I&P launches the program I&P Acceleration Technologies, with AFD's support

Investisseurs & Partenaires is launching I&P Acceleration Technologies, an acceleration program dedicated to promising African digital start-ups.

The program is one of six initiatives funded by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), which is mobilising €15 million under Digital Africa to develop and finance digital start-ups in Africa.
 

I&P Acceleration Technologies : challenges, objectives and implementation

The I&P Acceleration Technologies program aims to contribute to the emergence of the first African digital start-ups in countries where financing solutions are still scarce. The program will support around ten entrepreneurs, giving them access to appropriate financing and skills.

■ Implementation

I&P Acceleration Technologies will provide selected companies with capital in amounts ranging from €20,000 to €300,000. This financing, which will often be the first "professional" financing for these companies, will allow them to pass the proof of concept stage and continue their growth.

The financed start-ups will also benefit from capacity building through external assistance support (external service providers, consultants, experts…). This support in terms of skills will cover both specific technological issues (platform development for example) and typical issues faced by young companies (accounting, marketing, team training, etc.)

■ Context : why be interested in digital ?

Investisseurs & Partenaires has been financing and supporting African small and medium-sized entreprises since 2002 and has clearly noted that African entrepreneurs have taken the switch to digital in recent years. These startups are the place for technical innovations and applications specific to African situations and have great potential for impact. However, they require specific financing and support tools, made possible by programs such as I&P Acceleration Technologies :

► They present a much higher level of risk than their counterparts in "conventional" sectors, their business models being often innovative.

► They aim for a rapid and significant scale-up (large number of service users).

► In fact, they are confronted very early in their development cycle with greater capital needs than traditional companies.

To learn more about I&P Acceleration Technologies

An initiative sponsorized by AFD

Since 2016, the AFD group has been actively supporting digital innovation on the African continent, through initiatives such as the AFD Digital Challenge, the Afric’innov, AFIDBA, et le Social and Inclusive Business Camp (SIBC).

At the Emerging Valley evenement, the AFD announced the launch of a 15 millions of euros seed fund for African digital start-ups. The support and financing scheme covers 45 countries of Africa and will allowemerging start-ups to access financial ssupport of up to 300 000 euros through AFD's local partners. 

Six programmes are financing by this seed fund: Four financing programs to support and develop entrepreuneurial projects, implemented by Investisseurs & Partenaires (I&P Acceleration Technologies), ABAN and AfricaLab (« Catalyst »), Mercy Corps Ventures and Suguba (« Catalyzing Digital Start-up Operating in Africa ») and GreenTec Capital (« Result4Equity ») and two professionalization and capacity building programmes, led by Afric’Innov, Bond’Innov and AfriLabs.

Download the AFD presentation