Dream VC, an African venture capital network, has opened applications for its VC accelerator program to help current and existing investors access African markets.
Dream VC, an African venture capital network has opened applications for the 2023 cohort of its VC accelerator program, Launch into VC, which aims to help existing and potential investors to access markets across Africa.
Dream VC
Founded in 2021 by Mark Kleyner and Cindy Ai, Dream VC has trained over 80 African and Africa-focused investment professional across three cohorts. According to the company, many of its alumni are now leading and operating in different investment roles for leading African venture and tech firms.
“We strongly believe in the potential of African talent, and our programs will help prepare these future leaders who will join VCs, launch ESOs, become angels, venture builders, and even entrepreneurs,” said Cindy Ai.
The program
Launch into VC is a 12-week foundational program for junior professionals aiming to break into venture capital. The program is part time and entirely remote. The bootcamp-style course is designed to take candidates up to 15 hours per week.
Candidates do not require any prior knowledge of investing, or startups.
Launch into VC is tailored to junior professionals and graduates who wish to build their skillset and break into entry-level roles in African-focused VC and investment firms.
The company also believes that the founders of Africa-based or focused startups can benefit from the training. According to Dream VC, founders can gain insight into how investors assess deals and the end-to-end process of how the other side of the table thinks, from initial intro call to term sheet negotiation. This knowledge can then be used to successfully raise venture financing and potentially write angel checks to the startup’s founder network, according to Dream VC.
Creating networks
Dream VC was founded in order to create a support network for aspiring investors seeking to enter the African startup scene. The first program launched in 2021 and further editions will aim to provide participants with “in-depth knowledge around investing through an Afro-centric lens”, according to the company. The aim of the programs is to provide students with valuable skills and toolkits that will enable them to become successful investors in their respective ecosystem.
Applications for the 2023 cohort can be made here, until April 16.
In recent funding news, EchoVC recently launched its USD 8 million blockchain-focused fund and Impact Investing Ghana announced plans to unlock USD 75 million for local capital providers.