Charles Muchoki | Africa Guardian
Eight trailblazing female founders took center stage at the 11th annual Africa Early Stage Investor Summit (AESIS2024), captivating over 300 investors, ecosystem leaders, and delegates during the highly anticipated Deal Morning. Representing the VC4A Venture Showcase – She Wins Africa edition, these founders presented transformative solutions addressing critical challenges in agriculture, fintech, e-commerce, and health across Africa. Their participation marked the culmination of VC4A’s award-winning Technical Residency program, a comprehensive investment-readiness initiative designed to prepare early-stage founders for scaling and funding.
A Summit of Collaboration
Co-hosted by VC4A and the African Business Angel Network (ABAN), AESIS2024 underscored the growing synergy among African investors, startups, and support organizations. VC4A CEO Vincent Hoogduijn set the tone in his opening remarks:
“Why does VC4A organize AESIS every year? It’s simple – we aim to unite Africa’s early-stage investment ecosystem.”
Over two days, the summit facilitated panels, pitches, networking sessions, and immersive investor experiences, all reinforcing the vital role of ecosystem-wide cooperation.
Empowering Women Entrepreneurs
The She Wins Africa program, implemented by VC4A in partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), equips women entrepreneurs with essential tools, networks, and visibility. From over 100 applicants, eight exceptional founders were selected for the VC4A Technical Residency in Cape Town, where they received tailored training and expert mentorship. This preparation enabled them to confidently pitch their innovative ventures to an influential audience at AESIS2024.
Anne Kabugi, Regional Gender Lead at IFC, opened the showcase with a powerful statement:
“What if I told you that Africa’s food crisis will be solved by women?”
Showcasing Innovation
The eight She Winners presented their groundbreaking startups:
- Cladfy Inc (Kenya): A fintech platform enabling informal sector lending.
- GoBEBA Everything Ltd (Kenya): An e-commerce utility platform providing access to essential resources.
- Paycard SA (Guinea): A mobile money app advancing financial inclusion.
- Agriarche Limited (Nigeria): A digital platform revolutionizing agricultural trade.
- Eshandi (Zambia): A financial services platform empowering underserved populations.
- Farmio (Ghana): Tech solutions addressing inefficiencies in agricultural supply chains.
- Yellow Factoring (Cameroon): An invoice factoring platform for SMEs.
- Advantage Health Africa (Nigeria): Improving access to genuine and affordable medicines.
These founders shared the stage with 15 other promising startups from programs such as DEG Impulse’s develoPPP Ventures, Digital Africa’s Fuzé, and GIZ’s SAIS program. Together, these ventures showcased Africa’s burgeoning startup ecosystem, offering innovative solutions to real-world challenges.
Collaboration as the Key to Growth
Reflecting on the summit, Vincent Hoogduijn emphasized the power of unity:
“AESIS2024 reinforced the need for collaboration. In a challenging year, persistence, resilience, and adaptability are essential for the ecosystem to thrive. Go fast alone; go far together.”
VC4A expressed gratitude for the opportunity to bring the ecosystem together and pledged to continue inspiring and empowering stakeholders. As planning begins for AESIS2025, the focus remains on unlocking Africa’s immense potential through collective effort.
___