AESIS2024 is powered by an incredible lineup of organizations, each playing a key role in driving innovation and investment across Africa.
FRIENDS OF AESIS (Main Partners)
We are proud to collaborate with the following key players in the early-stage investment ecosystem:
SAIS: Scaling digital Agriculture Innovations through Start-ups (SAIS) is a project implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). SAIS is a company development and accelerator programme which offers an Investment Readiness Programme (IRP) that fosters the sustainable growth of the African economy by supporting entrepreneurs in the AgTech, FoodTech, ClimateTech, and Livestock sectors to scale their businesses. Read more about SAIS here.
Madica: A structured investment program for pre-seed-stage companies in Africa. Madica aims to empower mission-driven founders by democratizing access to world-class company-building support, which is available today only to a few well-networked entrepreneurs. Madica invests up to $200,000 in participating companies at the beginning of their journey so they can hire the right team and focus on building the business. Read more about Madica here.
Ennovate Ventures: A tech venture factory, investing in ambitous founders that are using their innovations to improve lives, create jobs and accelerate sustainable developmentAs a valued partner for this year’s summit, we aim to leverage these connections to facilitate valuable introductions and discussions that can drive African startups toward new avenues of growth and investment.” Read more about Ennovate Ventures here.
FMO Ventures: As the venture capital arm of FMO – Dutch entrepreneurial development bank, FMO Ventures plays a crucial role in supporting innovative companies across emerging markets, driving both financial returns and social impact. The fund aims to support sustainable growth by investing in businesses that have the potential for both financial returns and social impact. FMO Ventures targets early-stage and growth-stage companies that contribute to job creation and economic development, aligning with FMO’s mission to enhance the private sector’s role in development. Read more about FMO here.
Open Startup International (OST):Open Startup (OST) is a non-profit organization that fosters innovation and capacity building through entrepreneurship, education, and cross-cultural exchanges, creating communities and connecting ecosystems across Africa and beyond. OST works to leverage networks and empower entrepreneurs by providing them with world-class opportunities, programs, and resources. “Our mission is to empower and shape entrepreneurial journeys in Africa by developing skills, leveraging networks, and bridging ecosystems. We transcend borders to uplift ventures of all sizes, catalyzing tech-enabled ecosystems while fostering innovation and nurturing high-potential startups and human capital.” Read more about OST here.
Village Capital (VilCap):“Village Capital is thrilled to partner with the Africa Early Stage InvestmentSummit (AESIS) in Cape Town. This collaboration is especially significant as we continue supporting early-stage startups across the region, and AESIS is a vital ally in advancing our mission. The summit put together by ABAN and VC4A provides an invaluable platform for fostering meaningful discussions and driving action to strengthen early-stage investments in Africa. By bringing together investors, entrepreneurs, and key stakeholders, we’re not just exploring opportunities. We are actively learning, refining strategies, and enhancing our efforts better to serve the unique needs of Africa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.” Read more about Village Capital here.
SheWins Africa (IFC): SheWins Africa is a transformative program empowering women entrepreneurs across sub-Saharan Africa! With the highest entrepreneurial activity rate in the world, African women are leading the charge in business creation. Yet, persistent barriers like limited access to capital, networks, and gender-lens investing hold them back. SheWinsAfrica is tackling these challenges head-on. “Our mission is to level the playing field and open doors for women entrepreneurs to access the financing and support they deserve.”Read more about SheWins Africa here.
GSMA: GSMA is the force that keeps the world connected – with a key mission to unlock the full potential of connectivity, so people, industries, and societies can thrive. The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry and society thrive.
Read more about GSMA here.
JICA: The Japan International Cooperation Agency, also known as JICA, is a governmental agency that delivers the bulk of Official Development Assistance (ODA) to the government of Japan. It is chartered with assisting economic and social growth in developing countries and promoting international cooperation. According to the OECD, Japan’s total official development assistance (ODA) (US$17.5 billion, grant-equivalent methodology, preliminary data) increased in 2022 due to an increase in its bilateral lending. Read more about JICA here.
African Angel Academy (AAA): For Angels, By Angels
The African Angel Academy is an African-led initiative that trains and supports new or current angel investors through a self-paced online course or sponsored cohort programmes with top partners. The African Angel Academy (AAA) is the learning and knowledge network for African angel investors, having trained and networked 750+ emerging angel investors from 23 countries through its online modules and cohort-based programmes. Read more about AAA here.
22 On Sloane: The largest startup campus in Africa. The campus offers disruptive startups and innovative SMEs a complete turnkey solution to scale, from the initial idea to commercialization, funding opportunities, and access to markets. It aims to nurture the entrepreneurial mindset, ensure their sustainability, explore the development of new industries, and contribute towards job creation in Africa. Read more about 22 On Sloane here.
UK/SA Tech Hub: The UK South Africa Tech Hub, an initiative of the UK government, is designed to promote digital inclusion and inclusive growth of the digital ecosystems in partner countries. The International Tech Hubs are expert teams that work to stimulate local digital economies, build high-end digital skills, and forge innovation partnerships between local tech sectors and international businesses. Alongside the South Africa hub, there are hubs in Nigeria, Kenya, Indonesia, and Brazil. Read more about the UK/SA Tech Hub.-
UK/NG Tech Hub: The UK-Nigeria Tech Hub is an initiative by the UK government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sports (DCMS) to support the growth of the Technology ecosystem in Nigeria. The UK-Nigeria Tech Hub works to stimulate local digital economies, support inclusive and sustainable economic growth and jobs, build high-end digital skills, and forge innovation partnerships between Nigerian tech sectors and international businesses which will inadvertently lead to more trade and investment in the longer term, thereby driving increased productivity and growth. Read more about UK/NG Tech Hub here. 
Dutch Good Growth Fund (DGGF): DGGF is a “fund of funds” investment initiative from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, launched in 2014 and managed by Triple Jump BV in partnership with Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC). DGGF backs local financial intermediaries to improve financing for the “missing middle” – i.e. SMEs that lack a convincing combination of collateral, track record, positive cash flow, and/or net profit. The SCBD facility was established to further the impact of the DGGF by providing seed capital, technical assistance, and business development services to local financial service providers including angel investors and entrepreneur support organizations (ESOs). Read more about DGGF here.
Kigali International Financial Centre (KIFC): Kigali International Financial Centre is an ecosystem of financial actors that will transform Rwanda into an international financial destination. Kigali International Financial Centre is a financial centre that will transform Rwanda into an international financial destination for investors seeking opportunities across the African continent. Read more about KIFC here.
Timbuktoo: Timbuktoo is a pan-African hub focused on growing global-class startups and addressing the gaps in early-stage risk capital. The Timbuktoo initiative will invest $1 billion of public and private funds in youth innovation startups to create 1,000 startups, impact 10 million livelihoods, and generate $10 billion across the continent in the next ten years. This initiative was designed to address the challenges facing Africa’s innovation ecosystem, such as the academic-industry R&D gap, a lack of local angel investors, weak local incubator business models, and small, fragmented markets. By leveraging Rwanda’s position as a financial hub in Africa, Timbuktoo will provide entrepreneurs with the support of experienced mentors as they build their startups. Read more about Timbuktoo here.
Enza Capital: “We are a multi-stage venture investor in category-defining founders and teams using technology to solve large and meaningful problems across Africa”. We back founders and teams using technology to solve large and meaningful problems across Africa. We partner with African technology companies that are organising the offline online, digitizing key industries, and redefining the way Africans live, earn, work, do business, and thrive. Read more about Enza Capital here.
WESGROW: “At Wesgro, it is our mission to provide you with all the information you need about Cape Town and the Western Cape to make informed business decisions”. Read more about WESGRO here.We have hundreds of research reports available for you to access via our easy search function. If you can’t find what you are looking for, we can help by either sourcing the information you need or commissioning the research for you.
AESIS2023 demonstration at the Ecosystem Side Event, Cape Town, December 9 2023
ECOSYSTEM PARTNERS
We are also excited to have the support of these ecosystem leaders:
Viridian: Viridian is an impact agency that designs and delivers programs for finance-ready entrepreneurs, early-stage investors, and entrepreneur support organizations across Africa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Viridian’s initiatives serve as a catalyst, driving growth and shared prosperity across Sub-Saharan Africa Based in Cape Town, Viridian trains finance- ready entrepreneurs, angel investors and ecosystem players from across the continent. Read more about Viridian here.
Ocean Hub: Ocean hub is an ocean-impact catalyzer in Cape Town, accelerating African ocean-minded startups and fostering a like-minded ecosystem.We are building an ocean-impact accelerator in Cape Town, to help existing African ocean-minded initiatives grow and overseas project scale-up in Africa, to inspire more entrepreneurs to join the movement and find solutions for our threatened marine ecosystems. Read more about Ocean Hub here.
MEDIA PARTNERS
We have also partnered with these media outlets that are shaping the narrative around innovation and
investment:
TechCabal: TechCabal is the leading tech publication covering Africa’s tech business landscape. TechCabal documents the business and human impact of technology across the continent, offering rich insights to founders, CEOs, investors, and decision-makers. Since 2013, TechCabal has provided essential context, reporting, and data to help us understand how tech is shaping Africa’s future. Read more about TechCabal here.
Lost in Lagos: The “Lost in Lagos Plus Magazine” is Nigeria’s premiere lifestyle media publication, part of the Lost in a City brand, which includes the city discovery platform, the Awari App. The Lost in Lagos Plus Magazine is a free monthly magazine that captures the people, the brands, and the energy of Nigeria, highlighting the movers and shakers that bring this country to life. This collaboration promises to deliver exclusive coverage of this year’s summit, featuring valuable insights from industry leaders, keynote speakers, and essential highlights as we focus on “Pioneering Pathways: Innovating Investment Mobilization in Africa.”
Disrupt Africa: Disrupt Africa is a one-stop shop for all news, information, and commentary on the
continent’s tech startup – and investment – ecosystem. With journalists roaming the continent to find, meet, and interview the most innovative and disruptive tech startups, Disrupt Africa is a true showcase of Africa’s most promising businesses and business ideas. Read more about Disrupt Africa here.“Our readers can keep up-to-date with the quirky world of tech hubs and accelerator programmes; and our reporters provide live coverage of the all-important tech and entrepreneurship events across Africa. For our startup, entrepreneur, and investor friends alike, our mission is to provide practical information and advice from across Africa’s varied vibrant markets, and to promote engaged and thought-provoking discussion about the exciting ecosystem we belong to.”
These partnerships will ensure that AESIS 2024 delivers unmatched insights, networking opportunities and actionable strategies to advance Africa’s early-stage investment landscape. Join us for this transformative experience! #AESIS2024
Interested in partnering with us?
➡ Contact Enkromelle Andrew for details at enkromelle@africainvestorsummit.com
➡ Email Amimo Achillah for all media partnership inquiries at team@africainvestorsummit.com
Remember to grab your summit ticket TODAY to be part of the Africa Early Stage Investor Summit.