2022 VC4A Venture Showcase Africa – Women founder edition

Africa Showcase of women founder scale-ups looking to raise Seed to Series A

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Calling for investor-ready scale-ups looking to raise between $250K and $10M.

We’re looking for up to 16 women founders leading innovative, high-growth scale-ups to showcase to the global network of Africa-focused investors. Are you operating in Africa, generating revenue, and looking to raise between $250K and $10M? This is the opportunity you’ve been looking for!

According to the Africa: The Big Deal report, in 2021 93% of the funding in Africa went to startups led by male CEOs. Looking at the makeup of founding teams, over 99% of the funding in 2021 was raised by a single male founder, or a founding team with at least one male co-founder. 

Based on this knowledge and as a community member dedicated to supporting the startup ecosystem, VC4A now opens a call dedicated to women-led startups from across the African continent. If you are leading a fast growing startup with clear impact potential and you are in the process of scaling up your activities in the region, then apply.

As part of the program, companies get visibility within a curated investor network and are interviewed by leading VC funds as part of the vetting process. The finalists receive mentorship and technical advice directly from the angel investors, VC fund managers and Corporates that participate in the program. The Venture Showcase is an effective way to get visibility for your fundraising campaign and to connect with prospective investors. Last but not least, this is a great opportunity to share and learn from your peers and build long-lasting relationships with them.

In 2017-2021, VC4A has selected 90 scale-ups as part of 6 showcase programs in emerging markets, resulting in a number of deals totalling over $400M. This is an exclusive opportunity to introduce your company to leading investors backing great startups from across Africa. So please don’t hesitate and start your application now!

Check the Venture Showcase alumni and their latest fund-raisingactivities.

Overview

0
June 5, 2022
Program dates Apr 13 - Jun 5, 2022
OrganizerVC4A
Targets Africa
Sectors Sector agnostic
SDG (17)All

What we offer

  • Being recognized as 2022 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 2-4, 2022)
  • 30 min deep-dive session with investors in a private room
  • Mentorship and technical support by partnering VC investors and corporates
  • AWS Activate offers selected cohort credits, tools, resources, and more to quickly get started on AWS
  • Paystack is offering selected cohort access to its APIs, products at discounted rates – including ‘$25K fee-free processing’, dedicated support, and other perks like Stripe Atlas and Africa-relevant SaaS products
  • Joining the alumni network and having exclusive access to partner events and fundraising opportunities

Eligibility criteria

  • You have a very strong management team of at least 3 people including one (or more) woman founder;
  • 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;
  • 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 Seed or Series A investment in the range of $250K – $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.

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 – November & December and be part of the VC4A Venture Showcase and the Africa Early Stage Investor Summit 2023 (#AESIS2023). 

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.”

Profile Photo, 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.”

Profile PhotoKais Khadhraoui, Fulfillment Bridge

Timeline 2022

Apr 13 – June 1Application period
Jun 1 – Jul 22Selection process / investor review / interviews
Aug – NovMentorship program with VC investors
Oct – NovTechnical sessions with VC investors
Nov 2-4
Showcase at the Africa Early Stage Investor Summit

 

  

 

Selection committee

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Nitin Nowjee
LeapFrog Investments
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Muthoni Wachira
Independent Consultant with various funds
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Fabrice Boullé
Equitable Ventures
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Babacar Seck
Proparco
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Tanya Martinez Carranza
Gray Matters Capital
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Mariam Kamel
AUC Angels
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Janade du Plessis
Launch Africa Ventures & Five35 Ventures
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Hema Vallabh
Five35 Ventures
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Kenza Lahlou
Outlierz Ventures
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Gregoire de Padirac
Orange Ventures MEA
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Maxime Bouan
Seedstars Africa Ventures
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Eva Stolz
Persistent
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Nivesh Pather
Norrsken22
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Yemi Keri
Rising Tide Africa
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Hector Bartlett
One Day Yes
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Dan Block
Mercy Corps Ventures
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Yves Komaclo
Oikocredit
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Mobolaji Adeoye
Consonance Investment Managers
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Melissa Tickle
FINCA Ventures
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Bade Aluko
White Hibiscus Capital
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Diane Maigrot
Turbine Incubator
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Egla Ntumba
Newtown Partners
Iran Huffels
HiiL Justice Accelerator
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Joel Patenaude
J2 Partners, Inc.
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Lelemba Phiri
Africa Trust Group
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Marième Diop
Orange Digital Ventures
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Tracy-Lee Smith
UK-South Africa Tech Hub
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Robel Chiappini
CRE Venture Capital
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Jill Curr
Newtown Partners
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Olivier Munyeshyaka
Angaza Capital
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Andre Ayotte
Aquarius Africa Ventures
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Vianney Mathonnet
Modus Capital

The selection committee

Members of the early-stage investor community are involved in every step of the selection process. They refer companies to the program, they evaluate applications, they conduct interviews and ultimately define the portfolio.
If you want to be part of the 2022 Venture Showcase Africa – Women founder edition as a jury, please register here before June 1st.

In return your organization will be mentioned as one of the partners in all VC4A Venture Showcase communications and you will get early access to the pipeline.

Please have a look at our Venture Showcase Alumni and their latest fund-raising activities.

Apply now to connect with the investor network

Browse all investor organizations when you have your venture profile registered on the VC4A platform.

Your investor organization not on the list? Join the VC4A investor network with other like-minded investors and get access to tailor-made content and curated deal flow.

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Team

Portfolio

NameCountrySector(s)
Rahet Bally
Support platform for moms via online (femtech) & on-ground services
Egypt Diversified services, E-commerce, Marketing and PR
Dabchy
Peer-to-peer online Fashion Marketplace for second-hand clothing
Tunisia Clothing and textiles, E-commerce
Chefaa
We Manage All Your Pharmacy Needs
Egypt Big data, Healthcare providers and services, Pharm…
HOJA
Towards a safe and inclusive urban mobility...
Congo, Democratic Republic of the Public transport, Smart city solutions
Emergency Response Africa
Treating every emergency with urgency
Nigeria Healthcare providers and services
GATE Academy
We create educational solutions and products for students in Africa
Nigeria EdTech, Educational products, Educational services
PremierCredit
We are a pioneering Pan African Challenger Bank for emerging markets.
Zambia Artificial intelligence, E-commerce, Financial ser…
Taimba Limited
East Africa’s First Data-Driven Food Supply Chain Platform
Kenya Agribusiness
HerVest
We are a financial inclusion platform for women
Nigeria Financial services, Fintech, Investment management
Bankly Technologies
Taking financial services to the last mile
Nigeria Banking, Investment management, Remittance
BuuPass
Building the Digital Infrastructure for Transport in Africa
Kenya Leisure and travel, Tourism, Transport and logisti…
Pivo Technology Limited
Digital Bank for Trade
Nigeria Banking, Financial services, Fintech
Innovative Clan
Enable the Digital Payments of Tuition & Examination Fees in Schools
Cameroon Education, Educational services, Fintech
Zuri Health
Delivering medical services at the touch of a button!
Kenya Healthcare, Healthcare providers and services, Hea…

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