How To Pitch Your Startup To Investors: A Guide For African Founders

There are so many startups in Africa today — at least 3,360 according to Statista. But this isn’t surprising. After all, the continent is teeming with opportunities — with companies solving notable problems and investors backing different industries. So, how can you pitch your startup to these investors?

You must first craft your elevator pitch when pitching a startup. Then you have to master it to deliver it effectively. As a startup willing to address the needs of the growing population in Africa, a good pitch can help you gain investors quickly to secure funding.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to pitch a startup by exploring the steps involved and how you can confidently deliver a pitch.

How to create an interesting startup pitch

For your pitch, you first have to make a pitch structure or a pitch deck. A pitch deck is simply a visual representation of your startup’s story and journey. It helps capture your investors’ attention and effectively communicates your vision and potential to them.

The key elements of your pitch deck should include:

1. What problem is your startup addressing? Define the problem and highlight the points it resolves for your customers.
2. What solution does your startup offer? Introduce the solution and how it is set to address the problem you have highlighted.
3. What is your target market? Quantify your market opportunity by showing the size and growth possibility of your target market.
4. How much traction have you gathered? This is where you show off your growth. Showcase your traction milestones—initial sales vs current sales and your user base growth.
5. Who makes up your team? Flaunt your team’s expertise and experience—show their qualifications and the passion they have for your startup. Team introduction shows that you have capable hands working on your startup.
6. What are your finances like? Present your financial projections—cost structure, revenue model, and funding requirements.
7. How much do you want to be invested? ASK. State the amount you’re seeking and lay down the plan you have in place to use the investment in your growth goals.

Also, consider your design presentation layout. Ensure you use visual aids like well-mapped graphs and charts to present market and traction data to make it easier to quickly digest the data.

You can also use some elements of storytelling to get on the emotional side of the investors. From this, you get to craft the heart of your pitch.

How can you stand out when pitching your startup?

The best way to frame your pitch is by telling your startup story. Sounds easy but you need to captivate investors with a story that really resonates with them. Remember: these guys hear pitches all day long — you want to stand out from the crowd.

Here are some tips for standing out when pitching your startup:

• Get their attention first with a compelling opening. Here, you should highlight the problem your startup is looking to solve and how deeply it affects your target audience.
• Go on to explain how your problem-solution fit will help the average African. You can blow their minds with your startup’s value proposition, but keep hammering on the positive impact your startup will have on the overall growth of the African continent — be it social impact, economic impact, or job creation.
• Sell your team. Briefly introduce your team and how they tend to execute the vision of your startup with you.
• End with a call to action. Urge the investors to join you on your journey to improve Africa with your vision. 

We also recommend strengthening your narrative by backing it up with as much data and testimonials as possible. Paint a picture of what your startup’s future will look like and how its scalability could cut across Africa. 

Specific startup pitch tips for African founders

You need to consider a few specifics as an African founder when pitching your startup. After all, pitching isn’t just about the business idea — it’s about you, your team and the value your business has.

Here are some tips for African founders preparing their startup pitch:

• Build relationships with investors: Building a relationship with your investors beforehand gives you a higher chance of securing that investment. Attend industry-based events to have opportunities for better networking, investor engagement, and audience connections. Use social media platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn, as this can help you connect with investors. 
• Leverage your African advantage: You already have a competitive advantage as an African founder of an African startup, so maximise it — whatever that means to you.
• Use an expert to refine your startup pitch: To have a competitive edge in the African startup ecosystem, consider seeking guidance from business and technical experts who can relate to your unique challenges as an African founder. 

Now, let’s talk funding.

What are the funding opportunities for African startups?

You secure funding for your African startup through angel investors, venture capital firms and grants. Angel investors are high net-worth individuals willing to invest directly into promising (mostly early-stage) startups.

Of course, many venture capital firms are also interested in investing in African startups — firms like Ingressive Capital. We’ve been part of success stories for years and are passionate about backing tech founders who want to build a better Africa.

For example, we backed Klas in early 2024 because we knew we wanted to be part of the future they’re building. The Nigerian edtech company provides a free online teaching platform that allows people to create and possibly sell their online classes to their students.

So, what will you be pitching to us?

Final Thoughts

A pitch shouldn’t just say what your startup does — it should be a convincing and captivating story that wows investors and piques customer interest. This article contains tips that you can use to strengthen your pitch as a startup founder — use it wisely.

We’ve played a significant role in the success stories of many African startups — including Paystack. Now, we want you. Feel like you’ve got a pitch that’ll win us over? Then head over to our founder application page and apply!