Apply for VC4A Venture Showcase – Series A to raise between $500,000 and $10 million

VC4A (Venture Capital for Africa) has put out a call to African startups looking to raise between $500,000 (₦193 million) and $10 million (₦3.8 billion).

V4CA connects entrepreneurs with investors, mentors and programmes. In collaboration with AWS Activate as a technical partner, VC4A will be hosting an 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 totalling over $100 million (₦38 billion).

The VC4A Venture Showcase – Series A would position 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.

"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", Ben White, Founder and CEO of VC4A said.

"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 them for the showcase, and to ensure the companies are representative of the best investment opportunities coming up from across the continent.

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 scale Africa’s best startups", White said. "AWS brings unparalleled expertise and global infrastructure into the mix, and where the Showcase companies receive direct access".

The startups selected for the VC4A Venture Showcase – Series A will digitally convene and engage the leading venture capital 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.

Between 2017 and 2019, VC4A selected 60 Venture Showcase alumni such as Aerobotics, CoinAfrique, FinChatBot, FlexClub, 7Keema, LifeBank, MAX, Mobiz, Nawah Scientific, Rensource, Sendy and Shezlong. These startups raised over $100 million.

The 10 selected startups for 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
• Mentorship and pitch training by partner VC investors
• 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 can apply via this page before 14 August 2020. Investors who wish to refer a company can contact Thomas van Halen at thomas[at]vc4a.com.

The VC4A Venture Showcase Series A program will be followed by a VC4A Venture Showcase – Seed track dedicated to startups raising their seed round ranging from $150,000 to $750,0000. Keep an eye out on the VC4A platform for the launch in July 2020.

Cover image credit: Learning Hub