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Programme aims to give African tech entrepreneurs easier access to UK tech ecosystem to help them achieve growth and scale
London, 14 October, 2019 - Afritech XYZ, a virtual accelerator programme by UK social enterprise, Do it Now Now, is calling for startups across Africa to apply for limited spaces in its business training programme, with the closing date for applications 15 November 2019. Designed to help participants benefit from access to tech industry leaders, investors and business experts, competition for spaces is expected to be fierce. Applicants must be based in Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia or Uganda and can apply using this link bit.ly/goafritechxyz. Throughout the incubation period, participants will have access to training video and one-on-one mentoring with tech and non-tech experts. The programme is set to complete in June 2020, after which the participants will be afforded warm introductions to UK-based investors. Commenting on the launch of the programme, Bayo Adelaja, Chief Do-er, Do it Now Now, said: “The entrepreneur’s path is often the road less travelled - fraught with the challenges of navigating an unknown landscape; this is particularly true in Africa. This programme is designed to connect the minds behind some of the most exciting tech solutions coming out of Africa with some of the best minds in the UK. Together mentors and founders will take the startups to the next level, safeguarding Africa’s development and potentially impacting innovation in the UK too.” NOTES: About AfriTech XYZ AfriTech XYZ is a free to join, equity-free program for pre-seed (bootstrapping) and seed stage (up to £20k) tech start-ups based in Africa. The programme is in partnership with Google, F6S, Lagos Innovates, BongoHive, iSpace Foundation, PYPR, Strand Sahara and Academy London. Programme Selection criteria: Companies must be
About Program Manager Bayo Adelaja has been awarded by Durham, Harvard and Oxford University's Business Schools for her work to create and foster opportunities for under-served communities through technology. 3 communities/initiatives she designed to support under-served communities in tech, were named "Top in Europe" by FT backed digital news platform, Sifted. In 2018, Bayo was named one of the most influential women in social entrepreneurship in the UK, by Natwest bank. She has been the subject of a TEDx talk, has two postgraduate degrees, and was twice quoted by David Cameron while he was the UK’s Prime Minister. Bayo was once the youngest person working in a professional capacity at the House of Commons and has enjoyed a 10 year entrepreneurship journey during which she has helped over 2000 individual founders build better businesses. Bayo was recently been invited by Bill and Melinda Gates to join Goalkeepers 2019 after excelling at work funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Bayo is an international speaker, having spoken on stages across 3 continents. She recently gave the keynote address to Europe's first ever graduating class of Philosophy, Politics and Economics, in Amsterdam. Bayo currently works with high-profile organisations to create movements that spark a massive shift in the discussion around African tech ecosystem and the UK’s underrepresented population (people of colour and low socioeconomic background). She is Chief Do-er at Do it Now Now where she works tirelessly government departments, charities and corporations to create campaigns and programs that edify and equip communities of colour. About Selection Panel: Aaron Fu Aaron has 10+ years of global experience building, scaling and investing in technology products in corporate and startup environments. He has co-founded both B2B & B2C businesses, in Africa - he has led seed stage equity investments in 20 startups (totaling $2m+), he also sits on the board of of 10 startups ranging from AgriTech to Transport and has worked with 100s through partners like Visa, MTN, Airbus & Société Générale. Recently, he was the Managing Director of MEST, Africa’s Largest Pre-Seed Incubator, and Managing Partner for Africa at Nest.vc, a Hong Kong based fund, which he joined after a career in banking. Akinyi Ochieng Akinyi Ochieng manages engagement and marketing strategy at Nova Credit, the world’s first cross-border consumer credit bureau. She previously managed communications at WorldRemit, a leading digital remittance company with a significant footprint across 40 African countries. While a Director at the Africa Expert Network, she curated the first-ever Africa House at SXSW, gathering leading African start-ups and investors. Ms. Ochieng is the Esther Ocloo Fellow at Botho Emerging Markets Group as well as an advisor to TheBoardroom Africa, a CDC-backed initiative that aims to double representation of women in Africa boardrooms. She writes about business, culture, and politics in emerging markets for a diverse set of publications including the World Economic Forum Agenda, Quartz, Slate, and Forbes. In 2019, she was named one of the 100 Most Influential People of African Descent under 40 in the field of media and culture as part of the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent. Ms. Ochieng holds an MSc from the London School of Economics and a BA from Yale University. Andrew Sekandi Andrew draws on +10 years’ experience in law and consulting to help entrepreneurs, tech companies and investors succeed in African markets. For investors, he provides deal origination and due diligence support, helping to identify and introduce high quality African companies to VCs and private equity firms. On the corporate side, he provides venture building, market expansion and business development services for both startups and large tech companies. Alongside his consulting and advisory roles, Andrew is a minor shareholder in an Africa-focused tech accelerator and an investment holdings firm raising its first pan-African VC fund. Andy Ayim Andy Ayim is a product leader and business builder. He is currently the Managing Director of Backstage London, which invests $100K and supports women, people of colour and/or LGBT founders. Prior to Backstage, Andy has worked in a range of product roles in companies such as WorldFirst, acquired by Ant Financial for $700m. He is passionate about creating pathways into tech and upskilling people from low income backgrounds. He serves on the Boards of YSYS, Flipsideand Mixtape Madness, a startup he cofounded with his brothers and friends. In 2018, Andy was named in the FT as one of the top 10 most influential BAME tech leaders in the UK. Bryan Mezue Bryan Mezue is the co-founder and CEO of Lifestores Healthcare, a Lagos-based startup building the “pharmacy of the future”. Bryan is an alumni fellow of the Harvard Forum for Growth and Innovation, where he founded Banyi Ventures, an investment company focused on funding and building market-creating companies. Bryan is also a co-founder and board member of WAVE Academies, an Obama Foundation Africa Leader, and is published on Foreign Affairs and Harvard Business Review. Bryan was previously a Manager at Bain & Company, working in the London and Johannesburg offices, and was a founding member of Bain’s Lagos office. Bryan graduated with a Bachelor of Science (First Class) in Mathematics and Statistics from Warwick University, and a Masters in Business Administration from Harvard Business School. Fola Olatunji-David Fola has worked in technology based roles, creating channels for tech to interface with businesses in 10+ countries in different sectors including finance, retail and investment banking, education, media, power, agriculture, and he now focuses on building an African ecosystem that supports innovators and entrepreneurs. Prior to Google, he led Ventures Platform’s Accelerator, graduating 2 cohorts and directly investing in 23 startups over a 15 month period. He also worked as Vice President of Business Development at Venture Garden Group where he led the group’s Finatech Division. He has also had prior experience working at CardinalStone Partners (Nigeria), Ninety East Financials (Mauritius), SET IT (Nigeria, UK), Stanbic IBTC Bank (Nigeria), and UCL Advances (UK). Mike Mompi Mike Mompi is CEO of Enza Capital, a private investor in early-stage African technology companies solving big problems. He was previously an Investor at the Global Innovation Fund where he focused on high-impact commercial investments in sub-Saharan Africa, and he was also an Investment Advisor to the SPRING accelerator in East Africa. Prior to that Mike was Director of Impact Investment at ClearlySo, which he helped build into Europe’s leading Impact Investment Bank raising over $250m. Mike worked with management teams, private investors, and institutional investors to structure and secure values-aligned investment for businesses that have a positive impact on society and the environment. Mike is on the Board of the Accra Angels Network and sits on the Investment Committee of the CIVA Impact fund, and he is a Trustee at the Treebeard Trust, a pioneering social investor that supports transformational initiatives creating a fairer society. He holds degrees in Economics and Communications from the University of California, Davis Richard Tandoh Richard Tandoh is Chair of Star 100, a Ghana-focused diaspora network, and an Investment Associate at the Global Innovation Fund, a social-first impact investor. He also co-founded the news source Private Equity Africa. Richard’s background is in business technology and he has advised a number of blue-chip companies including Barclays, Fidelity Investments, BP and Shell on digital transformation initiatives. Richard holds a BSc (Hons) in Economics and Geography from the University of London, a Postgraduate Diploma in Computer Science from the University of Cambridge and a Certificate in Education from the University of London. Suki Fuller Suki Fuller, an Analytical Storyteller, is globally recognized by Forbes as a Strategic advisor for her work with startups. She is Founder of Miribure; a Strategic & Competitive Intelligence company focused on the integration of intelligence with lean/agile principles for companies; Co-Founder & CEO of Salaam Ventures. Suki is currently co-leading FiftyFiftyPledge an initiative to increase the number of women in Venture Capital. With seventeen years of diverse experience from chemical engineering to intelligence; Suki keynotes globally on ethics in technology, security, intelligence and entrepreneurship. Suki was recently named one of the Top 100 Most Influential BAME Leaders in UK Tech by FT. Computer Weekly, Most Influential Women in the UK IT: Top 50 in 2019 and Five Rising Stars in 2018 also a 30 Change Makers for London Tech Week 2018. -- ENDS -- |
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