In recent years, Africa has birthed several notable unicorns, with the ‘big four’ - Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, and South Africa - receiving the vast majority of venture capital funding. The statistics are telling: of the $2.4 billion invested in Africa in 2023, only 8% of that funding reached Francophone Africa or French-speaking regions.

This untapped area of Africa represents the next frontier for investment. Francophone Africa is ripe for outside investment, scalable innovation, and strategic cooperation.

Check out our stories below to find out how the Africa Gate to Growth is making a difference.

Top Stories 📰

Story 1: In a landmark initiative, a group of West African startup founders traveled to the U.S. for a fully immersive program in Silicon Valley to accelerate their ventures.

Story 2: UrbanGeekz founder and CEO Kunbi Tinuoye graced the stage at the inaugural Africa Gate to Growth Forum at the top-ranked university, UC Berkeley Haas School of Business.

Story 3: A Leading science organization, the American Geophysical Union, makes history with its first Black president.

Hot News 🔥

1. Venture capital firm Zeal Capital Partners has announced the promotion of Stefanie Thomas-Martin to Partner.

2. The African Film Festival Atlanta (AFFATL) 2025 is back in Atlanta for its 4th edition from March 13th to 17th, 2025.

3. UK-based fintech startup Lenkie has secured £49M ($62M) in a Series A funding round to transform business lending for SMEs in the country. 

4. Venture Capital firm Equator has raised $55 million for its first fund, which will invest in climate tech startups in Sub-Saharan Africa.

5. CircNova, a Michigan startup, has closed a $3.3 million seed round for its innovative technology, which utilizes AI to target Cellular RNA.

   Opportunities - Accelerators/Funding, Events.💼 

Accelerators 🚀

1. Y Combinator is accepting applications for the Winter 2025 Batch funding cycle, which will take place from January to March in San Francisco.

2. Techstars Accelerator provides funding, mentorship, hands-on training, and access to Techstars' global network of VC investors, corporate partners, and alumni founders.

3. The Propellant Labs is a startup accelerator offering different programs to help entrepreneurs launch and scale their businesses.

4. FoundersBoost, a global pre-accelerator program, is an equity-free opportunity to take your business to the next level. 

6. Northwestern Mutual Black Founder Accelerator® invests in up to ten companies per year (two cohorts of five) focused on fintech, insuretech, digital health, and data analytics.

    Grants💰

1. $150k Investment | Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation aims to find social entrepreneurs with dynamic ideas and nurture them at the early stages with maximum leverage and total commitment.🗓️ Apply on a rolling basis:

2. $20k | Santander’s Cultivate Small Business helps early-stage entrepreneurs build and sustain businesses in the food industry, with a focus on historically underserved founders in low-to-moderate-income neighborhoods. 🗓️ Apply by 7/8:

3. Up to $15k | The Catalyst Fund by The Roddenberry Foundation makes grants between $2.5k - $15k to anyone with an early-stage idea or project that addresses pressing global challenges 🗓️ Apply on a rolling basis:

4. $250k Investment | Morgan Stanley Inclusive & Sustainable Ventures (MSISV) provides early-stage innovators with access to capital and resources to help them develop and scale. 🗓️ Apply by 3/14:

5. Up to $10k | Each qualifying nonprofit has access to up to $10,000 per month in search ads shown on Google.com. Additional Google Ads may be purchased in a separate account. 🗓️ Apply on a rolling basis: 

   Events🎟️

Diversitech, powered by Tribaja, is on a mission to redefine economic mobility for Black and Latinx households. By connecting participants with inclusive employers, cutting-edge skills training, and a vibrant community of changemakers, Diversitech is projected to increase economic mobility for Black and Latinx households by over $10 million within the next five years.

Date March 20 - 22 2025

Location: Philadelphia

NVIDIA's GPU Technology Conference (GTC) 2025 brings together developers, innovators, and business leaders to explore advancements in AI and accelerated computing. The event features over 1,000 sessions, 400+ exhibits, hands-on technical training, and networking opportunities. A highlight is the keynote by NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang on March 18 at 10 a.m. PT, where he will discuss the latest in agentic AI, robotics, and more.

Date: March 17–21

Location San Jose, California

The blackcomputeHER 2025 Conference, themed "It's All About YOU!", is scheduled for at Georgia State University. This annual event focuses on supporting Black women and girls in computing and technology through education and workforce development.

Date: April 4-6, 2025

Location: Atlanta, GA

Thank you for joining us in this edition of Geekz Insider. We hope our shared stories and opportunities ignite your career goals and entrepreneurial spirit and fuel your drive to innovate. From dynamic founders to transformative AI programs and life-changing grants, there’s something here to inspire everyone.

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If you're interested in sponsoring our newsletter, drop us a line at [email protected] with ‘Geekz Insider’ in the subject box. Until next time, keep hustling and making those geeky dreams come true!

Written by Stephen Oluwadara and produced by Gugu Nxumalo