Ten grassroots African entrepreneurs present their ventures to a global audience of investors
SILICON VALLEY, Calif., Sept. 12, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- On Tuesday, September 12, the African Diaspora Network will host its sixth annual virtual pitch session for ten grassroots African entrepreneurs participating in the 2023 Builders of Africa's Future (BAF) program. The virtual session provides a platform for the Builders to showcase their startups to investors and industry leaders interested in funding and supporting their ventures. Builders of Africa's Future is an enterprise accelerator organized by the African Diaspora Network (ADN) in partnership with Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and the United States African Development Foundation (USADF), with enterprise training provided by the African Management Institute (AMI).
The program for the sixth cohort began on June 13, with five phases of intensive enterprise training, mentorship, and capacity building leading up to the September 12 pitch day. This year's ten entrepreneurs represent five countries: Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda. All participating organizations in the sixth cohort are proudly 100% African-led and owned, representing sectors such as education, recycling, health tech and innovation, poultry farming, fintech, green energy, and coffee farming. Learn more about the cohort and program at the official website here.
"These founders are innovating with the goal of elevating local communities," says Almaz Negash, Founder and Executive Director, African Diaspora Network. "We have the opportunity to support and scale their work to have an even deeper impact. This is a can't miss event for any investors seeking to get to the heart of African entrepreneurship and learning about the incredible and often overlooked enterprises that are homegrown and ready for investment."
"We are proud to provide our support to ADN's Builders of Africa's Future program" says Travis Adkins, President and CEO of USADF. "As we approach Pitch Day for the sixth cohort of the 2023 BAF program, we celebrate the dedication and hard work demonstrated throughout this initiative. This collaboration with the African Diaspora Network allows USADF to further our mission of empowering African entrepreneurs. It is especially fulfilling to do so by leveraging the dynamism of the African Diaspora in the United States."
According to Sr. Jane Wakahiu, Associate Vice President of Program Operations and Head of Catholic Sisters at the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, "We take immense pride in our ongoing commitment to empower the Builders of Africa's Future, and we are particularly thrilled to see Catholic Sisters shine brightly among the accomplished changemakers of the 2023 cohort. The BAF program not only highlights the potential of African entrepreneurs but also celebrates the invaluable contributions of Catholic Sisters in driving meaningful change within their communities. We look forward to the exciting journey ahead as we support these visionary leaders in their mission to transform lives and create lasting impact."
This year's pitch day will feature an esteemed keynote speaker, Wawira Njiru, BAF alumni and graduate of the inaugural 2018 cohort. Based in Kenya, she is the founder of Food for Education (F4E), a social enterprise that is creating the blueprint for school feeding in Africa. Led by African women, F4E leverages payment technology and smart supply chains to source nutritious ingredients from local smallholder farmers, simplify distribution, and bring high-quality daily school meals to children. They have provided over 21 million meals since their first central kitchen opened in 2016 and their scalable, efficient model is creating a sustainable path to solve the child nutrition crisis for over 200 million African children.
African Diaspora Network invites private and public investors looking to invest in impactful, grassroots startups in Africa to attend. Eligible BAF entrepreneurs who meet funding criteria will also receive up to $25,000 from the United States African Development Foundation (USADF).
Interested investors can register to attend the Builders of Africa's Future Pitch Day here or email [email protected] for more information.
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About African Diaspora Network
African Diaspora Network (ADN) is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization. Our mission is to harness and engage the intellectual, financial, philanthropic and entrepreneurial capacity of Africans and friends of Africa in support of economic and social development across Africa. Since 2010, the African Diaspora Network has energized collaboration among Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, philanthropists and African Diasporans to uplift its local community towards the benefit of Africa. ADN is dedicated to providing virtual and physical forums to accelerate access to resources that foster partnership, knowledge sharing, and advance investment opportunities.
Media Contact
Brett Cave, African Diaspora Network, 2023780188, [email protected]
SOURCE African Diaspora Network
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