Apply for 2021 VC4A Venture Showcase – Series A. The program looking for 8 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 your Series A round in the range of $1,5M and $10M? This is the opportunity you’ve been looking for!

As part of the 2021 VC4A Venture Showcase – Series A program, companies get visibility with 200+ investors as part of the curated VC4A investor network and interviews with the leading VC funds as part of the vetting process. The finalists receive mentorship and technical advice directly from the angel investors and VC fund managers and make a center-stage appearance at the Africa Early Stage Investor Summit.

In 2017-2020, the program selected 80 scale-ups from across the continent as part of 5 showcase programs, resulting in a number of Series A deals totaling over $150M. Building on this success, the ‘VC4A Venture Showcase – Series A’ is now a central component of our efforts to support investors connecting with high-quality deal flow. This is an exclusive opportunity to introduce your company at once to everyone who’s anyone in Africa’s early-stage investment space.

Benefits

The participants of 2021 VC4A Venture Showcase – Series A will receive the following opportunities

• 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

• The company is for-profit and registered as an independent legal entity.
• Have a product or service available on the market and generate revenue.
• Product or service is clearly innovative and/or your business model is new, disruptive and designed for scale.
• Have a very strong management team of at least 3 people.
• The team is based in one or more countries on the African continent.
• At least one of the founders has an African nationality.
• Must 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.

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%): They will evaluate your market traction, revenue streams, and unit economics. If any outside funding has been raised before, it’s a plus.

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