Angel investing means putting money into a business early before it is big enough to attract larger investors. It is the first cheque a founder receives from someone outside their own capital.
According to the ABAN 2025 Angel Investment Survey, 33% of active angel investors in Africa are diaspora members. And 65% of companies that received angel investment went on to raise more funding. The diaspora is already doing this. The question is whether you are doing it alone or with a structure behind you.
Doing it alone is hard. Finding the right businesses in African markets, getting the right local knowledge, and keeping track of how they are doing takes more time than most professionals have. With smaller amounts of savings it is often hard to join the professional investors, who are often required to invest 100,000 or more in Funds. Besides, joining the balance sheet of an investee company with just a small ticket of say 1000 euros is not very practical. .
Here is How Zidicircle Closes this gap.
Zidicircle fills the missing middle the gap between microfinance and venture capital, focusing on €10k–€100k investments into vetted, investment-ready African SMEs.
Each diaspora investor contributes a minimum of €1,000 to contribute to a larger collective investing either directly or with on-the ground co-investors like African angel networks and funds to add capital and expertise. The Zidicircle investment structure, Zidicircle Co-op enters into the investment agreement on behalf of members, managing the the invetsments , distributes returns back. You get access to the same deals as a large investor withouti needing to be one.
Investing through the Zidi Co-op is investing towards the social and economic development of the billions of people living under a dollar a day.
How to get started
Having capital and the market knowledge alone does not make you a complete Angel Investor. The most frequent question that we hear is; “where do I start, how do I do it, and who can I trust?”.
Start by Learning
The Zidicircle School at school.zidicircle.com is built for exactly this moment. First-time investors are oriented through the platform before joining the Co-op. The Angel Investor Training the Virtual Venture Backers Programme equips aspiring investors with the skills and knowledge to invest in startups and SMEs. After training, angels get support when doing due diligence on selected ventures before making their investment decision.
The Fellowship programme goes further. It covers the basics of how investing in SMEs works, funding types and criteria, investment stages, evaluating business models and financials, cross-border investments, the deal-making process, due diligence, term sheets, and monitoring investments through to exit. Zidicircle has trained over 760 diaspora angel investors through its semi-annual fellowships and partner programmes.
“Fridah Ntarangwi-Kimathi, who founded Zidicircle in 2016, describes what she saw before the Co-op existed: “I believe the diaspora really wants to tap into the growth potential of their countries of origin, but they have no infrastructure to give them a soft landing.”
The Zidicircle Co-op is that infrastructure.
As a Zidicircle Co-op member you get:
Vetted investment opportunities in African SMEs due diligence done through local angel networks and funds who know the founders and the market. Monthly Investor Member Sessions, free for members, where the Investment Committee presents the pipeline and new investment opportunities. Portfolio monitoring through local co-investors on the ground. Continuous learning through ZidiSchool at school.zidicircle.com.
Who is already here
We have a large investor member base of over 793 investor members who are either professionals or business owners who understood Africa’s opportunity from the inside and found the right structure to act on it.
We have been working with development organizations, governments, businesses, and diaspora groups on this Diaspora Investment paradigm shift, where economic development is Diaspora Led through Venture investments
The African diaspora has capital, knowledge, and networks. What it has needed is the right structure and this is what Zidicircle has proudly built
Your own decision & due diligence.
The Zidicircle Co-op presents investment deals and opportunities within its access. Every member makes their own investment decision based on their own due diligence and background check on the company or fund they choose to invest in. Members may invest individually or join others in a group decision.
Investing involves risk. If you are new to angel investing, start at school.zidicircle.com before committing capital.
Join the circle
Become a Member here
Membership fee: €60 one-time. Minimum investment: €1,000 per round, at your own pace.
Join the Upcoming Angel Investor Mixer & Workshop in Brussels on 12th June 2026 Here
Join the Investor Member Sessions where deals are discussed every last Tuesday of the month Here. The next one is 30 June 2026. Here.