VC4A announces 2020 ‘Venture Showcase - Seed’ for African early stage startups

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

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.

Ben White, founder and director from VC4A adds: “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.”

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

Interested entrepreneurs are invited to apply here 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. 

vc4a.com