Deadline:
As soon as possible
Location(s)
Online
Remote
Overview
We invest in early-stage founders building the future of digital commerce in Africa. We back our portfolio with thefunding, mentorship, and expertise they need to thrive.
Details
Differentiated Capital
- We offer high-conviction capital at founder-friendly terms. We invest $50,000 with our first check, then up to $150,000 in follow-on capital alongside our syndicate. We're often one of the first investors in our portfolio companies.
Practical Mentorship
- We connect founders with other operators who can offer ground-tested advice to help shortcut the cycles needed to keep growing. Our team offers a hands-on program designed to help startups successfully prepare and close their first institutional round in exchange for advisory shares.
Focused Community
- Our Sufficient Capital community is the meeting place for the best investors, builders, and experts in the African digital commerce.
Our support program is entirely remote and designed with virtual communities, toolkits, and processes in mind. Luckily, we’ve been fully remote since our inception so we’ve had plenty of time to zero-in on what works.
How do I apply?
We have an open application process. We also work with an exceptional team of venture scouts who can refer you to our team for consideration.
Email us at pitch@dfslab.net
Opportunity is About
Eligibility
Candidates should be from:
Description of Ideal Candidate
What geographies do you invest in?
- We invest across Africa.
What do you invest in?
- We invest in digital commerce companies serving African markets. Our current portfolio includes mostly fintech, ecommerce, and logistics startups, but if you’re creating businesses that will define the future of commerce on the continent, we’re interested.
What stage do you invest in?
- We are oftentimes the first check into a company aside from “family and friends.” Our focus is then helping our portfolio companies raise their pre-seed and seed rounds at which point we may top-up our investment in the most promising companies.
Dates
Deadline: As soon as possible
Cost/funding for participants
What are your check size and terms?
- We invest a $50K check into a post-money YC SAFE with a standard valuation cap. We also take a small portion of equity in the form of advisory shares directly as DFS Lab in order to fund our cohort support programs.
- In some instances, we offer exceptions to our standard terms for opportunities that have advanced traction. For our most promising companies, we add to our investment during the pre-seed and seed rounds with additional investments up to $150K.
Un-save Opportunity
Internships, scholarships, student conferences and competitions.
