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Celebrating 10 years of AESIS

Africa Early Stage Investor Summit 2023

For investors, by investors
AESIS2023-header
AESIS2023 summit dates

For investors, by investors

Recap the recently held Africa Early Stage Investor Summit 2023, which took place in-person at the Avenue Cape Town. This event served as the premier gathering for investors passionate about Africa’s startup ecosystem.

  • 2 full days of engaging masterclasses and breakaway sessions
  • Custom investor experiences
  • Deal morning including Venture Showcase and LP/GP Office Hours
  • Networking cocktail, breakfast and lunches
  • Ecosystem side event
  • Family Office Side Event
  • Impact Series and Exit Series
AESIS2023 timeline

Year in Review

A jam packed year of events to celebrate 10 years of AESIS, including:
  • Monthly virtual investor masterclasses
  • 10 global investor meetups
  • 31 Africa investor meetups
  • In-person Summit in Cape Town on November 30 + December 1
  • Ecosystem side event on December 2
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Ecosystem side event

Our ecosystem event took place on December 2nd, with keynote speakers, hands-on learning, masterclasses, discussions, and networking.

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Venue

We’re happy to announce this years summit took place at the Avenue Conference and Event Venue, at the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town. Follow the link below to check out the venue.

Recapping the reasons you attended

#AESIS2023 promises to be a rich networking experience with a highly focused yet varied program.
  • Unrivaled Networking

    Rubbing shoulders with a diverse community of investors from across Africa and beyond. Forging strategic partnerships, sharing insights, and discovering new investment opportunities that can fuel your portfolio’s growth.
  • High-Impact Deal Flow

    Discovering a carefully curated selection of the most promising early-stage startups in Africa. Helping you to become part of the growth story and invest in the next big thing.
  • Engaging Discussions

    Participating in interactive sessions on topics like fundraising, scaling operations, market entry strategies, and impact investing. Gaining practical insights that can supercharge your investment journey.
  • Unforgettable Experiences

    Immerse yourself in the vibrant culture, energy, and dynamism of Cape Town. Explore the local startup ecosystem and witness the incredible innovation happening on the continent.

Meet our Summit Partners

Knowledge partners
  • South Africa National Conventions Bureau
  • United Nations Development Programme
Friends of AESIS
  • Double Feathers Partners
  • Dutch Good Growth Fund
  • Founders Factory Africa
  • Giz-SAIS
  • IFC
  • Investec
  • Japan International Corporate Agency
  • KIFC
  • LaunchLab
  • Madica Flourish
  • MakeIT
  • Mergon
  • Next 176
  • Remgro Ltd
  • Rising Tide Africa
  • SA SME Fund
  • Timbuktoo
  • Untapped Global
  • Residence of the Consul General of the United States of America
  • Value for Women

This years speakers

Abu Cassim
Abu Cassim
Jozi Angels
Adama Gaye
Adama Gaye
Orange Ventures
Ali Mnif
Ali Mnif
Digital Africa
Aly El Shalakany
Aly El Shalakany
Acasia Ventures

Andrew Darge
Andrew Darge
E3 Capital
Aniko Szigetvari
Aniko Szigetvari
Atlantica Ventures

Anne Njuki
Anne Njuki
Sayuni Capital
Anthony William Catt
Anthony William Catt
Ventures 54
Aunnie Patton
Aunnie Patton
The ImPact
Aysha Tegally
Aysha Tegally
AWI
Ben White
Ben White
VC4A
Bertil Vugt
Bertil Vugt
VC4A

Brenda Wangari
Brenda Wangari
Madica
Brett Bowes
Brett Bowes
Guqula Safaris

Bruno Mweemba
Bruno Mweemba
UNDP
Caitlin Craig
Caitlin Craig
Untapped Global
Chris Campbell
Chris Campbell
BrainJuice Tech
Cindy Ai
Cindy Ai
Dream VC

Craig Mullet
Craig Mullet
Branison Group

David Mueller
David Mueller
Regional SDG Impact Specialist
UNDP

Devon Tighe
Devon Tighe
Value for Women

Eghosa Omoigui
Eghosa Omoigui
EchoVC

Eleni Gabre-Madhin
Eleni Gabre-Madhin
UNDP

Elizabeth Howard
Elizabeth Howard
Lelapa / WAI / ACfA
Emmanuel Adegboye
Emmanuel Adegboye
Madica
Eunice Wambui
Eunice Wambui
Founders Factory Africa
Fadilah Tchoumba
Fadilah Tchoumba
ABAN
Felix Kumirai
Felix Kumirai
GGF Africa

Frank Aswani
Frank Aswani
Africa Venture Philanthropy Alliance

Gabriel Dava
Gabriel Dava
UNDP SA and Africa Sustainable Finance Hub

Gabriel Dava
Gabriel Dava
UNDP SA and Africa Sustainable Finance Hub

Gabriel-Iannis Aïssou
Gabriel-Iannis Aïssou
Proparco

Geraldine Mupandanyama
Geraldine Mupandanyama
Darena Ventures

Gerrad Olisa Ashar
Gerrad Olisa Ashar
Diaspora Investment Partners Africa (DIPA)

Gregoire de Padirac
Gregoire de Padirac
Digital Africa

Gwladys Watrin
Gwladys Watrin

Hannah Subayi Kamuanga
Hannah Subayi Kamuanga
Launch Africa Ventures

Hema Vallabh
Hema Vallabh
Five35 Ventures

Hope Ditlhakanyane
Hope Ditlhakanyane
Founders Factory

Ido Sum
Ido Sum
TL Com

Jack Chennells
Jack Chennells
Legal Fundi

Jean Kananura
Jean Kananura
Rawanda Finance Ltd

Joanne Manda
Joanne Manda
UNDP
Johnni Kjelsgaard
Johnni Kjelsgaard
Growth Africa
Jolyon Martin
Jolyon Martin
Life Sciences Dealmaker

Jonathan Wilson
Jonathan Wilson
Third Way Capital

Julia Kho
Julia Kho
Triple Jump/ DGGF

Karen Serem Waithaka
Karen Serem Waithaka
Catalyst Fund
Kathinka Kurz
Kathinka Kurz
develoPPP
Ketso Gordhan
Ketso Gordhan
SA SME Fund
Khaled Ismail
Khaled Ismail
HIMangel
Kyle Schutter
Kyle Schutter
Grant and Co
Laurien Field
Laurien Field
IFC – International Finance Corporation
Lebo Raolane
Lebo Raolane
Goodwell Investments
Letlhogonolo Ntsodololwana
Letlhogonolo Ntsodololwana
Monitoring and Evaluation Analyst Property Point
Lexi Novitske
Lexi Novitske
Norrsken22
Lisa Thomas
Lisa Thomas
ATG Samata
Luke Naude
Luke Naude
Mohara
Mareme Dieng
Mareme Dieng
Global 500
Marieke Roestenberg
Marieke Roestenberg
FMO
Mariem Sellami
Mariem Sellami
Startup Tunisia by Smart Capital
Mark Kleyner
Mark Kleyner
Dream VC
Martin Karanja
Martin Karanja
GSMA

Masechaba Mabilu
Masechaba Mabilu
Embedding Impact

Mathew Saunders
Mathew Saunders
Future Africa

Maxime Bayen
Maxime Bayen
Catalyst Fund / Africa The Big Deal
Mercy Zulu-Hume
Mercy Zulu-Hume
CGIAR Food Systems Accelerator
Michelle Matthews
Michelle Matthews
Viridian
Milisa Mabinza
Milisa Mabinza
UK SA Tech Hub
Niklas Fischer
Niklas Fischer
KfW DEG Impulse
Philip Kiracofe
Philip Kiracofe
Startup Bootcamp Afritech
Philip Tettenborn
Philip Tettenborn
GIZ SAIS
Rebecca Enonchong
Rebecca Enonchong
HealthCap Africa / ABAN
Renée Hunter
Renée Hunter
Value for Women
Sam Akyianu
Sam Akyianu
Mastercard Foundation Africa Growth Fund
Sanjoy Soni
Sanjoy Soni
Jozi Angels
Sanna Bedi
Sanna Bedi
Jozi Angels
Sewu-Steve T.
Sewu-Steve T.
Jaza Rift Ventures
Sipha Ndawonde
Sipha Ndawonde
NEXT 176
Susanne Roelofsen-Afum
Susanne Roelofsen-Afum
Ghana Innovation Hub
Tomi Davis
Tomi Davis
ABAN
Thomas Van Halen
Thomas Van Halen
VC4A
Tracey Austin
Tracey Austin
UK Department of International Trade
Victor Maina
Victor Maina
Duhqa
Vincent Hoogduyn
Vincent Hoogduyn
VC4A
<br /> Wim van der Beek

Wim van der Beek
Goodwell Investments
Yemi Keri
Yemi Keri
Rising Tide Africa
<br /> Zachariah George

Zachariah George
Launch Africa Ventures
Zinhle Mncube
Zinhle Mncube
Launch Africa Ventures
AESIS2023 Advisory board

AESIS Advisory Board

We are thrilled to introduce our new Advisory Committee.

These accomplished individuals bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to our team and we’re grateful for their commitment to our mission. Their collective expertise have shaped the content, speakers, and sessions, guaranteeing a program that was insightful, impactful, and relevant.

Stats that make us rock

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Year-round series of live virtual masterclasses

Our year-round series is designed to bring together subject matter experts from the community to share their insights and perspectives on “10x-ing Early Stage Investing in Africa.”

So far, we have had three remarkable parts of this series, each featuring insightful discussions with prominent industry leaders:

  • April: Part 1 – Tomi Davies (TD) and Ben White
  • May: Part 2 – Axel Peyriere and Nick Vielle
  • June: Part 3 – Eunice Ajim et Tidjane Deme (francophone)
  • August: Part 4 – Kevin Simmons and Sewu-Steve Taiwa

 

AESIS2023 investor meetups

Investor Meetups

Leading up to the main event in November/December, we brought our renowned investor meetups to even more cities across Africa and beyond. We are invited passionate investors like you to join these meetups in 40 cities around the world on September 7th and October 5th, 2023.

We’re excited about our growing list of cities that signed up and welcomed you to join:

Abidjan | Abuja | Accra | Addis Ababa | Amsterdam | Austin | Beijing | Cairo | Cape Town | Casablanca | Conakry | Dallas | Dar Es Salaam | Dodoma | Douala | Dubai | Gaborone | Johannesburg | Kampala | Kigali | Kinshasa | Lagos | Lilongwe | Lome | London | Lusaka | Maputo | Moroni | Nairobi | Paris | Port Harcourt | Port Louis | Praia | San Francisco | Tunis | Windhoek | Yaounde | Zagreb 

 

Investor Meetup Hosts

  • Ajim Capital
  • Antler
  • Bongo Hive
  • Business Angels Cabo Verde
  • Business Angels Rwanda
  • Cameroon Angels Network
  • Centre for Enterprise Learning
  • Centre for Enterprising Organizations
  • Circular Economy Hub
  • Côte d'ivoire Business Angel Network (CIBAN)
  • Congo Business Angels
  • DRC Impact Angels
  • Dream VC
  • East Africa Venture Capital Association
  • Gambia Angel Investor Network
  • Ghana Innovation Hub
  • Guinean Angel Investor Network
  • Ideario
  • Jozi Angels
  • Kampala Angel Investor Network
  • Kazana Fund
  • KF Invest & Consulting
  • Knife Capital
  • Lagos Angel Network
  • La Startup Station
  • MDF
  • Mest
  • mHub
  • Mo Angels
  • Mountain Angel Network
  • Wouessi Key to Digital
  • ZBAN
  • NaiBAN
  • Namibia Business Angel Network (NABAN)
  • The Rising Tide Africa
  • Pula Space
  • Rwanda Angel Investor Network
  • Semicolon
  • Serengeti Angels (S-BAN)
  • SSE Angel Network
  • Tanzania Angel Investors Network (TAIN)
  • Team Link
  • The Dot Connector
  • The Rising Tide Africa
  • Trustee Seed Factory
  • VC4A
  • Viktoria Business Angels Network (VBAN)
  • Viridian
  • Wouessi Key to Digital
  • ZBAN

Investor Meetup Stats

In good company

Over the years, representatives of over 700 investor organizations been a part of our remarkable AESIS journey and attended our events.
  • AAIC
  • AfricInvest
  • The Cairo Angels
  • Future Africa
  • IFC
  • Kepple Africa
  • Lagos Angel Network
  • LoftyInc Capital Ltd
  • Orange Ventures
  • Partech
  • Quona Capital
  • TlCom Capital
See all investor organizations
Ecosystem and media partners
  • Africa The Big Deal
  • African Angel Academy
  • Afrilabs
  • ANDE
  • APO Group
  • AVCA
  • Briter Bridges
  • CNBC Africa
  • Disrupt Africa
  • Etimes
  • FastCompany
  • IMA Media
  • Innov8tiv
  • Loudhailer
  • Media24
  • Movemeback
  • TechCabal
  • Ventureburn
  • Viridian
  • Newzroom Afrika

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