World Bank XL Africa Acceleration Program 2019 for Technology Start-ups in Francophone Africa

The World Bank Group announced L’Afrique Excelle, a six-month business acceleration program designed to support the 20 most promising growth stage technology start-ups operating in Francophone Africa

Application Deadline: 14th January 2019

Eligible Countries: Francophone African countries

To be taken at (country): Bamako, Mali and Paris, France

About the Award: The program highlights include two one-week residencies, one in Bamako, Mali and another in Paris, France, giving entrepreneurs the opportunity to grow their business network and learn from mentors, peers, and local partners. The France residency will culminate in the Venture Showcase at the 2019 VivaTech conference in Paris, where the founders will present their business models to a large audience of corporations, investors, technology experts and media.

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The program has partnered with leading VC funds and angel groups active in Francophone Africa, including Orange Digital Ventures, Investisseurs & Partenaires, Brightmore Capital, AHL Ventures, Outlierz, TLcom Capital, Accion, Goodwell Investments, Blue Haven Ventures, Comoe Investments, and IFC Venture Capital. Associated investors will play a key role in vetting and selection process, and will guide the entrepreneurs through investor readiness process. L’Afrique Excelle will also collaborate with corporate partners, such as Orange and GSMA.

Type: Training, Entrepreneurship

Eligibility:

• Your startup is for profit and registered, with a team of at least three people
• Your team is based in Sahel & Francophone Africa (please see list further down this page for a list of eligible countries)
• You have a very strong management team
• You have a digital or tech product/service available on the market right now, with tangible traction and evidence of revenue
• You have the potential to scale
• You are seeking investment capital in the range of $250K – $1.5m
• While there will be exceptions, mostly likely your startup has already received investment capital, as debt or equity, or received grants from donor organizations.

Number of Awards: 20

Value of Award: Entrepreneurs will receive mentoring from global and local experts, learn through a tailor-made curriculum, increase their brand visibility, and get access to potential corporate partners and investors. Through collaboration with prominent Francophone Africa-focused investment groups, L’Afrique Excelle will help the selected start-ups attract early stage capital between $250,000 and $5 million.

How to Apply:  Apply now

Visit Programme Webpage for Details