Founders Factory Africa, an early-stage venture capital firm, has rebranded as 54 Collective, with a focus on supporting African start-ups using a R3 billion investment fund.
54 Collective, builds on its track record of investing in and scaling early-stage ventures in Africa. The new name, 54 Collective, reflects the firm’s ambitious pan-African vision, aspiring to help entrepreneurs grow their businesses to serve all 54 African countries.
“Our catalytic capital and value-add support to founders, through our Venture Success Platform, signifies our evolution and ongoing mission to support entrepreneurs across Africa and enable them to build without boundaries to drive commercial and impact returns. Our name change to 54 Collective communicates our continued commitment to African founders. We are more supportive than ever of unlocking opportunities for entrepreneurs and ensuring a level playing field for youth and women founders,” commented 54 Collective CEO Bongani Sithole.
Investment strategy
54 Collective, offers equity and non-dilutive capital up to a total of $500 000, enabling founders to scale their ventures across the continent. To break barriers of access, female founders receive an additional $150 000, to their male counterparts, in the form of non-dilutive capital.
The Venture Success Platform is made up of a team of highly experienced venture specialists who provide tailored support. This is in the form of product, growth, commercial relationships, business strategy, talent, technology, and data to build ventures for scale.
The team also ensures that founders have access to the right funding by preparing them for investor readiness, investor access, fundraising strategies, unlocking debt, and impact capital. The Venture Success Platform empowers founders to succeed globally by facilitating networking and community-building opportunities.
This unique combination of significant funding and comprehensive support distinguishes 54 Collective as the only Venture Capital firm in Africa offering early-stage founders with the highest amount of catalytic capital and support from the largest Africa-based venture capital team with over 70 staff members in Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, and the UK.
A future of empowerment
With seven of the world’s fastest-growing economies in Africa, the continent’s venture capital sector is rapidly expanding, with $6 billion invested annually. However, this represents less than 1 percent of global venture funding, indicating a significant unmet need for smart capital.
“We are pursuing opportunistic investments in different sectors across the continent where there are uniquely large opportunities for startups to scale and create sustainable impact in these sectors. Our goal is to invest in 105 startups across Africa in the next five years, enabling entrepreneurs to provide solutions to the continent’s biggest challenges and transforming lives and industries,” concluded Sithole.
54 Collective’s vision is to create a future where African entrepreneurship drives generational progress and prosperity across the continent. The firm’s new name, catalytic capital, and value-add Venture Success Platform offering, marks a new era for the venture capital ecosystem. 54 Collective is redefining investing across Africa, enabling its founders to build without boundaries and solve some of Africa’s biggest challenges.
