For the first time, two innovators win the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation
Electrical engineer Anatoli Kirigwajjo wins with community ‘panic button’ inspired by traditional African warning drums. Biomedical engineer Edmund Wessels selected for increasing access to reproductive healthcare for women in remote areas, with portable device for gynaecology. Both innovators are awarded £25,000. Edmund Wessels, a South African biomedical engineer, and Anatoli Kirigwajjo, a Ugandan electrical engineer, have jointly won […]
Women’s Day 2023 – Women-focused resource, opportunity, and event roundup
Viridian is a female-owned business, with a predominantly female team, and proud of it. In this blog post, we’re excited to spotlight a collection of helpful resources, upcoming events, and exciting opportunities for women-led businesses. Opportunities for female founders: Grindstone X opportunity Are you the female founder of a tech startup in South Africa […]
African Angel Academy partners with DGGF and FMO Ventures
African Angel Academy partners with DGGF and FMO to accelerate angel investing activity in East and West Africa. The African Angel Academy (AAA) is thrilled to announce a strategic partnership with DGGF (Dutch Good Growth Fund), an investment initiative from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and FMO, the Dutch Entrepreneurial Development Bank. As sponsors, DGGF and FMO […]
Viridian is hiring: French-speaking Programme Manager
Context: The African Angel Academy (AAA) (www.africanangelacademy.com) is the first online programme for new and aspiring African angel investors, run by the Viridian team in Cape Town in partnership with ViKtoria Ventures in Nairobi. Over the past 3 years, the programme has trained over 400 new angels from 15 African countries. The programme consists […]
The Blue Economy and Blue Tech investment opportunities
Viridian has run the African Angel Academy since 2021, training close to 400 emerging angels from 12 African countries. In partnership with OceanHub Africa and supported by GIZ, we recently presented a masterclass for angels on Blue Tech and the sustainable blue economy. What do these terms mean, and what are the investment opportunities out […]
2020 Reflections
What a year! In a time of so much uncertainty and unforeseen challenges, we feel very privileged to have formed a strong, resilient team who have delivered an incredible volume of training content and programmatic support for African entrepreneurs, hubs, early-stage investors and innovation support organisations. We are excited for an even more impactful 2021 […]
International Funding and Support for SA SMEs & Start-ups – Infographic
With each country designing specific interventions for local businesses, there are a few global initiatives and funds emerging extending support to African businesses, particularly those with a strong impact focus.
Online Resources & Support for SMEs
There have been thousands of articles, reports and ebooks written; websites and platforms set up; and webinars delivered to support South African small businesses during these unprecedented market conditions. But filtering the right resources for you and your business may be a little overwhelming. We’ve selected a group of online communities, resource hubs, crowdfunding platforms, […]
How to raise impact investment by July 2020
This post was written by Michelle Matthews, Senior Consultant at Fraser Consulting. The short answer is: with much difficulty. But it’s not impossible. The Centre for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE) at Duke University’s Managing Fundraising During COVID19 webinar, which took place on 16 April 2020, was one of the more insightful of the […]
Tech Tools for your SME – Covid-19 Infographic
The National Lockdown may have fundamentally changed the way you run your business or deliver your product or service. Or perhaps you’re now offering an entirely different product or service in response to the changing market. However you’re responding to the new environment we find ourselves operating in… it isn’t easy. There are countless apps […]