German and Mauritian company Invnture will this year hold its first “investment safaris” in Southern Africa, aimed at connecting African entrepreneurs with impact investors from around the world.
Formed on last year’s AMPION Venture Bus Southern African leg, Invnture organises trips aimed at providing potential overseas investors in African startups with on-the-ground experience, allowing them to become acquainted with enterprises and the conditions they operate under.
A tour has been planned for South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe on March 14-19, while a second tour in May will take in Malawi, Zambia and Tanzania.
“These tours are going to give investors a unique experience and highlight the talent within Africa and by having these tours; the desire is to boost social and environmental impact by African startups and SMEs,” said team member Tawanda Mutukwa.
Invnture has partnered a number of business hubs in preparation for the tours, such as Jozi Hub in Johannesburg, the Botswana Innovation Hub (BIH), and Zimbabwe’s Innovation Baraza.
The company is aiming to address the funding gap by providing business matchmaking services for companies that have a market capitalisation of between US$50,000 and US$500,000 and require funding between US$25,000 and US$125,000. It plans to run more tours in other African countries as the year progresses.
“Our goal is to link African entrepreneurs with European impact investors so as to create social and sustainable impact on the African continent,” said Mutukwa.
