be the catalyst

Viridian is an impact agency that designs and delivers programmes for finance-ready entrepreneurs, early-stage investors and entrepreneur support organisations across Africa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Our programmes act as a catalyst for these key economic actors, ultimately growing shared prosperity across Sub-Saharan Africa.

WOMEN ANGEL INVESTORS IN AFRICA: BARRIERS AND ENABLERS

AEEI (our non-profit arm) has launched a new research report on women angel investors in Africa.

The report delves into the challenges facing women angels investors, and how they can be overcome.

We’ve discovered many surprising and not-so surprising insights: we hope you enjoy exploring these. We plan to apply the lessons learned in our own work in supporting women investors and entrepreneurs, and we invite you to do the same.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

“During our collaboration, Viridian proved to be a reliable and constructive service provider. They maintained a professional approach and easily adapted to changing requirements, delivering high-quality results within agreed timelines. I can recommend Viridian as a valuable partner for any organization seeking expertise in the above-mentioned areas.”

Olaf Seidel, Make-IT in Africa, Head of Project South

“It has been a pleasure working with the Viridian team. Not only are they deeply insightful subject matter experts, but they always strive to deliver a quality product, on time. As a client, my experience has been that they have always added value to enrich the intended outcome and impact for beneficiaries and clients alike.”

Olivia Dyers, Director: Digital Leadership, Department of Economic Development & Tourism, Western Cape Provincial Government

Viridian offers an excellent end-to-end professional service, and can be relied on to deliver. Their experience as business owners and practitioners shines through. The Viridian team members are excellent communicators and all their processes run smoothly. Interacting with them as a client has been a pleasure. We would happily recommend them as a partner to any organisation aiming to deliver a well organised, exciting and impactful programme.

Sergio López Ramos, Yunus Social Business Senior Director

“Not only does the team excel at project ideation, implementation and impact reporting; they prioritize the quality of the work they deliver to us, to ensure from both a qualitative and quantitative aspect they expand the depth of their interventions. The Directors of Viridian have been a pleasure to work with and one of our most reliable delivery partners to date.”

- Milisa Mabinza , Director of UK-South Africa Tech Hub

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WHERE WE WORK

Based in Cape Town, Viridian trains finance- ready entrepreneurs, angel investors and ecosystem players from across the continent.

33 COUNTRIES
THROUGHOUT
AFRICA

SA | ZAMBIA | NAMIBIA | BOTSWANA| TANZANIA | KENYA | CAMEROON | COTE D'IVOIRE | NIGERIA | GHANA | THE GAMBIA | MAURITIUS | SENEGAL | ANGOLA | DRC | MOROCCO | RWANDA | BENIN | BURKINA FASO | GUINEA | MALI | MAURITANIA | NIGER | TOGO | ETHIOPIA | ZIMBABWE | SIERRA LEONE | UGANDA | SUDAN | MADAGASCAR | MOZAMBIQUE | TUNISIA | EGYPT

What we offer

Programme design, implementation, and iteration

We design, develop and implement unique and thoughtful programmes that are context-relevant and results-driven, using feedback to optimise and scale. We use a mix of media to educate and connect participants, from online courses and virtual masterclasses to real-life networking and bootcamps.

Monitoring and evaluation

We offer best practice monitoring and evaluation, working with clients to design high-impact projects that align with their overarching and regional objectives. This includes theory of change development, key metric establishment, as well as data collection, management (GDPR & POPIA compliant) and analysis.

Strategy, ecosystem mapping and research

We offer research, ecosystem mapping and resource curation that allows our clients to better understand the context of their work and design appropriate interventions to drive impact. With our continent-wide associates, we offer expert advice and insights into entrepreneurship, investment and ecosystem development in an African context.

Content production

Content production Viridian develops bespoke publications that create real value for entrepreneurs, hubs and angel investors. Toolkits, playbooks, research reports, educational videos – we’re very proud of the content we produce and share.

OUR IMPACT BY 2024

Angel investors

Entrepreneurs

Hubs

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT

Launch League hub training, resources and network

Client: UK-South Africa Tech Hub

Launch League is a training and support programme for South African entrepreneurship hubs, equipping them with the skills, confidence, network and ready-to-go open licence programme pack to support early-stage businesses.

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African Angel Academy investor training and network

Client: Southern African Innovation Support (SAIS) Programme, International Tech Hub Network, Orange Corners, Department of Foreign Affairs

The African Angel Academy has trained over 300 emerging angel investors from 9 countries, since the pilot in early 2020. The programme consists of an online course, live masterclasses and networking sessions, startup showcases, and opportunities for mentorship for new angel networks. AAA is run in partnership with Viridian’s Kenyan partner, ViKtoria Ventures, and the programme draws on the experience of top local investors from across the continent.

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Introduction to Early-Stage Investing online short course

Client: Western Cape Government Department for Economic Development and Tourism

This 10-module online short course is an introduction to early-stage investing for professionals and new investors, both locally in the Western Cape and across South Africa.

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Express Expert

Client: UK-South Africa Tech Hub

Express Expert was designed as a quick yet high impact intervention to support South African entrepreneurs during the COVID-19 lockdown, building financial and personal resilience through access to expert coaches and accountants.

Introduction to Strategic Foresight online short course

Client: Southern African Innovation Support (SAIS) Programme

This 6-module course trained municipalities from five African countries in a selection of strategic foresight tools and methods, to drive innovation in their ecosystems.

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Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation

Client: Royal Academy of Engineering

The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation is a 6-month programme for early-stage engineering entrepreneurs. With a strong focus on investment readiness, the programme allows entrepreneurs to design their own learning paths and access over 20 subject matter experts from across the continent for individual consultations. Viridian has delivered the Africa Prize programme in 2021 and 2022.

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