Seed Funding: Apply For The 2021 VC4A Venture Showcase

Ikenna Nwachukwu

3 years ago

If you’re a startup in Nigeria and you’re looking to get seed funding of between $250,000 and $1.5 million, here’s a chance to do just that.

Read more about Opportunities

Venture Capital for Africa (VC4A) says it’s on the hunt for 8 startups that it would showcase to a global network of investors. These startups must be at the seed stage, a legal entity, and operational for less than 3 years. The VC4A Venture Showcase Seed is a sister program to the VC4A Showcase for Series A scale-ups. Like the latter, this program targets African startups and gives them visibility with over 200 Africa-focused investors from across the world. Between 2017 and 2020, about 80 startups were selected in five venture showcase programs. These startups went on to benefit from deals worth a total of $150 million. This year’s VC4A Venture Showcase Seed program is organized in partnership with the African Business Angel Network (ABAN).

Benefits

Startups stand to benefit from the VC4A Venture Showcase Seed in the following ways:

Participate in the Venture Showcase Deal Room, which will have over 200 investor organizations in attendance
Mentorship and technical support from VC Investors
Between $5,000 and $10,000 in AWS credits, plus tools and resources
Join the VC4A Venture Showcase alumni network

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Eligibility

Applicants are expected to meet these conditions:

A legally registered for-profit entity that has been operational for less than 3 years
Have a product already on the market
A management team of a least two people
At least one founder is an African national
Founders must have received investment above $25,000 from themselves, and their network of family and friends
Based in one or more countries in Africa
Have a potential market exceeding 1 million people per year

Selection criteria include the commercial value of the startup’s product or service, strategy for growth, the strength of the management team, and market traction and financials.

How The Program Will Unfold

Applications will remain open until 24 July. The selection process will culminate with showcase participants named on September 18. A mentorship program with VC investors will follow, lasting until November 2. Selected startups will participate in the Venture Showcase deal room with over 200 VC investors. They will also be showcased at the Africa Early Stage Investor Summit, taking place between November 4 and 5.

Application

If you would like to apply for the VC4A Venture Showcase for seed-stage startups, click here. Featured Image Source: Benjamin Dada

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