Raise a pre-seed or seed round in Africa

Confirm you're ready to raise. The bar for African pre-seed investment is usually: a working product (not just a pitch), at least one paying customer or 100+ active free users, a clear articulation of the problem and business model, and a team of 2+. Most African funds will not invest at pure idea stage.

Decide your round structure. A pre-seed SAFE with a valuation cap is the simplest and fastest structure. Typical caps for Nigerian and Kenyan pre-seed rounds range from $1M to $3M. Avoid setting your cap so low it's insulting or so high it's laughable - anchor to comparable recent rounds in your market.

Set your target raise amount and use of funds. Be specific: '$300K to hire 2 engineers, hit $50K MRR, and reach profitability in 18 months' is far more compelling than '$500K to grow the business'.

Build your target investor list of 30-50 investors. For pre-seed, prioritise: Microtraction, Ingressive Capital, Launch Africa, Oui Capital, Future Africa Collective, CcHUB, Lagos Angel Network, and any angel investors who have backed similar companies.

Open your round with the 5-10 strongest relationships first. Momentum is everything in fundraising. Getting a term sheet or a SAFE commitment from one credible investor makes all subsequent conversations easier. Lead with your best shots, not your cold outreach.

Run a structured process. Set a 60-90 day fundraising window. Be in 5-10 investor conversations simultaneously. Track every conversation in a CRM or spreadsheet: date of first contact, last update, next step, and whether they've accessed your data room.

In every investor meeting: spend the first 10 minutes on your story and why you (not just why the market), the next 15 minutes on a live product demo, then open it up for questions. Don't pitch for 45 minutes straight.

When you receive a SAFE or term sheet: don't sign immediately. Circulate it to 2-3 other investors to create urgency. Get a lawyer to review any terms you don't fully understand.

Close in tranches if needed. Closing a round doesn't have to be all-or-nothing. You can announce a first close (e.g. '$150K of a $300K round') and use that to pull in remaining investors.

Announce your round publicly after close. A TechCabal or Disrupt Africa press mention of your funding signals credibility to future investors, customers, and hires. Founders who close quietly miss a major credibility multiplier.