In January, African startups raised a total of $74 million across 24 deals, with AgriTech, FinTech, and CleanTech leading the way. Most founders, however, don’t scale in the U.S. and globally because of immigration barriers and limited access to capital. Here are just a few organizations that are helping African entrepreneurs to overcome obstacles by offering mentorship and other resources.
California-based African Diaspora Network is a non-profit that bridges the gap between African innovation and the rest of the world. Since 2010, the organization has been fostering collaboration between Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and African diasporas to facilitate partnerships and investment opportunities. ADN has also created a platform for African voices to be heard, further breaking ground for diversity and equal opportunity in tech and beyond.
African Business Angel Network
The organization provides access to angel investment networks and education for African founders. With an investment target of $100 million annually in at least 500 startups, ABAN aims to create over 10,000 jobs per year. The organization is fostering relationships with early stage investors in more than 40 countries and providing access to cross-border investment opportunities.
Founded in Minneapolis in 2001, Reunity, which was formerly the Pan-African Women’s Philanthropy Network, is a coalition of Black women philanthropists. The organization has 400 members from 30 countries, including the U.S. and Africa. Reunity supports aspiring founders across Africa in various fields, such as tech entrepreneurship, offering mentorship, resources, and networking opportunities.
Based in California, ATF works to ensure African entrepreneurs are “seen, heard, and respected” and “to globalize African technologies.” Their VenturePATH program helps African startups with business models, partnerships, and more. The aim is to help entrepreneurs compete internationally. They also have a gender empowerment program that supports female tech founders and women in STEM.
U.S. African Development Foundation
The organization specializes in helping tech founders with innovative technology. The USADF is a U.S. government agency that directly invests in African social entrepreneurship and grassroots enterprises. To date, the organization has done many impactful things for African entrepreneurs, such as helping create a Digital Farm produce marketplace.
