Here’s whats in store at the sixth edition of the Africa Early Stage Investor Summit

The sixth edition of the Africa Early Stage Investor Summit (AESIS) will take place between 13 and 15 November at Workshop 17 at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town.

The summit, which is an initiative of VC4A and the Africa Business Angel Network (ABAN), brings together leading investors from Africa and beyond to network, exchange insights, create partnerships and make deals.

In a statement last week, VC4A said this year’s speakers and guests hail from the leading angel networks, venture capital (VC) funds, impact investors, accelerators, corporate venture divisions, industry associations and the public sector.

One of the highlights of the Africa Early Stage Investor Summit will be the VC4A Venture Showcase – Series A

Looking to attend the conference? Here’s what’s in store for the event that VC4A has said is “designed for investors, by investors”:

Day 1: 13 November

AESIS 2019 will kick-off on 13 November with an “Academy Day” which will include a series of interactive masterclasses and workshops which will culmination in an invite-only cocktail reception.

Day 2: 14 November

The main summit day will include a networking breakfast, keynote presentations by industry leaders and round-table discussions which will end with an investor dinner hosted by event partner Naspers at the Nasdak Rooftop Venue (Media24 Centre).

Day 3: 15 November

Those looking to familiarise themselves with the city’s tech startup community will want to join an optional Cape Town Innovation Tour currently being finalised by the summit.

The tour will feature insightful visits to key startup hubs, accelerator programmes and scale-ups around the Cape Peninsula area.

VC4A showcase

One of the highlights of the summit will be the VC4A Venture Showcase – Series A.

The initiative will see 10 growth-stage companies that have been selected and vetted by the continent’s leading VCs introduce and pitch their solutions to the summit’s attendees (see this story).

Naspers South Africa CEO Phuti Mahanyele-Dabengwa said the summit provides a “unique opportunity” for the group to engage with like-minded investors and ecosystem partners from across the continent as the company builds out Naspers Foundry and its broader investment ambitions.

Read more: VC4A calls on startups to pitch at event and raise up to $5m

Featured image: Delegates pictured at the Africa Early Stage Investor Summit 2018 held in Cape Town in November last year. (Robert Cable)