Deadline: July 24, 2021
Applications for the VC4A Venture Showcase – Series A 2021 are now open. They are 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 program, companies get visibility with 200+ investors 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.
Benefits
- 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
- Your company is for-profit and registered as an independent legal entity;
- You have a product or service available on the market and generate revenue;
- Your product or service is clearly innovative and/or your business model is new, disruptive and designed for scale;
- You have a very strong management team of at least 3 people;
- Your team is based in one or more countries on the African continent;
- At least one of the founders has an African nationality;
- You are 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.
If you are selected for the Showcase, you are expected to:
- Engage with assigned mentors (partner VC investors) and VC4A team to prepare your 3-minute and 20-minute presentations, as well as 2-pagers with investor data as part of the deal book;
- Be prepared to pitch and engage with VC investors in the period of October – November 2020 and be part of the VC4A Venture Showcase and the Africa Early Stage Investor Summit.
Application
Are you raising your Seed round in between $250K – $1,5M? Consider applying to the 2021 VC4A Venture Showcase – Seed track.
For more information, visit VC4A.
