Selection policy
How we identify, evaluate, and select the strongest African startups.
Our mission is to select the most promising African startups to offer our investors the strongest opportunities for impact and return. This policy describes our rigorous criteria and transparent process.
We invest in startups with the highest ambition and real evidence of execution.
6 selection pillars
We apply a strict multi-criteria analysis to retain only the top 1% of opportunities.
Market & opportunity
Large market with potential to reach $1B over time
High-growth sector, over 20% per year
Potential deployment across several African countries
Solution addressing a real and urgent problem
Founding team
Solid experience, around 15 cumulative years in the sector
At least one founder who has already built a company
Balance between technical and commercial profiles
Founder financial commitment to the project
Impeccable reputation and verifiable references
Product & sales
Product already tested or used by customers
Minimum monthly revenue of $10,000 or 1,000 active users
Consistent monthly sales growth, +10%
Evidence that customers love and retain the product
Clear technical development plan for the future
Profitability & model
Controlled costs and clearly identified revenue per customer
Ability to become profitable within 3 to 4 years
Comfortable margins allowing reinvestment
Prudent and efficient capital management
Multiple possible revenue sources
Funding sought
Early or growth-stage companies, Seed or Series A
Funding need between $100,000 and $5,000,000
Realistic company valuation
Logical use of funds for the next 18 months
Full transparency on previous investors
Impact & resilience
Job creation or improvement of local living conditions
Model able to withstand economic crises
Respect for ethics and good governance
Concrete benefit for local African economies
Ease of adapting the model to other African markets
* These criteria are indicative. Each file is reviewed holistically by our investment committee.
Disqualifying factors
What may prevent us from investing
History of fraud, theft, or dishonesty by founders
Illegal or unethical product or service
Payment default history or unjustified bankruptcy
Undisclosed conflicts of interest
Significant environmental or social liabilities
Poor governance or opaque capital structure
We believe in second chances, but some warning signs are incompatible with our responsibility as fiduciaries for our investors.
The 4 process phases
What happens at each step of your application
Submission
⏱️ 1-7 days
- ✓ Basic criteria check
- ✓ Pitch deck review
- ✓ Administrative verification
Deep analysis
⏱️ 8-14 days
- ✓ Team analysis
- ✓ Financial analysis
- ✓ Product review
- ✓ Market study
Validation & meetings
⏱️ 15-21 days
- ✓ Founder discussion
- ✓ Expert consultation
- ✓ Final due diligence
Committee decision
⏱️ 22-30 days
- ✓ Committee presentation
- ✓ Decision vote
- ✓ Verdict notification
Transparency & right to appeal
📋 If we invest
- ✓Official congratulations
- ✓Visibility with our investors
- ✓Post-investment support
- ✓Access to our network
🔄 If we do not invest
- ✓Structured and constructive feedback
- ✓Right to appeal within 48h
- ✓Reconsideration after 6 months
- ✓Mentoring and advice
Ready to apply?
If you believe you meet our criteria, we would be pleased to speak with you.