If you are a female startup founder and you’re looking to raise funding for your enterprise, here’s an opportunity that could enable you to access the investment you need.
Venture Capital for Africa (VC4A) is in search of up to 16 women founders from across Africa who are building innovative and high-growth startups. It intends to expose them to its network of Africa-focused investors, giving them a chance to raise between $250,000 and $10 million.
The women founders edition of the VC4A Venture Showcase Africa program was conceived in light of the fact that female founders are still underrepresented among startups and scaleups that have raised funding. The program organizers hope to begin changing this reality with this edition of the venture showcase.
Benefits
Female founders who are chosen to take part in this program will benefit from it in the following ways:
- Get mentored and receive technical support from corporates and VC investors that are program partners
- Be recognized as a VC4A showcase entrepreneur, join the program’s alumni network, and have access to fundraising opportunities
- Take part in the VC4A Venture Showcase deal room, which will include more than 200 early-stage investor organizations
- Have a professionally edited 3-minute virtual pitch showcased at the Africa Early Stage Investor Summit, which will take place on November 2-4, 2022
- Participate in a deep-dive session with investors
- Access AWS credits, resources, tools, and other items that will enable them to begin using AWS
Eligibility
Founders who intend to take part in the program are expected to meet these conditions:
- Have a strong management team consisting of at least 3 people including one or more woman founder(s)
- The company should be a for-profit entity that is registered as an independent legal entity
- Have a product or service that is already in the market and is generating revenue
- The team should be based in at least one African country
- A minimum of one of the company’s founders must have an African nationality
- Their business model and product should be new, innovative, and built with the intention to scale it
- They should be looking for seed or series A investment of between $250,000 and $10 million
- Their startup will have already gotten external investment, whether it’s structured as equity or debt, or has received grants from donors (this condition will apply for most but possibly not all entries)
Applications will remain open until May 27, 2022.
Applicants will be evaluated and interviewed in June and July, with the final selection of candidates being made by July 26.
Finalists will participate in a mentorship program and technical sessions with VC investors between August and November. Their pitches will be showcased at the Africa Early Stage Investor Summit in November.
If you would like to apply for the 2022 VC4A Venture Showcase Africa for women founders, click here.
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