Afrique Excelle, a Francophone focused Africa-accelerator by World Bank Group has been launched. The accelerator was launched to support tech start-up in the late seed or pre-Series A stage.
It will offer access to capital to the tune of $5 million from investors and also link start-ups with mentors, tools, and learning resources. It will also sponsor a one week all-expenses-paid Bamako residency & showcase brands at VivaTech.
Afrique Excelle was launched at the Africa Early Stage Investor Summit in Cape Town, it is an initiative of the World Bank Group, and will be implemented by a consortium of VC4A, Suguba, and SahelInnov.
The accelerator programme is a six-month programme which will begin with a one-week residency in Bamako, Mali in March, and climax with the final venture showcase at VivaTech 2019, part of the one-week residency in Paris in May.
In 2017, Afrique Excelle implemented XL Africa accelerator which saw 19 out of 20 portfolio companies secure Series A investment.
Afrique Excelle is the Francophone version of the XL Africa Accelerator and both programmes offer help in securing funding and access to a bespoke curriculum as well as opportunity to receive mentoring from global and local experts.