – Jul 24 Application period Jul 24 – Sep 18 Selection process / investor review / interviews Sep 18 Showcase participants selection Sep 18 – Nov 03 Mentorship program with VC investors Oct 1 – Nov 03 Technical sessions with VC investors Oct 25 Launch of VC4A Venture Showcase – Series A deal room to 300+ VC investors Nov 4-5 Showcase at the Africa Early Stage Investor Summit
WHAT OTHERS HAVE TO SAY “Following my time as a mentor to Kais for the VC4A Venture Showcase Series A, we have concluded a transaction, and Newtown Partners is now an investor in Fulfilment Bridge. After I had spent a few thoroughly enjoyable weeks working with Kais, I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity not to invest myself.” , Newtown Partners “Newtown Partners was our lead investor and the first to join our pre-series A round. I would add that this relationship/transaction went 100% online from the beginning of the mentorship program until we closed the deal. I wanted to thank you guys for the opportunity knowing this was a direct result of the VC4A exposure and mentorship program. Thanks again for your support and proud to be VC4A alumni.” Kais Khadhraoui, Fulfillment Bridge
SERIES A SELECTION COMMITTEE Ayo Allu Kuramo Capital Alberto Anton Plug and Play Andre Jr. Ayotte Aquarius Africa Fund Fabrice Boullé Equitable Ventures Liza Curcio-Rudy Accion Gregoire de Padirac Orange Ventures MEA Julien Draper Knife Capital Tamim El Zein Michael Emmerson Factor[e] Thomas Festerling GreenTec Capital Partners Hiroki Ishida AAIC Partners Africa Hari Joy Blue Haven Initiative Taiwo Kamson EchoVC Anshu Mandal Cynthia Mandjek Saviu Ventures Nitin Nowjee LeapFrog Investments Gbolade Okeowo Kuramo Capital Management Tim Rann Mercy Corps Ventures Justin Swart Newtown Partners Melissa Tickle FINCA Ventures Bitta Wycliffe Goodwell Investments BV
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