Apply Now: Empowering Sustainable Entrepreneurship in Africa 2025 Program

In 2024, Village Capital, in partnership with Norway, through Norad – the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, supported 14 Entrepreneur Support Organizations (ESOs)/Ecosystem Builders through training and capacity building. This year, they continue their mission to support impact-creating founders and strengthen regional ecosystems by collaborating with five of these locally-led Ecosystem Builders.

Together, they will co-deliver five tailored investment-readiness programs, supporting 150 sustainability-focused startups across the above-mentioned markets in SSA.

Focus Areas

• They are looking for startups in the following areas:
  • Blue Economy
    • Fisheries and aquaculture, marine biotechnology, marine conservation, eco-tourism, and marine litter management.
  • Climate Adaptation
    • Early warning systems, risk mapping and analysis technologies, meteorological data technologies, carbon capture and storage, green infrastructure, and water management technologies.
  • Food Security
    • Precision agriculture, enhanced irrigation technologies, supply chain management, transportation and logistics, and cold-chain technologies.
  • Renewable Energy
    • Microgrid technologies, clean cooking solutions, hydro, solar, geothermal, and wind, energy management software, and energy payment platforms.

Benefits

• Advice
  • Participate in a virtual investor forum and mock board meetings with representatives from financial institutions, corporations, experienced entrepreneurs, and investors who can help startups scale their solutions.
• Continued Learning
  • Access to live and asynchronous sessions tailored to a virtual learning environment to help their companies identify early milestones and prepare for their next round of capital (if relevant) or significant expansion.
• Financial Analysis
  • Access to an investment analyst who will coach startups 1:1 on building a financial model, identifying unit economics, and using financial metrics to drive both business and investor diligence.
• Media Exposure
  • Exposure to Village Capital’s program website and other communications collateral.
• Mentorship
  • Ability to meet with and receive mentorship from prominent investors, potential strategic partners, customers, and other founders.
• Networking
  • Access to a network of mentors and founders.

Eligibility Criteria

• Eligibility requirements include:
  • Have legal incorporation and operate as a for-profit entity in at least one of the following countries or have intentions to expand into them: Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, or Tanzania.
  • Have a market-based tech solution that tackles one of the following challenges: Climate Adaptation, Renewable Energy, Blue Economy, or Food Security.
  • Be in compliance with local fiscal and business law.
  • Have at least two full-time founders based in Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, or Tanzania.
  • Have at least a minimum viable product (MVP) and raised less than USD 1M in equity.
  • Have meaningful customer or business validation (not limited to revenue, it can also be successful pilot studies, number of users, and/or strategic partnerships).

For more information, visit Village Capital.