Ground Flr, an online platform connecting global investors and emerging market startups, is embarking on an investor roadshow in the United States (US), where it will showcase the continent’s best startups and establish relationships for co-investment.
Ground Flr is a product of Johannesburg-based non-profit startup community Venture Network, and is an online platform that connects investors and startups. Since its launch in 2015 it has expanded to Latin America.
There are over 300 users registered on the platform, with the majority of startups having come through an accelerator programme. Ground Flr will be showcasing these startups to investors when its team visits Seattle next week, and in San Francisco the week after.
“The purpose of the trip is to showcase Africa’s best startups and establish relationships for co-investment,” Ground Flr co-founder Abu Cassim told Disrupt Africa.
“We’re meeting the most active angel investors, VCs and impact investors while we’re there. These investors have set up shop in Asia and the Middle East, it’s time to showcase what Africa has to offer.”
He said the online platform acts as a “shop window” for startups, with Ground Flr now “taking the whole shop” to the US. Though no startups will actually be taking part in the trip, Cassim said it forms part of a longer-term strategy which will see startups visiting the US, and US investors visiting Africa.
“We have already had positive conversations with counterparts in the US who plan to bring investors to South Africa,” he said.
The Ground Flr investor roadshow will be captured via a daily video blog on the company’s YouTube Channel.
