This Fall, We’re Shifting the Narrative. Are You In? 🔥
- Founder's Notes:
- Fireside chat recap
- Catalyze 2025 is coming! 🎊
- Members Only Events
- Ecosystem Updates
- International events relevant to African Founders
📮 Founder's Notes
Dear friends, I am incredibly excited and deeply honored to officially announce Catalyze 2025.
I feel honored because I get to continuously fulfill my vision of bringing together amazing African founders and giving them the platform and recognition they truly deserve.
Catalyze is the Conference for African Innovation, and is created by The Beta Collective. To be the founder creating something like this, supported by a great team that is also passionate about this vision, means alot.
This year's theme is deeply meaningful—it's called "African by Design." To me, this embodies trusting and elevating the brilliance of African innovators, leveraging our own experiences, knowledge, and creativity to craft solutions genuinely resonating with our communities.
"African by Design" is more than a theme; it's a powerful call to action. It challenges us to move beyond imported solutions and embrace locally crafted innovations that authentically address our most pressing challenges—particularly at the intersection of energy, climate, and sustainable development.
At Catalyze 2025, you'll experience firsthand the inspiring stories and groundbreaking ideas from African founders, industry leaders, impact investors, and change-makers. Expect genuine conversations, practical workshops, and meaningful connections with those actively shaping Africa’s future.
Stay tuned—I can't wait to share more details and introduce you to our incredible speakers. The official date announcement will follow in a few days.
This isn't just another conference—it's a celebration of African Innovation! (More Info Below)
Let's go!
Community
Updates from The Beta Collective Community by Priscilla
🔔 Catalyze 2025 Is Coming This Fall!!
Theme: African by Design – Building Local Innovations for Impact
We're thrilled to announce that Catalyze 2025 is happening this fall in Houston!
This year’s theme, African by Design, is a celebration of local ingenuity, bold ideas, and solution-building rooted in the African experience. It’s more than a theme — it’s a movement.
Catalyze is where Africa’s problem-solvers, builders, and visionaries come together — from founders and policymakers to creatives and funders — to spotlight and scale locally designed innovations making real impact across the continent and beyond.
Join us as we shift the narrative: from imported answers to homegrown solutions, from adaptation to authorship.
📍 Houston | Fall 2025
💡 Registration opens soon. Sign up to get notified first.
Community Session Recap: Women Shaping Africa’s Startup Future👩🏾💼
In June, Beta Collective hosted a powerful fireside chat on “Women Shaping Africa’s Startup Future,” featuring Leslie Ossete, Co-Founder & COO of M Studio, and Chineye Ochem, Co-Founder & CEO of Tyms. Moderated by Ukeme, the conversation unpacked the challenges and triumphs of women founders and spotlighted real strategies to navigate Africa’s innovation ecosystem — especially in the face of gender funding gaps.
Here’s what we learned:
🚀 Purpose vs Profit? You Need Both
Leslie and Chineye made it clear: being purpose-driven isn’t enough. While many women founders are naturally drawn to solving social issues, they emphasized that financial sustainability is key. Chineye encouraged founders to adopt a profitability mindset early, and Leslie shared how M Studio tracks both impact and financial KPIs in the startups they support.
👥 Your First Hires Will Shape Everything
Both founders stressed the importance of hiring for culture, attitude, and adaptability over experience — especially in the early stages. Leslie shared lessons from Wave Mobile Money, where graduates with no prior experience succeeded because they had the right mindset. Chineye noted that corporate-trained hires often struggle with the fast-paced, ever-changing reality of startups.
💼 Bias Exists — But It Can Be Navigated
The discussion didn’t shy away from uncomfortable truths. From subtle resistance from male colleagues to gender bias in investor meetings, both founders reflected on how they’ve learned to manage and respond. Leslie recommended leaning on mentors and making bold team decisions when values clash. Chineye noted that having a male co-founder sometimes helps neutralize investor bias, but urged women to build visibility, speak up, and show boldness regardless.
💡 Fundraising: VC Isn’t the Only Path
When it comes to raising funds, Leslie and Chineye advised founders to stay true to their mission. Instead of shaping your business to “look good” to VCs, focus on traction, a clear revenue model, and partners that align with your vision. Alternative funding sources — like angel investors or foundations — were also highlighted.
🌍 Build for Your Market, Stay Rooted in Your Culture
During the Q&A, community members like Idongesit Obeya and Adaeze Udeogalanya raised important questions about market fit and social impact. Chineye stressed understanding local pain points through feedback and surveys, while Leslie reminded us not to build in isolation — encouraging founders to join accelerators, communities, and peer networks for support and connection.
The session ended with a look ahead to Catalyze, our annual in-person conference themed "African by Design". We’re excited to keep the momentum going as we celebrate innovation that’s made for — and by — Africans.
A heartfelt thank you to Leslie, Chineye, and everyone who joined. Let’s keep building bold, sustainable, and inclusive businesses together.
Members Only Event 🔐
Pitch Tuesdays
Every Tuesday, members of our community get the spotlight to pitch their startups, side projects, or bold ideas. It’s a safe, supportive space to practice your pitch, get feedback, and connect with potential collaborators or mentors. Whether you’re refining your concept or ready to launch, this is your time to shine.
Members only. 🎤
Weekly WhatsApp Discussions
Join our WhatsApp group every week for a focused, real-time conversation around the topic of discussion. It’s a chance to share your take, ask questions, and learn from the lived experiences of others in the community.
Don’t miss out on our members-only event — it’s your chance to connect, pitch, and grow with a community that truly gets it.
Ecosystem
News, Events, and Updates by Jesse
News
Google Selects 15 African AI Startups for Latest Accelerator Program
Google selected 15 AI startups from across Africa for its 2024 accelerator, offering mentorship and up to $350K in support. Selected startups are solving real-world problems in sectors like agriculture, health, fintech, and logistics using AI.
Standouts include Nigeria’s Scandium (QA automation), Kenya’s Shamba Records (smart farming), and Senegal’s TOLBI (climate-smart agriculture).
Fred Kennedy
Funding and Resources
Call for Entries — Africa Deep Tech Challenge 2025
The Africa Deep Tech Challenge 2025 is open for entries until July 31, targeting low-power tech solutions with prizes up to $8,000.
No startup experience is needed—just a prototype, project report, and short video submission.
Deadline: July 31, 2025
Africa Deep Tech Foundation
Events
Africa–Singapore Business Forum 2025
August 26–28, Singapore
A premier platform bringing together over 700 business and government leaders to explore trade, investment, and innovation opportunities between Africa and Asia. This year’s theme, “Bridging Capabilities, Charting Sustainable Growth,” will spotlight partnerships in fintech, energy, logistics, and urban development. For: C-suite executives, investors, policymakers & ecosystem connectors.
Green Technology Innovation for Industrial Growth in Africa
July 8, 2025, 1:00 pm–3:00 pm (GMT), Accra
Join ACET’s policy-learning session focused on deepening understanding of green-tech’s role in Africa’s industrial transformation. Featuring expert discussions on aligning policy frameworks, unlocking finance, and strengthening startup involvement in sustainable industrialization. For: Policymakers, funders, industry leaders & cleantech entrepreneurs.
AI Summit Johannesburg
July 10th, Midrand, Gauteng, South Africa
Midrand, Gauteng – An exclusive in-person summit from CloudPlexo & partners, designed for visionary tech leaders across Africa’s innovation ecosystem. The event brings together startup founders, CTOs, CIOs, enterprise executives, innovation managers, and IT heads to explore real-world applications of AI, cloud infrastructure, and scaling strategies in African business. Expect expert-led talks, case studies, AWS collaboration opportunities, and networking moments with investors and architects.
For: Founders, CTOs, DevOps engineers, innovation leads, enterprise IT leaders & cloud architects.
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