Records broken at 8th Africa Early Stage Investor Summit

Amsterdam, Netherlands | THE INDEPENDENT |  Investors at the 8th Africa Early Stage Investor Summit (AESIS ) held November 3-5 celebrated record-breaking deal-making on the continent surpassing $3 billion invested in 2021 into African startups.

AESIS 2021 showed that the number of startups securing funding in Africa outpaces funding for startups globally. From 2015 through to 2020, the number of African tech startups receiving financial backing grew 46% annually — six times faster than the global average, and marks a new period of growth for Africa tech investing.

The event welcomed more than 2,000 delegates attending from 75 countries around the world, the largest gathering to date, with more than 600 early-stage Angel and VC investors connecting at the annual summit to take stock of the industry’s progress and to chart the way forward.

“The industry is being driven by a young and growing population that is tech-savvy and eager to start a business. Africa’s population is increasingly well connected and eager to consume digital solutions,” said David S. Rose, renowned Entrepreneur and Angel Investor.

#AESIS2021 showcased many unique initiatives working to unlock necessary capital for companies at the earliest stages of development, starting with the launch of Catalytic Africa, the African Startup Matching Fund, a co-creation of ABAN and AfriLabs with the support of Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and Digital Africa.

Improving investor support and access to capital for women was also high on the agenda. Tokunboh Ismael, co-founder of Alithea Capital and Chair at African Venture Capital Association (AVCA) made clear in her keynote, the industry would not realize its potential until it met the needs of the continent’s women, the greatest untapped asset for the future of Africa. Her call to action was mirrored by multiple initiatives including Dazzle Angels, Rising Tide Africa, and ShEquity sharing important updates and providing an updated roadmap on how the industry is working to address the issue.

Mathew Marsden, coFounder at GetLion concluded, ‘The event brought together leading minds in African investing, and in summary, the future is bright. Investment appetite is growing, more funds and angel syndicates are emerging, a diverse array of ecosystems are booming and even more “exits” are anticipated. The message for investors… get in or get left behind!

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SOURCE: APO