At Venture Capital and Private Equity in Africa (VC4Africa.com), an online community for investors and entrepreneurs dedicated to building business on the continent, we believe it is important we meet ‘offline’ as we do ‘online.’
For 9 months we have been using the BarCamp model (an international network of user generated conferences – open, participatory workshop/events, whose content is provided by participants) to organize our very own series of VC4Africa Meetups.
Already we have hosted VC4Africa meetups in Johannesburg, Abuja, Kampala, Nairobi (2x), Kigali, London, Washington DC, San Francisco, New York and Atlanta. We like this open format because it means that anyone can participate. Any member of VC4Africa can organize a meeting in their area whenever they feel there is a need.
A VC4Africa Meetup in Amsterdam
For the first Amsterdam meeting we hosted 18 entrepreneurs with vetted business plans. And not just from East Africa but from Mozambique, Ghana, Congo and Niger too! Can you believe that?
Needless to say, this was a great chance to connect them with possible partners and investors. Also friends and other people curious to meet them.
We had over 50 members join the networking event and facilitates many discussions between entrepreneurs and investors. We also had the chance to introduce the new VC4Africa logo and handed out t-shirts and stickers to members attending!
As with all VC4Africa Meetups, they are simply a place for members to meet one another and share thoughts and ideas. No speeches, no agenda, nothing planned. The loose structure allows for lots of networking. Just remember, everyone is expected to pay for their own drinks:)
Great intiative and I can confirm from watching the growth of iHub in Kenya that this creative thinking space concept is by far the most effective. When was this meeting though? Can’t see the date.