ABAN

📢 New partnership alert! One of the key highlights of Day 1 at #AESIS2024 (Cape Town, South Africa | 28th November 2024) was the announcement of a transformative partnership between us and MsFiT Ventures! This collaboration marks a key moment in strengthening Africa’s investment ecosystem, focused on #angelinvestment and innovative debt financing models to accelerate the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the continent. What is MsFiT Ventures all about? Based in Cape Town, MsFiT Ventures is an SME debt fund that provides flexible working capital to fast-growing, asset-heavy SMEs in Southern Africa. The Fund is currently raising a $4.5M proof of concept fund, targeting investments between $5k to $150k in female-led and operated SMEs leveraging basic technology for infrastructure scaling. “Our partnership with MsFiT Ventures is a bold step towards diversifying investment options for our members, fostering resilience, and promoting sustainable growth across Africa’s entrepreneurial landscape. By leveraging innovative debt solutions, we’re advancing ABAN’s mission of driving angel investing and creating job opportunities in Africa." Fadilah Tchoumba This joint initiative will pave the way for a future where Africa’s small businesses thrive, creating jobs and driving economic growth. Read more about this partnership at https://bit.ly/4ePqqhj Egla Ntumba Jill Curr

Why is early-stage investing in Africa so crucial, and why is it often overlooked? #AESIS2024 aims to address this gap. "It’s essential that all ecosystem players, especially those in the diaspora, come together because the diaspora networks hold immense potential in mobilizing the capital needed for Africa’s growth." Fridah Ntarangwi - Kimathi, CEO, Zidicircle Watch as Frida shares why this matters in this quick but powerful clip! VC4A ABAN #InnovatingPathways

The Welcome Keynote at #AESIS2024 by Vincent Hoogduijn (CEO, VC4A) and Fadilah Tchoumba (CEO, ABAN) set the stage for an inspiring and impactful summit. With early-stage investing in Africa often overlooked, the keynote emphasized the critical need for more collaboration and investment to unlock the continent’s potential. What were the key takeaways from the "Welcome Keynote"? 1️⃣ Emphasis on the untapped potential of early-stage investing in Africa. 2️⃣ A call for greater collaboration between local and diaspora investors to mobilize crucial capital. 3️⃣ Insights on the role of angel investors in shaping Africa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. 4️⃣ A vision for a more inclusive and sustainable investment landscape for the continent. Stay tuned for more impactful moments at #AESIS2024! #InnovatingPathways VC4A ABAN

Revisiting the Africa Early Stage Investor Summit 2024 through images. Day 1 - Part 1 was filled with incredible moments of sharing and learning from key players in our ecosystem. Highlights included insightful discussions on the state of the industry, resilience tactics, gender-smart investment, capital provider dialogues, capital markets, the importance of collaborations and partnerships, and the launch of the ABAN Investment Report 2024. A heartfelt thank you to our partners, angel investors, fund managers (VCs), and ecosystem enablers for your invaluable contributions and ongoing support of the African early-stage investment ecosystem. Stay tuned for the outcomes of our discussions! Harry 'Tomi Davies, David van Dijk, Rebecca Enonchong, FREng, Lawrence Eta, Vincent Hoogduijn, huthi Mahanyele-Dabengwa, Stephen Gugu, Alexandra Fraser, Elizabeth Howard, Yemi Keri, Egla Ntumba, Zachariah George, Joel Nana Kontchou, Melvyn Lubega, Nonnie Wanjihia Burbidge, Pauline Koelbl, Eghosa Omoigui, Meit Gandhi, Julia Stausberg-Umuerri, Enkromelle Andrew, ABAN, VC4A

Revisiting the Africa Early Stage Investor Summit 2024 through Fadilah Tchoumba's images lens below has been a bittersweet moment for me. As we celebrated incredible discussions on resilience, gender-smart investments, collaborations, and partnerships, alongside the launch of the #ABANInvestmentReport 2024, I couldn’t help but reflect on the journey we’ve shared as a community. Reflecting on where it all began, November 2014 in Helsinki, when Candace Johnson, then President of EBAN - European Business Angel Network, brought us together in a meeting that was the genesis of ABAN. I am profoundly grateful to Candace for her vision and leadership in uniting us. It was there and then that this movement was born, with the unwavering support of incredible pioneers like Rebecca Enonchong, FREng, Ben White, David van Dijk, and many others who shared the dream of fostering angel investing across Africa and helped bring it to life over the years... fast forward to today, and #AESIS2024 has shown how far we’ve come as a community and the impact of our collaborative efforts is undeniable. As I prepare to step down as ABAN President at the end of this year, I do so with immense pride in what we’ve built together. To all the partners, founders, angel investors, fund managers, ecosystem enablers who have joined and enabled us on this journey, I personally thank you for your trust and support. The future is bright, and I am confident that ABAN will continue to grow and thrive under new leadership. So here’s to the next chapter of driving innovation and sustainable growth across Africa! #AfricanAngel #TomiDee #WeMove #AESIS2024

The #AESIS pre-summit mixer was such a resounding success! We are ecstatic to have been a part of it 💫 The evening was filled with insightful conversations, shared experiences, and new connections that will undoubtedly spark inspiration for early stage investments. Super grateful to everyone who joined us! Learn more about our inaugural 2025 self-sponsored open cohort program and apply here https://bit.ly/4fyazoG VC4A ABAN Viridian ViKtoria Ventures Stephen Gugu Fiona Kiruja Claire Jowell Michelle Matthews David van Dijk Alexandra Fraser John Anyetei Skye Moody

Recap of #AESIS2024! What an incredible journey! This year's summit highlighted the power of early-stage capital mobilization and how access to capital can drive the growth and impact of Africa’s entrepreneurial landscape. A special thanks to Harry 'Tomi Davies, President of ABAN, for leading the impactful session on "Early Stage Capital Mobilization in Africa for Growth and Impact: Access to Capital to Power Early-Stage". A special shoutout to VC4A and ABAN for co-hosting such a successful 11th edition, sparking discussions that will resonate for years to come! Stay tuned as we gear up for the next chapter in Africa’s investment story! #InnovatingPathways

Cameroonians Joel Nana Kontchou and Rebecca Enonchong Shine at AESIS Africa Early Stage Investors Summit 2024. Read on for more info.

This year’s Africa Early Stage Investor Summit spotlighted the crucial role of early-stage capital mobilization in fueling the growth and impact of Africa. A huge thank you to Harry 'Tomi Davies for leading the insightful session on “Early Stage Capital Mobilization in Africa for Growth and Impact" Stay tuned for what’s next in Africa’s investment revolution and more key highlights from the summit! #AESIS2024 #InnovatingPathways VC4A