Angel Investment Fund Rising Tide Africa Launches to Cater to Investment Needs of Women

A female-oriented angel investment fund has launched in Africa with the aim of connecting female investors with innovative startups run by women across the continent.

Rising Tide Africa functions as part of a Global movement of The Rising Tide Program for Africa. It constitutes a group of women angel investors harnessing their power, network, passion and capital to positively impact and actively create a New Africa.

The fund was announced at last week’s African Angel Investor Summit in Cape Town, and follows successful programmes in Europe and the United States (US) that have involved hundreds of women.

Rising Tide Africa is an early-stage investment programme that will invest in between six and ten innovative and fast-growing African startups over a 12-18 month period. The lead investors will be women, with each participant committing between US$10,000 and US$1 million. It will also offer angel investing training, best practice sharing, and networking opportunities.

Investments of between US$50,000 and US$500,000 will be made into startups, with the fund aimed at both women that are new to angel investing and experienced investors.

Yemi Keri, board member at Rising Tide Africa, told the African Angel Investor Summit audience it was a “unique, transborder, women-oriented investment programme”.

She continued, “We are going to be investing across different countries across the continent.

“We shall also engage in educating and training. One of the critical things we want to do is train and mentor women. There are a lot of women that have the money but they don’t have the time to look at investment. We will look at these women as well as experienced investors.”

Rising Tide Africa partners with:  Go Beyond Early Stage Investing, Next Wave Foundation, ARM Securities Limited, International Trust Limited, African Business Angel Network and EBAN.