Opening Keynote with Mostafa Terrab

This panel discussion will focus on negotiations for startups in the African business landscape. The panel will include a venture capitalist investor, a lawyer with expertise in startup law, and the founder of a successful startup. The discussion will explore best practices for negotiating with investors, partners, and suppliers in order to achieve favorable outcomes for startups. The panelists will also share their experiences and insights on navigating the unique challenges and opportunities presented by the African business environment.

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Although Entrepreneurship through Acquisition (ETA)— where entrepreneurs search for and acquire small, stable, cash-flow positive businesses with the intention to grow them over time—is becoming more popular, few “search funds” have been established in Africa. Indeed, there has been limited data to support the case for investing in African search funds and the benefits of this novel asset class. Still, ETA remains uniquely positioned to unlock value, find new talent, and accelerate the growth and development of SMEs—particularly family businesses—across the continent. This panel will focus on three key questions: (1) What makes Africa ripe for the growth of search funds? (2) How can the North American search fund model function on the continent? (3) What are the dynamics of operating and growing businesses under this model?