Bridging the gap between investors and entrepreneurs in Africa... 💸 📊

Giving A Voice to African Investors

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Bridging the Gap Between Investors and Entrepreneurs

According to #GALI's latest research, which maps over 2,500 early-stage ventures in Sub Saharan Africa, the number one reason why African entrepreneurs enrol in an accelerator programme is to gain access to direct funding. No surprises there.

However, when you consider this within the context of a growing number of grievances expressed by investors in recent years of how most graduates of incubator and accelerator programmes are simply 'not ready for investment', it suggests a clear cause for concern.

The World Bank, who have supported numerous programs across the continent, describe it as the 'mentoring and investment gap', criticising many regional accelerators of "offering superficial access to mentorship and investor networks, which results in fewer start-ups landing investments and more disenchanted investors" (read more).

As acceleration programs gain more and more traction in Sub-Saharan Africa and remain a popular method for new business creation then, the need to match entrepreneurs with #SmartFinance solutions becomes increasingly apparent.

ABAN President, Tomi Davies recently breached this issue in London when speaking at the ‘Next Frontier: Year of the African Scaleup’ event hosted by MEST. He noted that “there are 3 things entrepreneurs on the African continent need: i) cash; ii) access to markets; and iii) mentorship and networks; and not necessarily in that order.”

We all share a common belief that the entrepreneurs of today will shape the Africa of tomorrow. As the ecosystem continues to grow, we need more street smart mentors, savvy investors, links with the corporate world, and accelerator/incubator programs to support these entrepreneurs. Everyone has a role to play in building Africa.

ABAN Masterclass Series 2018
We're in Lagos, Nigeria ready to kick-off the 2018 Angel Investor Bootcamp and Masterclass Series this afternoon (27 Feb 2018) with ABAN President Tomi Davies.

Lagos, Nigeria | 27 February 2018
"Understanding Term Sheets" - A masterclass led by ABAN President, Tomi Davies; Collins Onuegu (LAN); Tobi Oki (V8) and David van Dijk (ABAN). In partnership with V8, the Lagos Angels Network (LAN) and VC4Africa.
|^|Details + Registration: Email David van Dijk |

Abuja, Nigeria | 28 February 2018
"Introduction to Angel Investing" - A masterclass led by ABAN President, Tomi Davies and David van Dijk (ABAN), with support of Ventures Platform and VC4A. Perfect for new and aspiring Angel Investors.
| Visit the Website^|| Register Here |

Nairobi, Kenya | 06 March 2018
"Early Stage Investing Strategy" - A masterclass led by Stephen Gugu (Viktoria Business Angels Network), plus a session with Ari Korhonen (Finnish Business Angels Network) during Nairobi's annual Innovation Week.
| More Details^|| Info: Nairobi Innovation Week |

We look forward to continue connecting with the different investor communities across Africa, with the goal of taking our Masterclass Series to 10 additional cities in 2018.

To bring the ABAN Bootcamp & Masterclass Series to your city in 2018, or to discuss sponsor opportunities, please contact the ABAN team at: secretariat@abanangels.org.

Rebecca Enonchong at VivaTech 2018
Africa's Lady-of-Tech and ABAN co-founder, Rebecca Enonchong spoke at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris during the launch event of VivaTech 2018. (Video)

Stephen Gugu at African Tech Summit 2018
ABAN stalwart Stephen Gugu, founder of the Viktoria Business Angel Network, joined Collins Onuegbue of the Lagos Angels Network to host an Angel Investor Roundtable in Kigali at the 2018 African Tech Summit #ATSKGL (Website).

Launch of the Kampala Angel Investment Network
KAIN, the Kampala Angel Investment Network organized their first ever Angel Investor meet-up on Friday 16 Feb 2018 to mark the launch of the new community (Website).

Senegal Women's Investment Club Makes the Headlines
Work by the Women Investment Club in Senegal was recognized and celebrated in the mainstream press earlier this month (View Article).

Tomi Davies and ABAN Team at #WBAF 2018
ABAN co-founders Chris Campbell and David van Dijk joined ABAN President Tomi Davies in Istanbul for the World Business Angel Investor Forum. This year's event united over a 1000 early stage investors from across the world, including representatives from Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Sudan, Niger, Tunisia and Mauritius (Website).

VC4Africa Features on CNN
VC4Africa CEO and ABAN co-founder, Ben White highlights the increasing importance of Angel Investors in the African ecosystem in an interview with CNN (Watch Video)

Tomi Davies Meets European Parliament Members
ABAN President Tomi Davies gives a voice to the African startup community while meeting with representatives of the European Parliament in Brussels (View Picture)

Botswana Angels Leading the Way
ABAN co-founder Alexandra Fraser travelled to Gaborone last week for an entrepreneurial ecosystem stakeholders workshop with the #WorldBank . Host of the event was Mooketsi Bennedict Tekere, who has been leading the efforts to promote entrepreneurship and Angel Investing in Botswana. (View Picture)

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