A&A Collective

🚀 From Grit to Growth: Insights from Andrew Gwadiva In our latest Venture SideChat hosted by Florent Nduwayezu, Andrew Gwadiva dropped some serious gems 💎 during his talk: “The Grit, Grind, and Growth: The Wins Hidden in the Hustle – Fundraising Realities and What It Really Takes.” Here are some of the standout takeaways: 💡 Local Capital: Local investors are warming up to venture capital, but the key to winning them over? Demonstrating strong returns and showing that VC is a legit opportunity for growth. 🏦 Pension Funds & Family Wealth: As younger generations take the reins of family wealth, educating them on VC—its purpose, risks, and rewards—is critical for expanding the ecosystem. 📣 Strategic Communication: VC shines when it’s framed as a long-term, portfolio-enhancing asset class. Clear messaging that aligns with innovation or impact goals makes it relatable and compelling. 💸 Venture Debt Challenges: Competitive returns from safer assets like bonds make venture debt tricky to pitch. The solution? Highlighting its hybrid nature—a mix of equity upside with fixed-income characteristics. 🤝 Relationships Matter: Raising capital isn’t about cold pitches or even warm intros. It’s about building deep, trust-based networks that establish credibility and open doors. Andrew’s insights reminded us that the grind might be tough, but the growth makes it all worthwhile 🌱. #AACollective #VentureSideChat #EducateConnectInspire #AfricaVC #ImpactInvestment #VC #AfricaTech #InvestAfrica

Kudos to our outgoing Partnerships Lead Kevwe Jefia! You have been super instrumental in educating, connecting and inspiring the next generation of investment talent in the African Tech ecosystem. wishing you all the best 🚀

✨ Wrapping up 2024 in style! ✨ A&A Collective members in Nairobi 🌍 and Cape Town 🌊 came together for an unforgettable End-of-Year Networking Mixer 🥂. It was a night filled with conversation, cocktails, and connections 💬🍹🤝 as we celebrated the year’s milestones and looked ahead to 2025 🚀. We’re so grateful to everyone who made it out—and an extra special shoutout to our amazing members: 💡 Tracy Nzilani and Amos Gachiri for pulling off a fantastic evening in Nairobi, and 💡 Mariana Osório de Castro and Collins Mwangi for organizing an incredible gathering in Cape Town. This year was full of growth, collaboration, and learning. Here’s to even bigger things in 2025 🥳🔥! #AACollective #AfricaVC #ImpactInvestment #VC #AfricaTech #InvestAfrica

Some of our members recently had the chance to experience the AfricArena Grand Summit 2024 — where Africa’s brightest startups, visionary investors, and ecosystem builders came together to explore how we can accelerate innovation and collaboration on the continent 🚀🌍. The summit wasn’t just another event; it was a hub for groundbreaking ideas, impactful conversations, and meaningful connections 💡🤝. Key takeaways? -> Balancing liquidity with IRR in fund management is critical 💰. The discussions explored partial liquidity options to ease pressures in later stages of a fund’s lifecycle and strategic exits in earlier years for better outcomes 🎯📊. -> Thorough due diligence on venture capitalists matters: knowing their focus areas, portfolio alignment, and the track record of businesses they back can make or break a partnership 🤝💼. As one of our members put it, “It was a masterclass in smart exits, strategic funding, and building informed partnerships to drive growth and innovation.” 🚀📈 As Africa’s tech ecosystem evolves, one message stood out: collaboration is key 🌟. Scalable, sustainable success will depend on how all players in the ecosystem come together 💡🤝. From networking with industry leaders to exchanging insights with peers , this experience was nothing short of transformative. #AfricArena2024 #CapeTownTechSummit #AACollective #AfricaTech #InvestAfrica

28th November, 2024 was all about the Africa startup ecosystem at Latitude59 in Kenya! 🇰🇪 Key discussions explored cleantech advancements, funding strategies tailored to the unique challenges of African markets, and insights into the growth journeys of startups across the continent. 🌍 The highlight of the day was the Pitch Competition, which showcased Africa's most promising startups, underscoring the importance of prioritizing time-to-market, localizing products to meet cultural and market-specific needs, and embracing experimentation as a tool for growth and adaptability in a rapidly changing landscape. 💫 Emerging trends such as self-custody and the adoption of stablecoins were spotlighted, showing how these innovations are empowering individuals and driving seamless cross-border transactions. User-centric innovation also stood out as a critical factor for long-term success, with startups being encouraged to prioritize intuitive and impactful solutions. Collaboration across borders and with key stakeholders, such as regulators, investors, and other ecosystem players, was emphasized as the cornerstone for building a thriving startup ecosystem in Africa. 🤝 🌍 Events like #Latitude59xKenya are more than just gatherings—they are catalysts driving impactful connections and shaping the next wave of innovation in Africa and beyond. 🚀 #AACollective #Latitude59 #Latitude59xKenya #AfricaTech #InvestAfrica #AfricaStartups

The Africa Startup Festival was a powerful platform for exploring opportunities within the African startup ecosystem🌍. Our members gained valuable insights from panels that delved into demystifying evolving market trends and positioning for funding as a startup in Africa, as well as how fostering collaboration between government and the private sector can bolster innovation and growth potential within the African startup ecosystem🚀. The panel on Increasing Investment Opportunities into African Startups: A Deep Dive into M&As, Joint Ventures, and Local Investments was moderated by our member Chidinma Okoli (Senior Associate at Moniepoint Group) and featured notable industry leaders Ike Eze (Managing Partner at Beta.Ventures), Dolapo Olayoriju (Investment Analyst at Verod-Kepple Africa Ventures), and Fola Olatunji-David (Accelerate Africa). Discussions centered on how startups can leverage joint ventures and strategic partnerships to drive expansion into new markets and products, the increasing need for investment from investors with local know-how of the African landscape to drive market innovation, and how startups can prepare themselves for alternative exit opportunities such as mergers and acquisitions. The event’s masterclasses offered refreshing perspectives 💡, and the networking opportunities 🤝 were exceptional, showcasing exciting innovations and solutions being built across Africa! It was an impactful event that reaffirmed the commitment of stakeholders to the ecosystem’s growth and highlighted the shared vision of building a brighter future for African startups🌟. A heartfelt thank you to all the speakers, participants, and organizers for their invaluable contributions to the success of the event🙌. Together, we continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible in the African startup landscape. #AACollective #ASF2024 #ASFXLagos

💡 ⁉️ Is the death of impact investing upon us? In partnership with the A&A Collective, Impact Baraza was launched earlier this year to provide space for honest (sometimes tough) conversations about the state of impact investing in East Africa. Last month we hosted the third edition of the series, focusing on the entrepreneurial perspective of impact investing in East Africa. 🌍 Some takeaways: 🤝 Many impact investors in their current form do not offer great value for money 💰 Impact investors struggle to bring on additional capital in a way that their commercial counterparts do not 👁️🗨️ Impact investors aren't clear on their objectives 🌱 Impact investors have the opportunity to improve through: taking more risk, making faster decisions and playing where others don't 🔗 See the full write up here: https://lnkd.in/evqBHh57 We look forward to continuing our Impact Baraza conversations in 2025 🎈

🌟 In October, we were live in Lagos 🇳🇬 at the Moonshot by TechCabal, and our community members were actively involved in a few sessions. 🚀 Moonshot Battlefield: Supporting the Startup Battlefield competition, A&A Community Member Cyril Shonibare (Investment Associate at TLcom Capital LLP) joined the lineup of investors during the mock pitch sessions to help select the final lineup that would eventually pitch live at the main event during the conference in Lagos. At the main pitching session, A&A Community Member Harriet Adinkrah (Investment Manager at 4DX Ventures), joined the live judging panel with Maya Horgan Famodu (Founder and MD at Ingressive Capital), Kristin H. Wilson (Managing Partner at Innovate Africa Fund) and Ahunna Ogunedo (Investment Manager at 54 Collective) on Day 1 and Day 2 of the main conference. Panel Session 1 : Our co-founder, Yvonne O. Okafor moderated a panel on Scale and Expansion: An Investor’s Perspective. The panelists included A&A member Jasiel Martin-Odoom (Investment Officer at Accion), Ashim Egunjobi (Partner at Octerra Capital ), and Alisha Golden (Principal at Techstars). The conversation covered insights on what investors look for in scalable companies, different ways companies can explore scaling their businesses outside of just international expansion, as well as a light note on how to think about exits, even as an early-stage company. 🌍💡 Panel Session 2: The spotlight also turned to Africa’s burgeoning creative technology industry during a panel moderated by Marie Lora-Mungai. A&A Community Member Harriet Adinkrah (Investment Manager at 4DX Ventures and backer of Wowzi, Eksab Gaming, Minly, and MAKA) was joined by Elom Lassey (IFC - International Finance Corporation, investor in ANKA), Seyi William-Ogunbiyi (Selar), and Eric Kafui Okyerefo (CEO of Filmmakers Mart). With two players on each side of the table—operators and investors—they shared diverse perspectives on the African CreaTech space. The discussion explored how technology is opening up new markets for creatives, from connecting filmmakers with platforms like Netflix or ANKA to empowering creators to sell digital products globally.🎬🌍🎶 Thanks to the TechCabal team for an amazing event and for creating a great space to engage with Africa’s vibrant startup ecosystem in the heart of Lagos, Nigeria! 🇳🇬 ✨ #AACollective #MoonshotbyTechCabal #Moonshot2024 #EducateConnectInspire #AfricaVC #ImpactInvestment #VC #AfricaTech #InvestAfrica

🚀 Venture SideChat w/ Andrew Gwadiva🚀 As we wrap up the year, we’re ending on a high note with our final member-only event of 2024! 🎉 Today Andrew Gwadiva (GP, Verdant Frontiers) will dive into The Grit, Grind, and Growth: The Wins Hidden in the Hustle – Fundraising Realities and What It Really Takes. Andrew will share lessons from his firsthand experience with his fund’s fundraising journey, offering a behind-the-scenes look at what it truly takes to succeed in this space. The conversation will be moderated by community member Florent Nduwayezu, ensuring it’s dynamic, engaging, and full of real insights. 💬 This is just one of the many ways we support our community of emerging investment professionals in Africa. If you’re looking to learn, network, and grow alongside driven individuals, become a member today to access future exclusive events like this. Need more info? DM us! 📩 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dK4BYKVK #AACollective #VentureSideChat #EducateConnectInspire #AfricaVC #ImpactInvestment #VC #AfricaTech #InvestAfrica

⚡A&A Member Moments: Ryan Hodgson⚡ Humans of A&A Meet Ryan Hodgson, a rising star in Africa’s venture ecosystem 🚀✨. As a Senior Associate at Venture Garden Group, Ryan is all about building, investing in, and scaling tech-empowered companies across Africa 🌍💡, with a special focus on fintech and financial empowerment 💳📱. Think of him as a venture builder extraordinaire—sometimes creating solutions for big corporations 🏢, other times filling market gaps with game-changing startups 🚀🌟. Ryan’s journey into the venture world has been anything but ordinary 🌟. From interning at startups like Cashbackpoint (Pty) Ltd. and Vow Currency during university 🎓, to leading fundraising at The Delta, and now shaping Africa’s tech future at Venture Garden Group, he’s always focused on creating impact. Oh, and did we mention? He’s a MENSA member, proving that his problem-solving skills are as sharp as they come 🧠✨. One of Ryan’s most memorable moments? Speaking at the Ibadan Startup Festival 🎤🌍, where he shared insights with founders and investors—a full-circle moment for someone making waves in the ecosystem 🌊. Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/dBcSGW9U When he’s not working, Ryan is exploring his passion for fine wine 🍷🍇. He hosts tastings, dives into South Africa’s wine scene 🇿🇦, and is planning to earn a professional qualification next year 📜🍷. Ryan’s also a dedicated mentor, helping founders navigate the rollercoaster of building ventures through programs like START Global🌍💡: https://lnkd.in/d9vnf98n and Seedstars 🚀✨: https://lnkd.in/dFYprJTd Oh, and if you’re into fintech trends 📈💸, you might want to check out his comments on Africa’s top fintech sectors: https://lnkd.in/dmjK3cc6 Catch him for a chat about innovation, systems, or South Africa’s finest wines 🍇✨—you’ll quickly see why his energy and enthusiasm are unmatched 🌟! #AACollective #AAMemberMoments #AfricaVC #ImpactInvestment #VC #AfricaTech #InvestAfrica