Six African tech startups have been named finalists for the “Meet the Tôshikas” programme, which provides Japanese investors with a deep dive into African startup ecosystems, and offers promising African startups an investment readiness journey.
The Meet the Tôshikas programme is run by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), through its Africa Sustainable Finance Hub (ASFH) and with the support of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan (METI).
Aimed at driving more Japanese venture capitalists towards Africa, the first edition of the programme will take place in Zambia, Angola, and South Africa. UNDP designed and implemented the programme with the support of Double Feather Partners.
After 30 startups – 10 per country – were selected to take part in bootcamps, six – two per country – have earned the opportunity to undergo a highly-tailored practical three-month investment readiness support programme. They will also receive a US$20,000 catalytic grant and take part in a one-week investors roadshow in Tokyo.
The two selected Angolan ventures are Anda, which is formalising the two-wheeler moto-taxi market; and Mamboo, which provides quick and seamless food and FMCG deliveries. The South African representatives are e-health startup Zoie Health, and Jobox, which helps university graduates get their first jobs.
Zambia is represented by Bosso, which is building a platform to make building houses simpler and cheaper, and AfriOnline Group, an integrated platform that allows customers to order from restaurants, supermarkets, and wholesale.
“We are extremely honored to be able to provide, through our benefactor METI, a unique opportunity for African startups to travel and meet Japanese investors and, on the other hand, Japanese investors to discover exciting startup venture opportunities from Africa sourced from a well-informed and deliberate ecosystem development approach that takes into account both the local potential growth and risk awareness through our network of field partners,” said Tomas Sales, private sector special advisor at the UNDP Africa Sustainable Finance Hub, which oversees the UNDP Meet the Tôshikas project.
“By combining a mature market such as South Africa with other nascent markets such as Angola and Zambia, we offer a fuller picture of the breadth and depth of early-stage opportunities to investors contemplating entry points for capital deployment in Africa.”
