DIGITAL SME is seeking SME speakers for the 3rd EU-Africa Summit 2025, set for 19-21 June 2025 in Johannesburg, South Africa. 

The event will focus on how Entrepreneurial Creativity, the EU’s Global Gateway, and the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) can drive sustainable development across both continents. SMEs and Mid-Caps play a crucial role in advancing AfCFTA’s objectives and supporting green, digital, and inclusive growth. DIGITAL SME is specifically looking for SMEs to pitch solutions related to digital platforms that facilitate remote access to services. 

Travel and accommodation expenses will not be covered.

Call for speakers - EU-Africa Summit 2025

Funding Pathways: Practical Strategies for Research & Innovation Actors

Funded by the European Union (Horizon Europe programme), SEADE provides fundamental and tangible support services to the Research and Innovation (R&I) ecosystems of Europe (EU) and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), undertaking human-centred research, programme development, and pilot actions in Ghana, South Africa Kenya and Senegal.

Join our virtual boot camp designed to equip European and African research and innovation actors with essential skills and knowledge to identify, apply for, and secure funding opportunities. This session will focus on navigating the EU funding landscape, building funding resilience, and implementing practical strategies for diversifying funding streams.

Learn directly from experts at Steinbeis about Horizon Europe opportunities, gain insights from successful R&I actors, and discover practical approaches to identifying appropriate funding opportunities. Whether facing challenges with major funders pulling out or seeking to build sustainable research models, this boot camp will provide valuable guidance tailored to research and innovation actor-specific needs.

https://www.seade-project.eu/

SEADE Bootcamp

Navigating Challenges that limit market access for R&IID Innovations in Europe and Africa

This session will focus on providing an understanding of the challenges that impede the transition of Research and Innovation Solutions to the market. It will begin by painting a picture of the market situation in both Europe and Africa, highlight the existing problems for market penetration in each and provide a success story for solutions that have navigated these challenges. The session will conclude with a case study for the Kenyan innovation market ecosystem.

Interested targets will be Startups, Entrepreneurs, Business persons and related individuals across the Europe and Africa that have a need for penetrating markets in these regions.

SEADE  Bootcamp

Orange Corners Innovation Fund (OCIF) GROW Apply for R200,000–R1,000,000 in funding for your innovative South African business. Open to entrepreneurs aged 18-35 with proven market traction and scaling potential. OCIF GROW supports disruptive products, services, and business models aligned with SDGs.  Applications close March 31, 2025. Managed by CDI Capital, this fund helps create jobs and address social challenges while fueling your business growth.  

Are you an ambitious entrepreneur building something innovative and extraordinary?

Do you have a disruptive product, a revolutionary service, or a bold new business model with proven market traction and the potential to scale with the injection of catalytic funding?

Aged 18-35 and working anywhere in South Africa?

Yes? Then the Orange Corners Innovation Fund (OCIF) GROW programme is looking for YOU!

Funding between R200,000 – R1,000,000 to fuel your business growth

Support your innovative products, processes, business models, or marketing strategies

A chance to scale up and grow your workforce

The opportunity to drive positive change through alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Don’t miss out – applications are now open below!

OCIF GROW, the newly launched fund of the Orange Corners Innovation Fund (OCIF) in South Africa, is an extension of the Orange Corners incubation and acceleration programmes internationally, designed to address the financing needs of young entrepreneurs in Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. OCIF supports young entrepreneurs to scale their businesses, create jobs and address local social challenges.

OCIF GROW is open to all eligible businesses in South Africa.
Applications for GROW are open now and the deadline is 31 March 2025. Please see more below.

OCIF is proudly managed by CDI Capital in South Africa.

CDI Capital also manages the OCIF IGNITE fund which is offered in collaboration with the Orange Corners Designs programme, operated by the Craft + Design Institute (CDI) non-profit company (IGNITE is only open to Orange Corners Designs programme participants).

Apply for up to R1m in funding

WE-RISE's main goal is to empower underrepresented female entrepreneurs in GreenTech, AgriTech, and ClimateTech, through a strategic blend of funding and tailored support. The project aims to amplify the market presence of high potential women-led startups, particularly from emerging European countries. 

The WE-RISE Open Call aims to support 20 women-led tech startups in GreenTech, AgriTech, and ClimateTech from less developed European countries, enhancing their market presence and impact. With a total budget of €600,000, the program offers targeted funding, investor matchmaking, and cross-border acceleration. Startups must first join the WE-RISE Greenhouse Community on EuroQuity before applying. The application period runs from March 12 to May 14, 2025, with a structured selection process leading to a two-phase growth program. Key evaluation criteria include innovation, market potential, scalability, and investment readiness.

WE-RISE 1st Open Call

A survey to understand the needs of the entrepreneurs in our ecosystem and help connect them to relevant support service providers

Understanding the needs of the entrepreneurs in our ecosystem is key to providing them with the right support. Start with an assessment of your company's current needs to find matching support services and programmes of the EiA network across Europe and Africa. 

Needs Assessment Survey

Special platform access enabling Champions to promote their programmes to the ENRICH in Africa ecosystem

EiA Champions receive special access to our platform, enabling them to promote their programmes and events to the ENRICH in Africa ecosystem on our marketplace. 

Check it out to see what the EiA network has to offer!

Marketplace

The annual networking and learning event for Champions

Once a year, ENRICH in Africa, in cooperation with a Champion, hosts the Annual Champion’s Gatherings to foster mutual learning and

collaboration among the members of the network spread across different entrepreneurial ecosystems in Africa and

Europe. Following an in-depth learning journey on how to best support the entrepreneurs, the annual gathering is the main space for the capacity building of champions. It is also an important moment for the onboarding of new champions. 

If you are an African or European incubator or accelerator and would like to participate in the different programmes and activities organised by EiA, become an EiA Champion!

Champions Gathering

EiA is offering intensive bootcamp style trainings to a selected number of EiA Champions. These include in-person training, individual coaching, guided access to methodologies and tools and post bootcamp check-ins to share progress and learning. 

The content of these trainings is largely focused on how to deliver quality entrepreneurial support programmes and is informed by a diagnostic activity conducted with each participant. Programme-related training covers programme design, scouting and selecting talent, delivering the right support, facilitating connections, connecting to capital as well as measurement, evaluation and learning. Training also seeks to build capacity in other areas that impact the quality of support programmes including community management, business development, finance and operations. 

If you are an African or European incubator or accelerator and would like to participate in the different services offered by EiA, become an EiA Champion!

Bootcamp Training

The EiA Virtual Academy provides a number of capacity building opportunities for EiA Champions. 

The EiA Virtual Academy provides a number of online capacity building opportunities for EiA Champions. 

It allows them to access a portfolio of tools, templates and other resources relating to the various stages of the entrepreneurial journey, harvested by EiA project partner Impact Hub. These resources serve to enhance the way support programmes to entrepreneurs are delivered.

Here, Champions can join online learning groups to access peer-to-peer support and share best practices. A platform featuring different educational media and assignments makes for an entertaining and informative learning journey.  

If you are delivering incubation or accerleration services in Europe or Africa, and would like to start your learning journey with ENRICH in Africa, apply to become a part of the Champions network!

Virtual Academy - coming soon

Mentorship programme for accelerators and incubators across Europe and Africa that aim to form part of our network of ENRICH in Africa Champions

The EiA Mentoring Programme offers a mentorship programme for accelerators and incubators across Europe and Africa that aim to form part of our network of ENRICH in Africa Champions. This is done through a series of workshops, group sessions, shared video content and online collaborative assignments and exercises. This programme is set out to identify their skill set in specific areas and assist in enhancing the performance of their organisation. 

The programme is available to pre-Champions to support their application to our membership programme. If you are interested, please contact us at champions[at]enrichinafrica.com. 

Mentoring Programme

The EiA Twinning Programme connects Champions from Africa and Europe to explore collaboration opportunities and exchange knowledge and best practices.

ENRICH in Africa aims to support innovation in Africa and the European Union by upgrading the capacity of incubators and accelerators in both regions. One of the services offered towards this goal is the Twinning programme for EiA Champions. 

It connects Champions from Africa and Europe to exchange best practices and explore opportunities for collaboration. 

In the EiA Twinning Programme, the EiA Champion chooses the criteria that will be followed to select a Twinning pair.

If you are an EiA Champion interested in taking part in the programme, please email champions(at)enrichinafrica.com, so we can work with you to find your perfect match!

If you are an African or European incubator or accelerator and would like to participate in the different programmes and activities organised by EiA, become an EiA Champion! 

ENRICH in Africa Services

Innovative Services for Innovative People

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Call for speakers - EU-Africa Summit 2025

Apr 07

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SEADE Bootcamp

Apr 03

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SEADE Bootcamp

Apr 03

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Apply for up to R1m in funding

Mar 31

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WE-RISE 1st Open Call

Mar 18

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Needs Assessment Survey

Nov 17

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Marketplace

Nov 17

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Champions Gathering

Nov 17

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Bootcamp Training

Nov 16

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Virtual Academy - coming soon

Nov 16

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Mentoring Programme

Nov 16

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Twinning Programme

Nov 15

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