Founder’s Guides to Fundraising in Africa
For the ecosystem, by the ecosystem
Startup ecosystems across Africa are at very different stages of maturity. Some startup ecosystems are home to a robust local investor and ecosystem support landscape, while others rely on international support. Navigating these different ecosystems and the different financing and support options within them can be time-consuming, particularly for startup founders who are busy running and growing a business.
The GIZ project Make-IT in Africa and Briter Bridges have partnered with support organisations and local experts from 9 countries across Africa to develop guides ‘for the ecosystem, by the ecosystem’ that assist founders with navigating technical support and financing options throughout their fundraising journey. We cover Benin, Ethiopia, Morocco, Niger, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia and Zambia. The partners include BongoHive (Zambia), Energy Generation (Togo), Shega (Ethiopia), IMPACT Lab (Morocco), Sahara Ventures (Tanzania) and local experts include Lourwana Issaka (Niger), Aziza Inoubili (Tunisia) and Jessica Gaba (Benin).
You will find an overview of best practices and lessons learned from founders who have been fundraising across these ecosystems. The fundraising 101 section helps founders navigate the basics of raising capital, from getting started to closing the deal. We include a glossary of common terms and investor lingo to ensure language is not a barrier to success.
The guides then dive into the specificities of each country’s ecosystem with information on:
Trends in funding for startups
Features and offerings of relevant ecosystem support organisations, including links to local and global acceleration programmes
Funding options for startups, their use cases, tradeoffs and how to access them
Learnings from founders that offer further guidance and tips for you on your journey
Legal and regulatory considerations when starting and fundraising for your business
Helpful links to legal and government resources.
To enrich the guides and really assist founders with getting started we have also provided an investor catalogue of the major local investors, their funds, the sectors and products they invest in, and other relevant information to help on the journey.
