African Founders Association

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

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.

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

🌍✨ 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"

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.

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.

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.

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.

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