The fourth annual Angel Fair Africa will bring together accelerators, incubators and emerging businesses from across the African continent and investors to do deals in the lead up to Global Entrepreneurship Week in Nairobi, Kenya.
Laila Macharia, Angel Investor; Kanini Mutooni, Director of Investments at USAID East Africa Trade and Investment Hub; Lexi Novistske, Principal Investment Officer, Singularity Investments and Sapna Shah, Investment Director, Novastar Ventures from an all-female investors panel on the first day of the event. The investors will discuss how they are backing Africa’s leading entrepreneurs to build great companies. The conversation would also focus on empowering more female investors and entrepreneurs.
An “Exits Panel” will feature Njeri Rionge who co-founded Wananchi and exited to East Africa Capital Partners, Hilda Moraa who exited Weza Tele to AFB last year, Munyutu Waigi who exited Rupu to Ringier AG and multi-exits entrepreneur, Chinedu Echeruo who sold Tripology to USA Today and Hopstop to Apple then co-founded Constant Capital based in New York. These entrepreneurs will share their experiences of building their companies from scratch and exiting to motivate those pitching.
A total of twenty entrepreneurs, startups and scaleups have been selected from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Nigeria and South Africa through a partnership network that includes SeedStars World, Demo Africa, Uganda Investment Authority, Financial Sector Deepening Trust Tanzania, Ice Addis, Vilgro Kenya, Centum Foundation, K-Lab and Unreasonable Institute. These entrepreneurs will pitch during the event, giving investors the opportunity to prioritize those they want to meet.
Attendees will get the opportunity to network with the entrepreneurs as well as explore investment, business development and other opportunities.
Wendy Luhabe, Director of Abraaj Group observed that “An all female investor panel would not only encourage other female investors but more importantly enable more female entrepreneurs to venture out and live their dreams”.
“Men and women are sharing the work of funding Africa’s emerging digital economy. It’s exciting that Angel Fair Africa is helping to make that welcome development visible,” said Esther Dyson, Super Angel Investor.
Prior to Nairobi, AfA has been successfully held in Jo’burg in 2013, Lagos in 2014 and Accra in 2015 resulting in a number of deals such as Bertha Foundation investing in Vuyos. The Lagos Angels Network invested in Hutbay and Autobox whiles Zeepay announced their first seed investment at the Accra event last year.