In what they have said is an initiative to help accelerate investment in the Afrikan PE (Private Equity) and tech VC (Venture Capital) ecosystems, AVCA (African Private Equity and Venture Capital Association) & AfricArena have jointly announced a partnership around a week-long of complementary events between April 23rd and 28th in Dakar, Senegal. The Unconference will aim to provide in-depth insights into the future of private capital and venture capital in Afrika.
The five-day program will feature pitches from over 20 startups operating in the region, more than 30 VCs co-creating the future of VC in Africa, as well as keynotes and panel discussions from the top minds in business, digital technology, and investment in West Afrika.
"AfricArena, which has been playing a major role in the acceleration of the african tech ecosystems since 2017, is pleased to announce an exciting program of events designed for Investor, Founders, Corporates and Ecosystem partners to work together on bringing more capital and market access opportunities to African startups. We are extremely excited in particular to be partnering with the African Venture Capital Association (AVCA) to hold an exciting week of events in Dakar on April 23 to 28th, starting with the AfricArena VC Unconference, the AfricArena West Africa Summit, and concluding with the AVCA VC Day following AVCA's Annual PE Conference,” said Christophe Viarnaud, Founder of AfricArena & CEO of technology firm Methys.
Regional events around Afrika
This year, AfricArena will organize four hybrid events across four regions in Africa and one premium African Startup showcase event in Paris, all building up to the annual AfricArena Summit in Cape Town at the end of the year in November 2022. The regional events will bring together startups, investors, and corporations operating in the region with 20+ startups from around West Africa being selected to pitch at the Dakar event.
While bringing invaluable awareness and networking opportunities to the region’s ecosystem, the events will also act as a semi-final pitch session, used to select startups to pitch at the Grand Summit in Cape Town.
"The Venture Capital (VC) in Africa AVCA Summit will take place on Thursday 28th April and will convene founders, investors, and industry leaders to facilitate thought-provoking dialogue, industry-driven insights, and unparalleled networking opportunities. AVCA is delighted to be partnering with AfricArena, who will be holding a week of events in Dakar from April 23rd to 28th, starting with the AfricArena VC Unconference, the AfricArena West Africa Summit, and concluding with AVCA VC Summit.” said Abi Mustapha-Maduakor CEO of AVCA.
West Afrika Summit
The West Afrika Summit will take place in Dakar, Senegal on 26 and 27 April 2022. The two-day Summit will feature the 20+ startup pitches as well as keynote presentations and panel discussions from ecosystem thought-leaders - speakers will be announced in the upcoming weeks. The day before the two-day Summit, pitching startups will also be invited to take part in a day-long bootcamp to be held at the D-Hub in partnership with DER.
Over the two days, the Summit expects just over 20 startups to showcase their innovative solutions.The 20+ startups that will be pitching will mostly be pre-selected through a series of virtual pitch sessions that will take place from 25 March to 15 April 2022.
Startups can apply here.
— By Tefo Mohapi
