AESIS 2024 Highlights Female Founders, Collaborative Ecosystems, and Impactful Ventures Across Africa

Over 300 Africa-focused delegates converged at the 11 ath edition of the Africa Early Stage Investor Summit, and filled up the room for the AESIS Deal Morning ready to engage with Africa’s most promising founders. Next to another 15 highly promising startups, VC4A hosted eight female entrepreneurs from IFC’s She Wins Africa program, who took the AESIS2024 stage to pitch their solutions after completing an intensive technical residency in Cape Town. The energy was palpable, reflecting the increasing investor appetite for ventures that not only deliver commercial success but also drive meaningful impact across the continent.

In the opening remarks of AESIS – which took place from the 28th to the 29th of November with the theme “Pioneering Pathways: Innovating Investment Mobilization in Africa” – VC4A CEO Vincent Hoogduijn set the tone for the two-day event. “Why does VC4A organize AESIS every year? The answer is simple – we are here to unite the African early stage investment ecosystem”.

The conversations, panels, pitches and ‘investor experiences’ resonated deeply with the theme, as a strong call for collaboration not only within the investor community but also from hubs and accelerators, angel groups and venture studios as well as entrepreneurs themselves.

Eight high-potential female founders captivated over 300 investors, ecosystem leaders, and delegates during Deal Morning at the 11th annual Africa Early Stage Investor Summit (AESIS2024). These bold founders, representing the VC4A Venture Showcase – She Wins Africa edition, pitched their inspiring solutions that address critical challenges in agriculture, fintech, e-commerce, and health in Africa. Their participation was the culmination of VC4A’s award-winning Technical Residency program, an investment-readiness intervention aimed at preparing early stage founders for scale and funding.

AESIS, cohosted by VC4A and ABAN, showcased the growing collaboration among investors, startups, and support organizations across Africa. In the opening remarks, VC4A CEO – Vincent Hoogduijn set the tone for the two-day summit. “Why does VC4A organize AESIS every year? The answer is simple – we are here to unite the African early stage investment ecosystem”. Through panels, pitches, networking sessions, and investor experiences, the summit reinforced the importance of ecosystem-wide cooperation.

The She Wins Africa program, implemented by VC4A in collaboration with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), is dedicated to empowering women entrepreneurs with the tools, networks, and exposure needed to thrive. Each participant for the VC4A Technical Residency was handpicked from more than 100 founders in the program. The eight ‘She Winners’ received tailored training, and expert mentorship during the Technical Residency in Cape Town, enabling them to pitch confidently to the AESIS2024 audience.

Anne Kabugi, Regional Gender Lead at IFC opened the showcase pitches with a thought-provoking question: “What if I told you that Africa’s food crisis is going to be solved by women?”