Deadline: 20 October 2023
Are you running a tech startup and want to transform the agriculture and food tech industry in Africa? Do you have a tech solution that makes the industry more sustainable and profitable while at the same time empowering value chain actors? Do you want support on raising investment, reaching more customers and having a significant impact? Then this unique (and free!) investment readiness programme is for you!
This is a Pan-African programme for African tech startups from the agriculture, food sector and climate sectors (within, specifically including the livestock sector, that want to scale their business). The Investment Readiness Programmes (IRP) aims to improve investor readiness, so that the startups supported can raise more capital to reach more customers and achieve greater impact.
The IRP is offered by “Scaling digital Agriculture Innovations through Startup (SAIS)”, a project implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). It is co-funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The overall goal at SAIS is to increase incomes in the African agri-food sector through scaling proven digital innovations.
What Programme Offers?
The SAIS Investment Readiness Programme (IRP) offers you a yearlong, tailor-made support programme to raise investments and scale up your business! Precondition is that your tech startup registered in Africa, works in Africa, and offers scalable, market-based solutions for agriculture, food or climate change.
- Sessions of personalized coaching with local and international experts: These are tailored to your specific needs to develop and implement strategies for rapid growth.
- Access to individual online trainings structured around several key themes to develop your startup further, e.g., pitch training, growth strategy, data analytics & management, term sheet, valuation, market analysis, marketing & sales.
- Access to additional services: To optimize certain key areas of your business they hold a specific budget that can cover, e. g. legal advice, online marketing, digital product optimization, design, coding and travel costs to conferences.
- Integrating you into ecosystems: They offer you the opportunity of using a local hub or office space, connect you with peers and support you in increasing your visibility and facilitate contacts with major players in the local, regional and international startup ecosystems.
- Access to the investor and partner network: By being part of the programme, you will be given the opportunity to meet the right people on regional, national, and international level to scale your business, either through potential investments or business partnerships.
- Add-on: Programme for Female Leaders. In addition to the above-mentioned, they offer special support for female founders and women in leading positions of the startups through networking and peer to peer learning as well as increased visibility.
Who can apply?
- Legal Form
- You must be registered and operate in Africa.
- provide a certificate of registration.
- You must be registered and operate in Africa.
- Team (founders)
- You must have a team of at least two people who work ideally full time for the startup.
- Your founding and management team should have entrepreneurial and technical experience in their area of operation.
- You must have a team of at least two people who work ideally full time for the startup.
- Digital product/service
- You must have a viable digital product or service that positively impacts society.
- Your product must have a positive impact on the African AgTech or FoodTech sector, they specifically welcome applications from the livestock sector (vertical sectors that have an influence can be accepted like ClimateTech, eCommerce, FinTech, Logistics, EdTech, others).
- You must have a viable digital product or service that positively impacts society.
- Market access and traction
- You must have launched your digital product at least six months before you submit your application to us.
- must provide evidence of traction (customer base, first revenue).
- You must have launched your digital product at least six months before you submit your application to us.
- Business model
- Your startup should have an understandable and convincing business model.
- This includes a clear statement of the problem, clear digital solution, clear customer segment, and clear revenue stream.
- Your startup should have an understandable and convincing business model.
- Add-ons (but not musts)
- You are a female founder, or your team has women in high management positions.
- You or one of your founding team members has an IT background.
- You and your founding team members have previous startup experience.
- Your product targets a vulnerable group of customers.
For more information, visit VC4A.
