Spoken Word with Emi Mahmoud

It is estimated that over $5 billion was invested across Africa in 2022 – the number of start-ups is growing quickly. As the ecosystem matures, the expectations are higher for founders in Africa. Join us for an intimate fireside with some of Africa’s leading start-up founders. We will delve deep into the highs and lows of being a founder – from building a world-class team, attracting customers, and fundraising, to maintaining self-care.

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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?

Doing business in Africa is tough work – myth or fact? It’s no doubt that African countries vary in terms of ease of doing business based on a myriad of factors. This panel will engage private investors, operators and public actors to unravel the nuances of investing on the continent and explore how to navigate an ever-evolving regulatory landscape. What are the key considerations for private players who want to set up operations in a country? What is the government's role in increasing the volume of local and international investments in African countries? How is the private sector innovating to collaborate with governments on investment promotion and policy? What do the private actors want from the government? What does the government feel its responsibility is? How do these overlap? How can we continue to drive dialogue that ensures alignment of incentives in doubling down on Africa’s growth