About the Academy
Expert insights
We thank the following people for taking the time to speak to us and enrich the VC4A Startup Academy with their ‘expert insights’:
Eghosa Omoigui
Rebecca Enonchong
Khaled Ismail
Tomi Davies
Fatoumata Ba
Brett Commaille
Ian Carnevale
Hesham Wahby
Kola Aina
Adedana Ashebir
Stephen Gugu
Mustafa Othman
Danai Musandu
Stephen Haggard
Ike Eze
Lexi Novitske
Aaron Fu
Emeka Afigbo
Justin Spratt
Viola Llewellyn
Charlene Chen
Dima Rifai
Ibanga Umanah
Lauren Cochran
Yemi Keri
Juliet Wanyiri
Simeon Ononobi
Aurelien Duval-Delort
Stephan Breban
Fabian Guhl
Russell Southwood
Peter Allerstorfer
Vusi Thembekwayo
Sylvie Dalode
Wim van der Beek
Chams Diagne
Kamau Gachigi
Llew Claasen
Bernard Chiira
Fiifi Baidoo
Jumanne Mtambalike
Anna Ekeledo
Mohamed Keita
Bankole Oloruntoba
Takunda Chingonzoh
Benjamin Meltzer
Lolada Maryam Akinsete
Dotun Olowoporoku
Tom Jackson
Maxime Bayen
Isaak Mogetutu
Erick Yong
Andrea Böhmert
Chinedu Enekwe
Daniel Yu
Grégoire de Padirac
Kerushan Govender
Ndidi Nnoli Edozien
Bola Ogidan
Ben White
Chinedu Azodoh
Kamal Diaté
Chika Uwazie
Djiba Diallo Diao
Rob Withagen
Trevor Kimenye
Ido Sum
Olawale Ayeni
Malaika Judd
Shudhan Kohli
Justin Stanford
Anna Samaké
Shaun Johnson
Oluyomi Ojo
Marek Zmyslowski
Yele Bademosi
Chris Schultz
Oo Nwoye
Expert insights have been recorded at awesome events:
Afrobytes
African Early Stage Investor Summit
Africa Technology Business Forum
AHUB
High Growth Africa Summit
Theory insights
The theoretical content of the VC4A Startup Academy has been created and edited by a pool of industry experts:
Andrew Sekandi
Sofala Partners
United Kingdom
Andrew Sekandi is a lawyer-turned-consultant who has enjoyed helping investors, companies and entrepreneurs succeed in Africa for over ten years. Andrew was Associate Director at KPMG where he led the Corporate Intelligence team’s Africa practice. With a background in law and risk analysis, he has experience conducting non-financial due diligence and provides market intelligence for investors looking to acquire stakes in African tech companies and other sectors.
Ben White
VC4A
The Netherlands
Ben White has been venturing in the African technology and media space since 2003. Involved in multiple startups, Ben is also the cofounder of AfriLabs, a pan-African network of innovation hubs, and the African Business Angel Network (ABAN). Ben is on the board of ActivSpaces and in 2007 he founded VC4A.
Odunoluwa Longe
DIYlaw
Nigeria
Odunoluwa is dedicated to building and nurturing African entrepreneurs, and creating access to legal services. She co-founded The Longe Practice LP (TLP), a startup focused law practice. In the course of running TLP, Odun and her co-founder realised they could use technology to make legal and registration processes easier for entrepreneurs so they teamed up to found DIYlaw, an online platform creating access to legal services, processes and resources.
Anneke Evers
Consultant
Rwanda
Anneke Evers has experience in the area of SME finance, preparing emerging market entrepreneurs in the final stages for finance and connecting them to financiers. As an overall SME advisor she worked with different support centers in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, capacitating their staff and enhancing their business services to SMEs.
Eelco Benink
Rebel Group
The Netherlands
Eelco Benink is a specialist in private equity, venture capital and project finance, especially in relation to emerging markets. Eelco worked in Kenya to help set up and manage SME investment fund InReturn Capital. After four years in East Africa he moved to the Philippines and in 2015 Eelco moved back to The Netherlands where he works at Rebel Group.
Eric Osei
MBC Africa
Ghana
Eric Osei is an author oriented on business with a focus on entrepreneurship and investment. Some of his books include ‘Principles of Successful Entrepreneurs’, ‘Investing through Crisis in Africa’, ‘Migration & Entrepreneurship’, ‘Doing Business in Ghana’ and the new ‘Funding options for startups and SMEs’.
Presented by
The theoretical content of the VC4A Startup Academy is presented to you by:
Andile Masuku
African Tech Roundup
South Africa
Andile Masuku is a Zimbabwean broadcaster and entrepreneur based in Johannesburg, South Africa. When Andile is not covering Africa’s emerging tech industry for African Tech Roundup, he speaks widely and advises high net-worth individuals and leading brands and businesses on media strategy, market-entry plays and investment opportunities in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Tania Habimana
Nonzēro Africa
South Africa
Tania Habimana is a Rwandan entrepreneur with a passion for digital innovation and entrepreneurship in Africa. She is the co-founder of Johannesburg-based, NONZēRO Africa, a purpose-driven marketing agency focussed on enterprise development and impact programs in Africa.
Special thanks to the people who made the academy happen:
- Charles Meadows, Poppy Modisane, Thero Gabaraane – Incubate Productions
- Paolo Mantero, Carolina Mutti – Armonica Film
- Björn Rudner – Contrast TV Productions
- Albert-Jan Messenberg – Zilt Design
- Hendrik Admiraal – Lead developer – VC4A
- Damien Senger – UX developer – VC4A
- Nelson Kana – Developer – VC4A
- Catherine Gray – Product owner – VC4A
- Thomas van Halen – Investor relations – VC4A
- Alina Vinogradova – Programs & partnerships lead / ‘Work in Progress!’ manager – VC4A
- Bertil van Vugt – Business development & Producer VC4A Academy – VC4A
Made possible by:
The VC4A Startup Academy has been developed as part of the ‘Work in Progress!’ program funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs as part of LEAD (Local Employment in Africa for Development) initiative.