54 Collective

???? On February 6th, we welcomed Bridges for Enterprise (BfE) to our Lagos office, where 50+ founders gathered for a deep dive discussion on how social entrepreneurs can secure impact investment. The expert panel—featuring Ahunna Ogunedo (Investment Manager, 54 Collective), Opeyemi Solaru (Impact Associate, 54 Collective), Jordan Wolken (Global President, BfE), and moderated by Oluebube A. (Impact Investor, WHO Foundation)—shared invaluable insights on: ? The role of social entrepreneurs in driving economic change ? What impact investors prioritise during due diligence ? How to strategically position your enterprise for investment Thank you to the panelists for their expertise and to everyone who joined us in person and online! ???? ?? In case you missed it, catch the full discussion here: https://lnkd.in/dvnu4-6d.

?? We love a good hangout! Our Johannesburg offices were buzzing as Cohort 1 & 2 of the Entrepreneur Academy in South Africa ???? joined us for an Investor Readiness Session led by Philani Mzila CDFA, Investment Manager (54 Collective). In a landscape where funding access, compliance hurdles, and operational costs can slow businesses down, moments like these—where founders learn, grow, and build lasting connections—are what drive real impact. ?? Key Takeaways from the Session: ? Positioning your business for fundraising—financial & technical readiness ? Scaling unit economics & mapping out a clear path to profitability ? Crafting a compelling story that attracts the right investors ? Navigating South Africa’s investment landscape—tackling limited pre-seed/seed funding, compliance hurdles, and high operational costs One of the biggest perks of being a 54 Collective Entrepreneur Academy alum is the continued access to support, insights, and a powerful community of founders pushing boundaries. Shoutout to Tendai Angeline Mugabe, Business Support Lead, SA (54 Collective), for bringing it all together! Here’s to big ideas, bold moves, and the unstoppable founders shaping tomorrow: https://bit.ly/3QfjekE ?? #EntrepreneurAcademy #54Collective

?? ???? ????????????’?? ???? ?????????????????? ?????????? ???? ??????????????? The data tells a nuanced story. After a strong start in early 2024, deal activity slowed in the latter half of the year. Series A and B rounds tightened, seed-stage activity declined, and fundraising cycles grew longer. Yet, Africa’s tech ecosystem continues to demonstrate resilience. Despite challenges like currency devaluations, high interest rates, and inflation, Africa’s VC market saw only a slight dip in funding and deal volume compared to 2023. In fact, Africa’s performance closely mirrors global VC trends, where total funding reached $314B in 2024, a 3% YoY increase—largely fueled by a breakout year for AI, which surged 80% YoY to $101B, making up 32% of total global venture funding. ????????’?? ?????????????? ????????????’?? ????????????????????? ?? Fintech remains dominant, leading in deal volume and innovation. ?? Local investor participation is growing, bringing much-needed capital and confidence. ?? A strong pipeline of startups at Seed and Series A is ready to scale—if capital can meet demand. The challenge? Overcoming macroeconomic pressures, liquidity constraints, and rising capital costs. The opportunity? Backing bold founders who are building against the odds. ?? ????'???? ?????????? ???? ???? ???????????????? ???? Partech’?? ???????????? ???????? ?????????????? ?????????????? ???????? ????????????, ???????????????? ?????????????????? ?????????? ?????? ?????????????????? ?????????????? ????????-???????????? ???????????????? ???????????? ?????? ??????????????????! Dive into the report here: https://bit.ly/3WMBXrt

It has not been a good year for healthcare investments in Africa. Today we release our annual #YearInReview of healthcare startups, funding, and investors. To put it bluntly: ?????? ?????????????? ???????????? ???? ????????. ?? Healthcare investments in Africa dropped 70% in value, 40% in deal count, and 24% by number of investors ??♀? Female founders took a significant step back. It's never been worse for female founders seeking funding in Africa. In spite of all of this, a few glimmers of hope: ?? Resilient startups continue to raise: Hewatele Limited, Field Intelligence Inc. , Yodawy, Ilara Health and Lapaire are bucking the trend with significant raises last year. ? Despite the macroeconomic landscape, certain investors recognize that #healthcare is an essential market. It's not going anywhere. The most active investors in healthcare in Africa last year were: AfricInvest Group's Transform Health Fund, Launch Africa Ventures, 54 Collective, AAIC | Asia Africa Investment & Consulting, and DEG. READ the full rundown here: https://lnkd.in/dYjaEmzg What are your QUESTIONS and REACTIONS? What do we do to turn this around in 2025? Please share in the comments below. p.s. I'll be in Nairobi Feb 13-14 for the Africa Tech Summit . Who should I meet while I'm in town? Let me know in the comments below. #impactinvesting #Africa #socialenterprise #digitalhealth #venturecapital #2024year #funding

?? Startup Support Organisations (SSOs) transforming Africa's entrepreneurial ecosystem We’re proud to be featured in Digital Africa and Sendemo’s latest report among the Venture Builders recognised for our innovative approach to empowering early-stage founders in Africa. By internalising and sharing resources, SSOs like ours are driving scalable impact across the continent. As Abderrahmane Chaoui, Researcher and Advisor at Sendemo, puts it: "Africa needs strong Startup Support Organisations today to transform entrepreneurs, ideas, and energies into successful, scaling, disruptive startups in the industries where our growing population needs the most urgent transformations." ?? The report uncovers: ? Evolving revenue models of SSOs. ? The fragmented landscapes we navigate. ? The pivotal role SSOs play in business education, ecosystem building, and founder support. ?? More insights unpacked in Article 1, Part III - Mapping startup support organizations, their positioning and their models: https://bit.ly/40hf7JJ

?? Forecasting Africa's Climate Tech Surge Adelaide Muthang'i (Investment Associate, 54 Collective) joins Dennis Musau as they dive into the exciting trends shaping climate tech investments on the continent—and the game-changing opportunities they bring for a greener, more sustainable Africa against the backdrop of trends in 2024. ?? ?? Catch the full conversation on Citizen TV Kenya's Youtube Channel ??

?? TechCabal's spotlight on 25 Startups to Watch in 2025 includes several of our portfolio ventures, each making waves across diverse sectors: ???? Valify Solutions: Backed by years of experience creating market-leading solutions, Valify's leadership team—Omar Abdelwahed (product development) and Ibrahim Eid (entrepreneurship and finance)—combines deep expertise in the regional financial ecosystem to excel in digital identity. ???? Carbin Africa: An AI-powered marketplace offering real-time access to 1,800 unique car listings across dealerships. Founders Femi Oriowo and Fawaz Abdul bring experience from leading automotive companies and hands-on knowledge as dealers and agents. ???? Pullus Africa: Opeoluwa Fayomi and Abisoye Odeyemi leverage their expertise to bridge farmers and off-takers. Their platform ensures smallholder farmers have reliable distribution channels and off-takers access quality poultry, addressing critical ecosystem gaps. ???? Tanél Health: A Senegalese digital insurance platform by Mouhamed Ndoye and Makhtar Diop, CPA digitises manual processes, improving efficiency and expanding healthcare access for underserved populations. ???? scale: Founded by Miranda Perumal, scale provides fintechs with essential tools to launch and scale card programs, navigating the complexities of payment product commercialisation. ???? TUNL: Founded by Matthew Davey and Craig Lowman, TUNL simplifies exports with end-to-end parcel shipping solutions. Their combined experience in global e-retail and European distribution drives their strategic vision. ?? Congratulations to all the teams for this recognition! ?? Check out the full list: https://bit.ly/4fQgJzD #StartupsToWatch2025 #54Collective

They say the first two weeks of January are like the free trial version of the year—an opportunity to reset, recalibrate, and set intentions. As we step into the “full subscription” phase of 2025, the focus remains on impact: empowering founders, investors, and changemakers to drive innovation that transforms industries and uplifts communities across Africa. Here are some curated insights, opportunities, and resources to get you going: ?? ?????????????????????????? ???? ?????????????? Africa Tech Summit Awards 2025 A platform recognising the trailblazers redefining Africa’s tech ecosystem. Celebrate the entrepreneurs and businesses shaping the continent. ?? Learn more → https://bit.ly/4fXIerh ? Sign up or feature your event on the 3rd Edition of the African Tech & Investor Events Watchlist courtesy of Anthony William Catt ?? Click here → https://bit.ly/4gSsI0W ?? ?????? ???? ???????????? African Tech Roundup: Independent insights and analysis on the intersection of tech, entrepreneurship, and innovation in Africa. Max Cuvellier Giacomelli: Co-lead of Africa: The Big Deal, showcasing Africa's dynamic startup funding scene, helping investors keep their fingers on the pulse of the continent's ever-growing ecosystem. My Tech Story Africa: Emerging founder focused podcast covering stories of resilience and ingenuity driving Africa’s tech ecosystem. ?? ?????????????? ?????????? Mapping Startup Support Organisations in Africa: A detailed look at SSOs’ role in driving entrepreneurial by Digital Africa and Sendemo: ?? Explore the insights → https://bit.ly/3PwkvU3 25 Startups to Watch in 2025 (Featuring our portfolio picks—Carbin Africa, Pullus Africa, scale, Tanél Health, TUNL, Valify Solutions) ?? TechCabal's spotlight → https://bit.ly/4fQgJzD Bongani Sithole (CEO, 54 Collective) on Redefining Early-Stage VC in Africa ?? Read the The Kenyan Wall Street interview → https://bit.ly/4g0DlO2 ?? ?????????? ?????? ?????????? #54Unscripted YouTube Series—The 54 Collective team shares their insights, roles, and what it means to #BuildWithoutBoundaries. ?? Watch now on our Youtube Channel → https://bit.ly/40w2RX5 Dennis Musau and Adelaide Muthang'i (Investment Associate, 54 Collective) discuss the growth of climate tech investments in Africa against the backdrop of trends in 2024. ?? Watch now on Citizen TV Kenya's Youtube Channel → https://lnkd.in/dD4UyJjV This year, we honor the duality of resilience and opportunity, embracing each phase of the year as it comes!

?? Equity Fuels Innovation: in 2024, we sharpened our focus on gender-lens investing, redefining what it means to build inclusively and equitably. Here’s how we listened, learned, and played our part: ?? Formalising Our Gender Strategy We’re laying the groundwork for meaningful change with our Gender Strategy Framework, set to launch next year! This framework will guide us in fostering innovation that thrives equitably and inclusively, both internally and across Africa’s tech-enabled businesses. ?? Gender-Forward Engagements Intentional events and partnerships proved instrumental in building trust and empowering women founders: ? Partnering with The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) Generate to empower 9 women-owned SMEs with technical expertise and financial support, enabling impactful solutions like teaching coding to children in local communities. ? Hosting the Women Founders Breakfast alongside our Gen F team led by Yunus Ibrahim, connecting founders to invaluable networks and venture-building insights → https://bit.ly/3ZCwnsB ? Collaborating with Women Who Build Africa for their annual assembly to connect with their growing community of entrepreneurs, spotlight our portfolio founders, and lead a hands-on Path to Product-Market Fit workshop → https://bit.ly/3ZBPp2c ?? Aligning with Global Standards Joining 2X Global this year marked a significant step toward integrating 2X Criteria into our investment and founder support processes, driving gender inclusion at from the earliest stages → https://bit.ly/3OVbFPI ?? Bridging the Funding Gap We’ve tackled barriers women founders face in accessing capital ensuring that women-led ventures have access to the support and the resources they need to succeed → https://bit.ly/3Brqd6m ? Inclusive Product Innovation Inclusive design is key to driving smart innovation. Take Carbin Africa, a portfolio venture shaping the automotive sector with diverse user-first designs that unlock new market opportunities. While the journey continues, we remain steadfast in our commitment to advancing equity and inclusion and to collaborating with tech ecosystem enablers who share our vision for building equitable and thriving women-led ventures across Africa. Exciting times ahead in 2025!

?? Last week Friday, we hosted the last of our Founder Friday sessions, closing out a series that has brought together some of the brightest minds in Africa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. This last session, led by Philani Mzila CDFA (Investment Manager, 54 Collective), explored one of the most pivotal topics for founders: strategies for navigating exits in the African context. Through our Founder Friday’s, we’re committed to supporting founders not just in moments of growth, but by helping them plan for the outcomes that shape their futures. From navigating the maze of startup building to crafting impactful business strategies, the sessions were a safe space for open dialogue, shared knowledge, and actionable insights. While last week marked the end of the Founder Friday series for 2024, our mission to empower founders continues. We are incredibly grateful to every founder, speaker, and guest who joined us along the way. Your curiosity, insight, and collaboration have made these sessions truly special. Special shout out to Christine Mackay, Jabulani Nyembe, Mash Ramu, Mnqobi Sihle Msweli, Sabelo Sibanda, Sihlesenkosi Majola, and Terry Igharoro for joining us! ?? In case you missed it, catch some of our favourite recorded sessions: ? Finding Your North-star Metric with Steven Waidelich → https://lnkd.in/dNhMm-m7 ? Performance Management to Tactics To Elevate Your Teams Performance: Insights from Ololade Odunsi → https://lnkd.in/dy9_4_KU ? Navigating Debt Financing: Lessons from Asaak's Kaivan Khalid Sattar → https://lnkd.in/dfsbJznc Here’s to learning and #BuildingWithoutBoundaries, see you again soon! ??