We are Africa’s largest venture development company, leading corporate-startup collaboration to create value for everyone. We’re building stronger markets, with more choice and better solutions for consumers, a thriving talent pool, healthier economies, and more resilient businesses.
We offer corporates a de-risked investment model of innovation, alongside opportunities to test concepts and learn with novel technologies across new markets. Our goal is to be the best growth engine for founders across Africa and beyond, and the innovation partner of choice for investors, government, and corporates.
FFA exists to deliver global scale returns, and we’re on track to deliver 140+ businesses over 5 years.
Now is the right time to invest in tech and innovation — to survive the pandemic, and to recover from it stronger than before. Many are doing just that, in Africa and across the world.
Technology — and the solutions that leverage tech —will dramatically speed up the course of pandemic relief and recovery, as well as deliver strategically progressive and human-centred answers to new challenges.
Due to misconceptions, nervousness and a lack of understanding, exciting and exponentially valuable opportunities to capitalise on the African startup ecosystem sit dormant and unrealised. Through our unique proposition, we transform them into a blaze of growth and prosperity.
We understand the nuances of seed investment and business building in Africa. Our senior leadership team has worked extensively with entrepreneurs across Africa and South Asia for decades.
Before establishing FFA, they grew 76 startups to a portfolio value of $120mm, across all key sectors. Under their accelerated growth approach these businesses experienced average annual revenue growth of 151% between their first and second years of operation, and received over $5mm in early-stage seed funding.
We’re both locally-minded and globally connected, sourcing entrepreneurs, activating investments, working with governments to unlock regulatory challenges, and recruiting talent and resources from across the world.
We provide a combination of capital and technical support, helping us build the best businesses, attract the best founders, and drive scale across our growing portfolio.
Founders Factory Africa operates with a different model to a consultancy or a fund. We’re a full-time team of startup specialists, complimenting any existing in-house corporate innovation entities or corporate venture funds, collaborating and adding value rather than competing for the same outcomes.
As an independent entity, we take the risks that our corporate and other investors can’t — on their behalf. Not burdened with mounds of paperwork and approval processes, we are fast and agile — and have risk built-in into our returns model.
If you are eager to drive innovation inside and outside your corporate, or want to unlock dormant IP to build exciting and commercially sustainable ventures, or you simply want to solve your challenges in a faster and leaner way, speak to us to get the journey started. Or better still — visit us to see the action in person.
“Seed capital and business development programmes like FFA are needed to meet the fast-paced demand for technology across all sectors of business, and the effect it can have on improving growth. Standard Bank, being an African business, is committed to participating in this vital element of the economy.”
There are multiple ways for corporates to gain value from collaborating with, investing in, and learning from startups and scaling ventures.
Through FFA, our partners invest capital in Africa’s startup economy to benefit from innovative technological transformation, and receive commercial, impact, and cultural returns on their investments.
Not all ventures will succeed, and that’s OK.
Those that do will deliver significant returns and impact for all stakeholders.
We’ve developed a range of investment models to cater to the different priorities and strategic needs of individual corporate and government entities — from investment into FFA (joining Standard Bank Group and Netcare), to forming Joint Ventures with FFA in the corporates’ specific select sector and/or market. We design our investment and corporate engagement models in collaboration with each corporate investor, based on their technical and innovation capabilities, market footprint, and commercial priorities.
Some of the investment opportunities available:
Portfolio Partners co-build and co-scale specific number of businesses with FFA in a chosen sector or market each year
Exposure Partners work with FFA to scout for businesses in select corporate sector, piloting with those most strategically aligned to your priorities.
From early-stage (pre Series A) to mature-stage businesses (Series A+). Directly invest in select businesses that are strategically aligned to your corporate mandate.
Through Africa’s Seed Fund - Buy into Africa’s seed stage ecosystem with a fund dedicated deploying capital across the FFA portfolio and other external opportunities.
You don’t have to invest capital in FFA or our portfolio companies to work with us, and to reap the benefits of accessing Africa’s growing startup economy.
We’ve developed a range of partnership models designed for companies to unlock novel opportunities for startup collaboration, and commercialise internal IP and ideas. We match-make startups and partners where it makes sense, working with companies that complement the value we create for our startups.
Our partners help our startups with distribution, product validation, data access, market insights, network, and credibility. In turn, startups help our partners solve their internal challenges through innovation, and delivery of products and services to their clients.
Largest African bank by assets with a unique footprint across 20 African countries. With more than 54 000 employees, approximately 1 200 branches and 9 000 ATMs on the African continent.
Leading private healthcare group in South Africa, listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, with revenue of R21 589 million in 2019 and 21 000 permanent employees.
Small Foundation, a Dublin-based philanthropic foundation focused on the rural and agriculture sector in sub-Saharan Africa, has partnered with FFA to support agtech startups across sub-Saharan Africa.
Founders Factory is the world's leading startup accelerator and studio. Built by Brent Hoberman and Henry Lane Fox, is built on the belief that the world would be a better place if entrepreneurial spirit can flourish. They have created the best ecosystem in technology to support that idea.
Founders Factory partners include L'Oréal, Aviva, Marks & Spencer, Reckitt Benckiser, Holtzbrinck, Guardian Media Group, easyJet, CSC, Standard Bank, Netcare, Aviva France and Johnson & Johnson DC. Each corporate investor has a portfolio of 25 seed investments and 10 new startups created in line with their strategic interests.
Founders Factory employs over 130 digital operators and has launched hubs in London, Johannesburg, New York and Paris.
Executive search firm specialising in building leadership teams within the digital and technology spaces.
Invitational event-driven community for technology founders, investors, academics, government and influencers.
Not-for-profit initiative launched to challenge the underrepresentation of women in technology.
Philanthropic arm of Founders Forum that enables founders to pledge a percentage of their exit to charitable causes.
If you'd like to partner with startups to test, pilot or enhance your client offering with a new product - let us know and we'll walk you through our current portfolio to find the best fit with the right startup and your teams.
“We’re excited about the selection of the first three healthtech startups, which will help stimulate healthcare innovation and development across the continent. By joining forces with FFA, we’re helping to create a support system for entrepreneurs, as well as providing value to people across Africa.”
