There was no honest playbook for building in Africa. So we wrote one.
There was no honest playbook for building in Africa. So we wrote one.
Are you ready to raise?
Am I raising to grow, or survive?
Have I tried grants and revenue first?
Am I ready to give up equity?
Do I know what kind of investor fits my business?
Are my deck, financials and data room ready?
If any is no
Find the right investors
They invest at pre-seed, seed or Series A, whichever you are.
They have backed companies in your sector before.
They are active in your country or region.
They write checks of the size you need
Your company fits what they say they invest in
Most of them are in the African Investors Database. Start there →
Prepare your materials
Ten to twelve slides.
Your company on one page.
Use our template →
Realistic assumptions you can defend line by line.
Every document an investor will ask for, in one shared folder.
Write the email
One link
The deck. Never attach files to a cold email.
One traction point
The strongest number you have, with its period.
One reason
Name the investment of theirs that made you write. If you cannot, they are not on your list.
Subject: [Startup name]: building [product type] in [country or region]
Hello [Investor name],
My name is [your name], and I am building [startup name], [one line on what it does].
We have reached [key traction point: 2,000 users, 3 corporate clients, USD 5,000 MRR], and we are now raising [round size] to [goal: expand to new cities, ship the next product].
I noticed your investment in [company] and thought our work might fit what you look for.
Our deck is here: [link]
Would you be open to a short call?
Best,
[Your name], [role]
[Email] · [LinkedIn] · [Website]
Follow up
Wait five to seven working days before the first follow-up.
Keep it to short. Do not resend the pitch.
After two tries with no reply, move on. Silence is an answer.
Checklist
