African Founders Association

African Founders Association

Business Consulting and Services

AFA represents the interest of Startup Founders, Investors, and Key Stakeholders in the African Startup Ecosystem.

About us

Join the Movement! At African Founders Association, we firmly believe that working together is the best way for Africa's Startup Ecosystem to benefit Startup Founders, Investors, Facilitators, & Stakeholders AND AFRICA at large. Together we provide Startup Founders with the right resources and access to people and rooms to make t0 make starting, growing, and scaling easier and profitable. We partner with Investors, Entrepreneurs, and Organizations with an interest in growing, supporting, and backing founders and investors in Africa to thrive, through capacity building and funding. Collectively, we join hands and resources to shape policies and contribute to better policies and regulation that support ease of business growth within Africa and beyond. Together we are rewriting the narrative of business success in Africa. Together, we are shaping the future of entrepreneurship in Africa and leaving a lasting legacy of growth and change. Join our growing community.

Industry
Business Consulting and Services
Company size
2-10 employees
Type
Partnership
Founded
2023
Specialties
Community Engagement, Business Support, How to do Business in Africa, Business Consulting, Business Funding, Grants, Market Research, Business Solutions, Startup companies in Africa, and Startups in Africa

Employees at African Founders Association

Updates

  • Empowering Africa's Entrepreneurial Spirit: Mentorship, Policy Advocacy, Community, and Funding Africa's startup scene is buzzing with innovation, and the African Founders Association is at the forefront! We unlock potential through a powerful combination of: Mentorship: Guiding new ventures with experienced founders. Policy Advocacy: Championing policies that fuel startup growth. Community Building: Fostering collaboration and connection. Funding Access: Connecting startups with the resources they need. The Power of Collaboration: Cross-border partnerships are a game-changer! Studies show businesses that collaborate across borders experience 1.4x faster growth! Imagine @Nduku from Kenya and @Oluwadarasimi from Nigeria joining forces to empower Their combined expertise launched a revolutionary e-commerce platform, reaching new markets and transforming online retail. Beyond Profits, Building a Better Africa: These partnerships aren't just about financial success – they drive social change, empower communities, and redefine Africa's entrepreneurial narrative. Join the Movement! Become part of the African Founders Association and unlock the power of collaboration! Together, we'll create a brighter, more interconnected future for African entrepreneurs. Rewatch Episode 9: Unlocking the Potential of Startups in Africa through Mentorship, Policy Advocacy, Community, & Funding. https://shorturl.at/lvNiy Thank you @Gathoni Kungu and @Dr Willard Bepete for leading such amazing and much-needed initiatives in Africa. CTA: Are you a startup founder looking to take your business to the next level? Let us know what you need below and we will support you to reach that goal. https://lnkd.in/dRegYKTF #AFAGrowth #StartupEmpowerment #AfricaRising

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  • Unlocking Government Policies that Fuel Africa's Innovation Africa's innovation engine is primed for takeoff, but the right policies can unlock its full potential. Governments across the continent have a crucial role to play in fostering an environment that nurtures creativity and collaboration. ️ Here's how: Investment in R&D: Governments can allocate resources towards research and development initiatives, providing a springboard for African innovation. Incentivizing Public-Private Partnerships: By encouraging collaboration between public and private sectors, governments can bridge the gap between research and commercialization. Building Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing: Investing in communication infrastructure and fostering knowledge exchange programs can create a vibrant innovation ecosystem across Africa. The Impact: Job Creation: A thriving innovation sector translates to exciting new job opportunities for African youth. Problem-Solving for Africa's Challenges: Homegrown solutions will address Africa's specific needs in areas like agriculture, healthcare, and sustainability. A Global Innovation Powerhouse: Africa can emerge as a major contributor to the global innovation landscape. Let's work together to unlock Africa's innovation potential! #AfricanInnovation #PolicyforProgress #AFAGrowth

  • Episode 9: Unlocking the potential of Startups in Africa through Mentorship, Policy Advocacy, Community, & Funding. Thank you Gathoni Kungu and Dr Willard Bepete for leading such amazing and much needed initiatives in Africa.

    View profile for Nama Tasi, graphic

    Building the African Founders Association by night‼️ Marketing & 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭 helping individuals and companies amplify their Visibility, Income and Impact online.

    Why startups in Africa are failing? > Poor business policies & over-regulation > Limited funding & support > Poor infrastructure The last 8 episodes the African Founders Association has held have been very eye-opening. With a recurring theme, that these are issues we as Africans, can solve if we work together & leverage the resources at our disposal. 1. We have a serious funding deficit- Africa sees only 1% in global share of venture funds. 2. And heavily reliant on foreign investors with less than 20% local investors backing our startups. Have you heard of the African Diaspora Revival Fund? Dr Willard Bepete will be sharing how they are bridging this funding gap. 3. There is the pesky issues of the seeming disconnect between policy makers and the affected business owners. And business owners not knowing how to involve themselves in these processes. 3. Then there is the issue of mentorship. We believe our startup founders would avoid some pitfalls just by being guided by those who have gone ahead of them. Not deskperts, not experts who learn about Africa from google, but those with real experience building businesses in Africa. Gathoni Kungu will be sharing on Policy advocacy and Mentorship and how her initiative through YouthUp Global does this. As for our infrastructure, startup founders are actively creating solutions for them. Their survival and success directly improves Africa. Many say, it's time for us Africans to put in the work and rectify these issues. We agree. Join us this Friday and learn how you can be a part of the solution.

    Unlocking the Potential of Startups in Africa

    Unlocking the Potential of Startups in Africa

    www.linkedin.com

  • Episode 8 happening this Friday! Let's talk about How to Empower Startups in Africa to Compete and Impact at the Global Level. #TheStateOfStartupsInAfrica

    View profile for Arnold Akpedeye, graphic

    Building African Founders Association | President Pan African Chamber of Commerce | Product Manager | Project Manager| Sustainability Enthusiast | Co-Founder | Business Analyst | Digital Marketer | User Experience |

    While Africa boasts a youthful population and numerous resources, We remain with the least purchasing power and the highest unemployment rates relative to GDP. Meaning Africans are not buying solutions as much as the rest of the world is and as a result, businesses cannot hire the many unemployed. Making it necessary and smart to position our businesses to gain market share globally, where there is higher purchasing power. Earn more, so our people can also buy more, and keep our businesses thriving so they can employ more. It's a vicious cycle. Like always there are challenges but this Friday, we look at practical ways How to empower Startups in Africa to take space and compete at a global level. Our guests: Treasure Enyinnaya David (TED), Co-founder and CEO of the Africa SME Assembly Ayeni-Wuraola Ogungbola, MSC, ICMCI, CMC, BA, PMO, A Growth and Scaling Expert who helps Startups and SMEs sustainably grow their businesses while making profit. And moderator Arnold Akpedeye the Co-founder at the African Founders Association will steer this conversation and make sure we have a productive, insightful conversation as well as live with an action plan. Invite a friend :) PS: We are looking for country leaders to lead the African Founders Association in the following countries: South Africa, Botswana, DRC, Rwanda, and Egypt. Reach out to Nama Tasi or Arnold Akpedeye if interested and we'll share more. #AFA #AfCTFA #EmpowerStartUps https://lnkd.in/dD-kzmwr

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  • 🌍✨ Breaking Boundaries: How Cross-Border Partnerships Fuel African Growth ✨🌍 In the heart of Africa's entrepreneurial landscape, a powerful phenomenon is taking shape - the fusion of minds across borders, unlocking unprecedented growth opportunities. 💡✊ Did you know? According to recent studies, businesses that engage in cross-border collaborations are 1.4 times more likely to experience rapid expansion compared to their domestic counterparts. 📈💼 Take the story of Sipho and Amina, two visionary entrepreneurs from South Africa and Kenya. 🇿🇦🇰🇪 Despite geographical divides, they joined forces, leveraging each other's strengths to launch a groundbreaking e-commerce platform. Through their partnership, they tapped into diverse markets, reaching customers far beyond their borders and igniting a revolution in online retail. 🚀💻 But it's not just about profits - it's about impact. Through cross-border partnerships, African businesses are driving social change, empowering local communities, and reshaping the narrative of our continent. 🌱🌟 Join the movement with the African Founders Association as we unlock the power of collaboration, paving the way for a brighter, more interconnected future for all. Together, let's rewrite the story of African entrepreneurship. 💫🌍 #AFAGrowth #CrossBorderSuccess"

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  • African Founders Association reposted this

    We are calling startup founders, investors, lawyers involved in startups in Africa for a meeting of the minds. At this point, our active participation is needed to stop policies that are squeezing the life out of our businesses and especially startups.

    View profile for Sheena Raikundalia, graphic

    Entrepreneur | Former Lawyer | Gov Policy Advisor | Angel Investor | Board Member | Ex-Country Director, UK-Kenya Tech Hub (British Gov)

    I am really sad to post this today, but the #ICTPractionersBill is officially back. Yep, they're once again trying to make "ICT practitioners" get accredited or face a whopping #fine 5m KES and up to 5 years in #jail. We’ve blocked this bill FOUR times already, yet here it is again, inspiring a bunch of other Gatekeeping Bills where they get remunerated to destroy the country, kill jobs.  These copy-paste bills are popping up everywhere – setting up “bodies,” demanding “fees,” and threatening fines and jail time. Just to name a few: Agricultural Professionals Registration and Licensing Bill 2024 Kenya Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Bill 2023 Institute of Designers of Kenya Bill, 2023 Insurance Practitioners Bill 2024 Can we keep fighting these bills one by one?  Maybe we need a new game plan! How about we “follow the money” and “follow the data”?  These bills come from our elected Parliament – National Assembly and the Senate. The #NationalAssembly is where these money bills usually come from- and there are around 349 members elected from the constituencies. Between us we must know them?  We also have #PublicParticipation enshrined in our Constitution. Ironically there is a Public Participation Bill to help with more public participation!  There are many stages where we can make our collective voices heard: From drafting, intro to parliament, committee, second reading and debate, amendments, third reading and final vote, Presidential Assent, and even Post Enactment!. Where our judiciary comes in to strike down laws. So let's get organized-  techies, legal brains, civil society, business associations?  We have the data, see below list of proposed bills from Parliaments Website with the Bill Sponsor, key dates.  There are 158 so far!  How can we become more proactive, leverage tech and relationships and stop this gatekeeping before it's too late. #NoToGateKeeping Hon. Michael Onyango Philip Thigo, MBS Ben Roberts Phyllis Migwi Shikoh Gitau Maurice Otieno Africa Uncensored Odanga Madung

  • A staggering 70-80% of startups in Africa die within the first five years The odds are stacked against startups in Africa and we wanted to find out why. The last 3 months we have interacted with 50+ startup founders and investors in Africa and one of the biggest reasons for the massive failure rate? *REGULATION* Over-regulation Premature regulation lack of harmonized regulation across markets/sectors/borders Our regulation in Africa is the hand that chokes the life out of startups in Africa making every single step in their business journey a gruelling hike up a mountain while still demanding to be fed by the same choking startups. Regulation makes it hard for startups to start with long, rigorous, and often unclear registration processes. Makes iteration difficult with the multiple licenses needed to operate Makes growing difficult with the taxing and costly regulatory requirements Makes sustaining & scaling difficult with the many rules, often requiring multiple approvals across counties/states within countries and across country borders. All of these making it risky for investors to back startups in Africa. Making an already bad situation, worse. Scroll through to read the solutions that are needed to change this situation, and how you can be a part of that change alongside the African Founders Association PS: We are looking for country leaders to help us with our efforts in Ghana, Egypt, Morocco, Congo, Rwanda, Tunisia, Botswana, & South Africa. Send us a message and we'll share more details about the Country Leader role.

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  • We are calling startup founders, investors, lawyers involved in startups in Africa for a meeting of the minds. At this point, our active participation is needed to stop policies that are squeezing the life out of our businesses and especially startups.

    View profile for Sheena Raikundalia, graphic

    Entrepreneur | Former Lawyer | Gov Policy Advisor | Angel Investor | Board Member | Ex-Country Director, UK-Kenya Tech Hub (British Gov)

    I am really sad to post this today, but the #ICTPractionersBill is officially back. Yep, they're once again trying to make "ICT practitioners" get accredited or face a whopping #fine 5m KES and up to 5 years in #jail. We’ve blocked this bill FOUR times already, yet here it is again, inspiring a bunch of other Gatekeeping Bills where they get remunerated to destroy the country, kill jobs.  These copy-paste bills are popping up everywhere – setting up “bodies,” demanding “fees,” and threatening fines and jail time. Just to name a few: Agricultural Professionals Registration and Licensing Bill 2024 Kenya Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Bill 2023 Institute of Designers of Kenya Bill, 2023 Insurance Practitioners Bill 2024 Can we keep fighting these bills one by one?  Maybe we need a new game plan! How about we “follow the money” and “follow the data”?  These bills come from our elected Parliament – National Assembly and the Senate. The #NationalAssembly is where these money bills usually come from- and there are around 349 members elected from the constituencies. Between us we must know them?  We also have #PublicParticipation enshrined in our Constitution. Ironically there is a Public Participation Bill to help with more public participation!  There are many stages where we can make our collective voices heard: From drafting, intro to parliament, committee, second reading and debate, amendments, third reading and final vote, Presidential Assent, and even Post Enactment!. Where our judiciary comes in to strike down laws. So let's get organized-  techies, legal brains, civil society, business associations?  We have the data, see below list of proposed bills from Parliaments Website with the Bill Sponsor, key dates.  There are 158 so far!  How can we become more proactive, leverage tech and relationships and stop this gatekeeping before it's too late. #NoToGateKeeping Hon. Michael Onyango Philip Thigo, MBS Ben Roberts Phyllis Migwi Shikoh Gitau Maurice Otieno Africa Uncensored Odanga Madung

  • If you see a Startup Founder in Africa in year 2 of business, please buy them some flowers, or better yet, maybe recommend their business to a customer. You will have done them a great service. Doing business in Africa is hard, it is especially harder on Startup Founders, who are most times trying out untried models, untested markets, or building the first of its kind solutions. Consider Moyo, who owns and runs an online goods delivery service. A typical day for him entails harassment from City officials who want to verify his (many) licenses and ensure his tech business isn’t a money laundering scheme. He loses either electricity or experiences slow internet, enough that he and his team can't work efficiently for hours in a day and sometimes they can't work at all. Necessitating too many late nights in order for him to satisfy his customers. Before getting here, it took 3 months to register his business. In that time, he lost his first biggest order. And 7 other clients. They thought he wasn’t serious with his business. When he just couldn’t be sure when he would receive his business licenses and be approved to work. He lost the chance to win $2,000 in an accelerator he had joined last year, hoping to get the money to open a more central office, to an already bigger startup that had already raised millions twice. Startup founders face numerous challenges, top of which are: 1. Regulatory and policy issues 2. Access to funding 3. Access to resources and people who can guide them on the best ways to make their journey easier and less stressful. At the African Founders Association, we give every Innovator and Startup Founder in Africa a fair shot at building a thriving business. We level the playing field by connecting startup founders to the resources, network, and funding they need to take their business to the next level. Every business has different challenges and we meet them at their point of need by providing them with tailored solutions. If you are a Startup Founder based in Africa, register with us and increase your chances of not only surviving, but thriving.

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  • Episode 7 because we know Collaboration is the biggest leverage Africa has when it comes to building its Economic Muscle. Our topic: Cross border & Cross sector collaboration to Accelerate the Growth of Startups in Africa! #TheStateofStartupsinAfrica #Startups #AfricaRising

    View profile for Nama Tasi, graphic

    Building the African Founders Association by night‼️ Marketing & 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭 helping individuals and companies amplify their Visibility, Income and Impact online.

    The top 3 issues Innovators and Investors in Africa keep experiencing: 1. Access to funding, 2. Regulatory & Policy challenges, 3. Infrastructure issues. Our guest Sheena Raikundalia, an angel investor, government policy advisor, and former lawyer, will be sharing with us how cross-border & cross-sector collaboration could be the solution needed to solve these issues. These sessions are usually jam-packed with insights and actionable advice. If you are a startup founder/investor in Africa, or someone involved in building Africa's Startup Ecosystem, join us. As we explore ways to build for Africa, together.

    Supporting Startup Growth in Africa with Cross Sector/Border Collaboration

    Supporting Startup Growth in Africa with Cross Sector/Border Collaboration

    www.linkedin.com

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