From pre-seed to scale-up: venture capital as a lever for innovation and transformation

Watch the presentation by Moses Mukundi, CEO of EdenCare, Joseph Hurst-Croft, CEO of Arc Ride, Brandon Roberts, CEO of LittleFish, Kevin Simmons, General Partner of Lofty and Arul Thomas, Partner at Lightrock, on Agora Innovate at Africa Forward | Inspire & Connect, an event co-organised by Bpifrance. This panel discussion explores the challenges of scaling African startups through the "messy middle," where founders must transition from early-stage experimentation to building resilient, institutional-grade businesses. Participants argue that the ecosystem is currently hindered by a misalignment between venture capital structures—often imported from other regions—and the reality of building foundational infrastructure in Africa. To foster genuine innovation, the speakers advocate for longer investment horizons, more collaborative "club" deals, and a shift in focus toward building durable, profitable companies rather than solely chasing unicorn valuations. This summary was generated by AI. #AfricaForwardIC Follow us on : LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/company/bpifrance-international/ Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/bpifrance/ Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/bpifrance X : https://x.com/bpifrance Tiktok : https://www.tiktok.com/@bpifrance Bluesky : https://bsky.app/profile/bpifrance-officiel.bsky.social Find out more about Africa Forward I Inspire & Connect, an event co-organised by Bpifrance, Business France and Proparco, under the High Patronage of the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, and the President of the Republic of Kenya, William Ruto, bringing together decision-makers and entrepreneurs to discuss concrete solutions for Africa: from the energy transition to AI, via green industrialisation, sustainable agriculture and healthcare : https://www.af-inspire-connect.com/ You can also attend other conferences dedicated to co-industrialisation, co-investment and innovation at our event : https://big.bpifrance.fr/ To register : https://big.bpifrance.fr/fr/registration/formulaire-d-inscription