Challenge
The growing innovation ecosystems in African cities have an increasing need for early-stage investment capital: Many startups with early traction can’t raise pre-seed and seed funding to pursue further growth. On the other hand, Africa is getting more attention from international venture capital investors. But they often do not have the local networks to access, evaluate, and manage their deal flow. Deep Dive Africa aims to bring together promising African startups with international investors. The programme is implemented by our partners Impact Hub and GrowthAfrica.
Approach
Following the successful pilot from 2019 in Ghana and Nigeria, we support Deep Dive Africa to expand to East Africa, too. The project works with 40 high-potential tech startups from Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Kenya and provides hands-on support to help proper preparations to receive funding from angels or venture capitalists. Being aware of the gender-gap, Deep Dive aims to have a minimum of 40% female led startups in their cohort. The programme fosters collaboration and connectivity between ecosystems and ecosystem actors by collaborating with hubs, local and pan-African networks and investment networks.
© Deep Dive Africa
Goal
Deep Dive aims to bridge the gap between African startups and European investors. At the end of their training, the participating startups have the chance to pitch their solutions to selected investors. Deep Dive Africa connects ecosystem actors and raises awareness around the vibrant startup scene by giving investors a broader picture of early-stage investment opportunities in West and East Africa.
