Inclusion Japan (ICJ), a Tokyo-based venture capital firm, is teaming up with early-stage startup investor Kazana Fund to invest $100 million in Ethiopian startups.
The two organisations invite Ethiopian startups with pitch-ready ideas searching for big capital funding to attend an upcoming special event where they will have the possibility to secure capital ranging from $100,000 to $500,000.
Here Is What You Need To Know
- Local startups that apply for the opportunity will have the opportunity to meet and discuss their ideas with senior executives from ICJ and Kazana Fund, as well as have the chance to become one of the eight startup businesses to receive a 100,000-birr prize as well as the prospect of future investment from ICJ for a winning pitch.
- Teams interested in meeting with ICJ and Kazan Fund must send a PITCH video of no more than 10 minutes to info@inclusionj.com by January 23rd, 2023. The following things should be included in the 10-minute PITCH video: 1) The Problem; 2) The Solution; 3) The Business Model; 4) The Market; 5) Competitors; and 6) Competitive Advantage 6) Business Plan; and 7) Team.
- The VIP event is part of ICJ’s $100 million budget investment in top Ethiopian businesses with concepts that are transforming a variety of industries.
- ICJ has previously invested more than $3 million in local firms such as Gebeya Inc, a pan-African SaaS marketplace.
Yasuhiro Yoshizawa, Director and Co-Founder of ICJ, commented on the opportunity:
“We are really looking forward to meeting more promising Ethiopian startups through this event.”
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Yoshizawa and his entourage will visit Ethiopia to speak with representatives of local startups on topics like as future investment plans, among others. Yoshizawa, together with Nishiguchi, a world-renowned marketer and ICJ fund advisor, and Addis Alemayehu, Founding Partner at Kazana Fund and Group CEO of Kazana Business Group, will chair the PITCH Day competition, in which participating teams will present their winning ideas in order to secure the significant capital funding needed to grow their business.
“It is crucial for the local startup environment that the private sector becomes a primary development agent that fosters an enabling environment for Ethiopia demographic dividend, mostly represented by the youth, to build innovative businesses and create much-needed job opportunities,” said Addis.
ICJ has so far invested in 16 startups through their ICJ No2 Fund. The venture capital business began operations in Africa, making its first investments in Ethiopian startups. Kazana Fund, for its part, recently launched its Angel syndicate as part of its objective to democratise access to money and network for exceptional African founders while also accelerating the growth of the continent’s digital economy.
Kazana Fund startups Ethiopia Kazana Fund startups Ethiopia
Charles Rapulu Udoh
Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer, who has several years of experience working in Africa’s burgeoning tech startup industry. He has closed multi-million dollar deals bordering on venture capital, private equity, intellectual property (trademark, patent or design, etc.), mergers and acquisitions, in countries such as in the Delaware, New York, UK, Singapore, British Virgin Islands, South Africa, Nigeria etc. He’s also a corporate governance and cross-border data privacy and tax expert.
As an award-winning writer and researcher, he is passionate about telling the African startup story, and is one of the continent’s pioneers in this regard