From mid-September 2023 to mid-March 2024, AGEA led an intensive 6-month online investor readiness training programme, a part of a comprehensive action research centred on AGEA AgriTech and natural-resource-based start-ups in Africa. The program, led by the experienced Muhammed Alieu Barry (SEPT MBA), played a critical role in guiding the start-ups through their development stages. Of the nine start-ups that successfully completed the programme, seven were from AGEA’s alumni network, a testament to the potential and success of these ventures.
The training encompassed four core pillars, essential for investor readiness and covered a spectrum of critical areas: product development and enhancement, market research and strategy formulation, enterprise structuring and team building, and effective investor communication through pitch decks and business plans. Throughout the programme, the start-ups engaged in weekly group presentations and personalized consultations tailored to address specific challenges they encountered to ensure a customized learning experience.
Culminating on 08 March 2024, the programme included a pitch simulation where entrepreneurs presented their business ideas to a panel of potential investors. Notable participants included angel investors Mr. Alieu B. Senghore and Momodou Drammeh from the Gambia Angel Investors Network. It also had Bismark Agyei Yeboah (AGEA coordinator) and Mutiu A. Oyero from the SEPT MBA. The session adhered to pitching guidelines and offered each presenter 15 minutes for their pitch, followed by interactive sessions for investor feedback, crucial for refining their presentations to stimulate investor interest.
The participating start-ups included ARIM (Gambia), GIBTE (Gambia), Almuzariein Ventures (Nigeria), Garden in a Box Africa – GarBA (Nigeria), Hackcess Feeds and Additives (Nigeria), Hermetiavity (Uganda), Organicals Innovative Enterprise (Ghana), Smart Farm Technologies (Ghana), and Plant Life (Zimbabwe).
Reflecting on their experiences, entrepreneurs like Joanita Nangobi (Hermetiavity, Uganda) and Adesope Afolayan (GarBA, Nigeria) expressed gratitude for the role of the programme in advancing their ventures from ideation to tangible product development, emphasizing the pivotal role of structured investor preparation to secure crucial funding opportunities.
