Ben White - Afrikan Heroes

VC4A Calls On African Startups Looking To Raise Between $150k-$1m To Apply

July 30, 2020

VC4A is calling for African startups looking to raise between $150K and $1M. In proud collaboration with technical partner AWS Activate, and network partners AfriLabs and ABAN, VC4A will be hosting the exclusive ‘Venture Showcase — Seed’ in November as part of a virtual gathering of Africa-focused early-stage investors.

Ben White, founder and director at VC4A — **Ben White***, founder and director at VC4A*

“Based on investor demand we have added a Seed track to the Venture Showcase — now in its 4th year. This exciting addition opens the door to up and coming companies looking to connect with leading investors active across the continent. The Seed track targets ventures with highly scalable business models demonstrating strong traction. We put a spotlight on the innovation coming up across the continent with the aim to capitalize the next generation of great African startups,” says Ben White, founder and director from VC4A.

Here Is What You Need To Know

Via this campaign VC4A will select 10 innovative early-stage startups to showcase their business to the world. A requirement is that you are based in Africa and your tech-enabled solution is already on the market, you are able to show some traction and you have expansion plans in mind.
Since 2017, VC4A has showcased growth-stage startups as part of the annual Africa Early Stage Investor Summit, resulting in a number of Series A deals totaling over $100M.
Building on this success, the ‘VC4A Venture Showcase — Seed’ track positions deal ready companies as a central component VC4A offers to its Africa focused network of over 150 early-stage investment firms built up over the years. This is an exclusive opportunity for selected entrepreneurs to introduce their companies at once to everyone who’s anyone in Africa’s early-stage investment space.

A Look At What This Year’s Edition Holds

This year cloud platform Amazon Web Services (AWS Activate) joins the Venture Showcase as a technical partner.

“Through VC4A’s partnership with AWS we offer startups direct access to unparalleled expertise and a global infrastructure for growing and scaling business. The companies in the ‘VC4A Venture Showcase — Seed’ track are well positioned for growth and stand to benefit from our growing networks of partners and capital,” says Ben White.

VC4A works closely with the African early-stage startup community involving investors and incubators in both the referral, screening and selection process.
Through the partnerships with AfriLabs — representing 202 innovation centers across 46 African countries — and ABAN — representing 60+ angel investor networks — the Venture Showcase promotes (co-)investment opportunities for their members. Participating investors will work with the selected companies to prepare their participation in the showcase, and to ensure the companies are representative of the best investment opportunities.

The 10 selected startups get:

To participate in the VC4A Venture Showcase deal room, including 150+ early-stage investment firms.
Professional edited 3-minute virtual pitch videos.
30-minute deep-dive sessions with investors in a private room.
Mentorship and pitch training by early-stage investor organizations.
Amazon Web Services credits from AWS Activate worth $10,000, as well as tools, resources, and more to get started quickly on AWS.
To join the Showcase alumni network and gain exclusive access to fundraising opportunities.

How To Apply

Interested entrepreneurs are invited to apply before 11 September 2020. Investors who wish to refer to a company can contact Thomas van Halen at thomas[at]vc4a.com.

The Venture Showcase program consists of 2 tracks this year. The Seed track and a Series A track. More information on the Series A track here: vc4afri.ca/d5v.

Charles Rapulu Udoh

Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer who has advised startups across Africa on issues such as startup funding (Venture Capital, Debt financing, private equity, angel investing etc), taxation, strategies, etc. He also has special focus on the protection of business or brands’ intellectual property rights ( such as trademark, patent or design) across Africa and other foreign jurisdictions.
He is well versed on issues of ESG (sustainability), media and entertainment law, corporate finance and governance.
He is also an award-winning writer

Venture Capital For Africa (VC4A) Announces Showcase to Promote Startups in Africa

June 17, 2020

Ben White, founder and director from VC4A

In what observers describe as an exclusive opportunity for selected entrepreneurs to introduce their companies at once to everyone who’s anyone in Africa’s early-stage investment space, the Venture Capital For Africa popularly known as VC4A is calling for disruptive African scale-ups looking to raise between $500K and $10M as part of its venture showcase series in the continent. In collaboration with technical partner AWS Activate, VC4A will be hosting the exclusive ‘Venture Showcase – Series A’ in October as part of a virtual gathering of Africa-focused early-stage investors.

Since 2017, VC4A has showcased growth-stage startups as part of the annual Africa Early Stage Investor Summit, resulting in a number of Series A deals totaling over $100M. Building on this success, the ‘VC4A Venture Showcase – Series A’ positions deal ready companies as a central component VC4A offers to its Africa focused network of over 150 early stage investment firms built up over the years. This is an exclusive opportunity for selected entrepreneurs to introduce their companies at once to everyone who’s anyone in Africa’s early-stage investment space.

Ben White, founder and director from VC4A adds: “The Venture Showcase – now in its 4th year – has established itself as the premier platform for presenting the best companies ready for Series A from across the continent. Given the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need to come together virtually as an industry and to collaborate on deals is more necessary than ever. Especially now, the world needs to recognize the quality of innovation and entrepreneurship taking up across the continent and the unique opportunity to be part of major success stories.”

VC4A works closely with the African investment community to refer candidates to the showcase, involving investors in both the screening and selections process. Participating investors work with the selected companies to prepare their participation in the showcase, and to ensure the companies are representative of the best investment opportunities coming up from across the continent. The showcase sets the stage for deal making with Africa’s leading entrepreneurs and investors coming together to scale up the best companies.

This year cloud platform Amazon Web Services, through its AWS Activate program, joins the Venture Showcase as a technical partner. “We’re very pleased to see AWS join in the shared mission to grow and help scale Africa’s best startups. AWS brings unparalleled expertise and global infrastructure into the mix, and where the Showcase companies receive direct access,” says Ben White.

Selected companies of the 2020 edition will digitally convene and engage the leading VC funds, impact investors, accelerators, corporate venture divisions, industry associations, and public sector agencies. The 2019 edition welcomed over 300 investors from prominent VC funds and African angel networks, such as EchoVC, Greentec, I&P, Proparco, Accion, Knife Capital, Ventures Platform, TLCom Capital, Blue Haven Initiative, VBAN, 4Di Capital, Lagos Angel Network, Total Ventures, AngelHub Ventures, Teranga Capital, Outlierz Ventures, HIMangel, Tencent, Silvertree Capital, GSMA, Orange Digital Ventures, among many others. The 60 Venture Showcase alumni companies like Aerobotics, Coin Afrique, FinChatBot, FlexClub, 7Keema, Lifebank, MAX, Mobiz, Nawah Scientific, Rensource, Sendy and Shezlong raised the astonishing amount of over $100.000.000.

The 10 selected scale-ups of the 2020 edition will get to participate in the VC4A Venture Showcase deal room, including 150+ VC investment firms, professional edited 3-minute virtual pitch videos,30-minute deep-dive sessions with investors in a private room, and mentorship and pitch training by partner VC investors. Also inclusive is Amazon Web Services credits from AWS Activate worth ranging from $10,000 to $25,000, as well as tools, resources, and more to get started quickly on AWS. To join the Showcase alumni network and gain exclusive access to fundraising opportunities, interested entrepreneurs are invited to apply via this page (https://bit.ly/2UTmrtU) before 14 August 2020. The Series A program will be followed by a ‘VC4A Venture Showcase – Seed’ track dedicated to startups raising their seed round ranging from 150K-750K USD. Keep an eye out on the VC4A platform for the launch in July 2020.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry