Enygma Ventures announces extension for applications to its fund until Jan 15
Enygma Ventures has announced it is extending the period for its final 2020 call for applications to 15 January 2021.
Female applicants from the SADC region of Africa who have either business ideas or existing operating businesses looking for growth capital are welcome to apply.
In 2020, Engyma made seven seed round investments into women-led businesses committing over R50 million (about $3.3 million) to the continent. In addition, three pre-seed investments of $25,000 each were made by Enygma, in conjunction with partner Startup Circles, a business school for entrepreneurs that provides practical investor readiness programmes.
Three of the businesses to make it successfully through StartUpCircles programmes in 2020 were Candor Life, Aya Africa and Koa Academy. Each received pre-seed funding of $25,000 to support the initial start up of their business ideas.
– Candor life is a wholesale online platform enabling women in townships and rural areas across South Africa to become retailers in their communities through their unique reseller model.
– Aya Africa, the Etsy.com of Africa, is a platform that enables African Artisans from across the continent to sell their products online.
– Koa Academy is the first micro-school in South Africa for children in grades 4-9. Their aim is to reinvent education for our post-Covid-19 world by creating an alternative education platform.
“We are very excited to see these small businesses take off in 2021. Securing capital will help each of them bring their visions to life.” said Sarah Dusek, co-founder and managing partner of Engyma Ventures. “We’d love to support more entrepreneurs in bringing their ideas to life this year and so welcome applications from across the region from entrepreneurs who believe their ideas can change Africa for the better.” Successful pre-seed applicants will receive scholarships and partial scholarships to StartUp Circles programmes and the possibility of receiving $25,000 in pre-seed funding.
“We’re happy to see our entrepreneurs raise investment in such tough times,” said Sandras Phiri, CEO of Startup Circles. “As a business school we specialise in helping entrepreneurs understand exactly what they need to work on to create a valuable business that is attractive to investors. We’re looking forward to welcoming more people into our 2021 programmes.”
In addition, up to $1 million each, in growth capital funding is available for existing businesses looking to scale up and accelerate their growth.
Applications close on the 15th January 2021 and can be accessed here https://www.enygmaventures.com/applications
Reach Africa’s private equity community by publishing a Showcase Article, Job Opportunity or Event on Africa Private Equity News. Contact us at editor@africaprivateequitynews.com for our rate card and more information.