Are you an African  diaspora entrepreneur with a business venture based in the Benelux? Zidi together with Zidicircle Coop diaspora Angels are inviting you to pitch your business during this year’s retreat in Brussels. The Retreat will  gather all diaspora investors, partners, and players in the impact investing ecosystem. We believe its a good place for diaspora entrepreneurs who are seeking new markets, partnerships and funding opportunities.

Diaspora entrepreneurs experience certain challenges when it comes to setting up a business in their country of residence or even country of origin. Within EU countries in particular diaspora entrepreneurs have problems such as language barrier, lack of business network, funding challenges as well as exclusion from main entrepreneurship support systems set up in the country of residence. Because of the long term absence from countries of origin they also lack the support of a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem. In both host and home countries they also lack a good financial track record mostly required by financiers to access credit. 

Within the Zidi invest pillar, we believe that it is very important to mobilise the diaspora towards economic development in both their host and home countries through training first time angel investors and  venture investments. Trained diaspora angel investors are connected to innovative businesses to invest in. This forms the basis for this call. 

Do you see yourself in these circumstances? This might be a good chance to pitch;

Description of the Targeted SME’s

This call targets entreprises in the Green economy sectors such as;

•  Food Systems
• Circular economy(re-use, upcycling & recycling) 
• Health
• Cosmestics, beauty Care
• Sustainable Manufacturing 
• Digital solutions supporting the Green economy.

Targeted diaspora founded businesses;

• Registered businesses founded by the African Diaspora in the Benelux Region(Belgium, The Netherlands & Luxembourg). Business registered in BENELUX with activities in Africa are encouraged to apply
• Businesses in operation for a minimum 2 years
• Businesses that are looking for an investment of between 10,000 Euros to 50,000 Euros

Practical modalities;

• The Entrepreneur  will fill the application form
• Shortlisted candidates  will be contacted for Pitching preparation
• A first Virtual pitch event will be held in the first week of September.
• The selected businesses will be invited to meet the diaspora angels for further selection at the annual retreat on 14th September 2024
• After the retreat, the selected diaspora businesses will move to the due diligence stage
• After a satisfactory due diligence process the diaspora investors will avail the Funding through the Zidicircle Diaspora Coop. 

What you get:

You have the chance to present your business to investors

You get coached by experts on how to pitch and package  your business

If you impress the investors they will shortlist your business for due diligence

Then you will stand a chance to get the investment

Conditions:

Once chosen you must be willing to go through thorough due diligence process

You must be willing to give up some shares if you are looking for an equity investment

Being shortlisted doesn’t mean you get funding

Timeline 

How to Join

1. Fill out the Application form 
2. Shortlisted candidates will be contacted with the next steps
3. Pitching will be held in the first week of September 2024

Apply to pitch by close of business on August  26th, 2024 at 17:00 CEST. Apply Here

Would you like to collaborate? Send us an email with your profile to contact@zidicircle.com 

Impressions from our last pitch event:

About Zidi

Zidi is a global hub for diaspora entrepreneurship and SME investments in host and home countries.

Zidi supports and trains high-potential entrepreneurs and investors through group and self-paced courses and investment raising.

It also catalyses and pools diaspora angel investments from Remittances savings  into entreprises  through the Zidicircle Coop investment Channel.

About Zidicircle Coop

To address limited access to traditional capital, Zidi initiated the Coop Investment Vehicle. This innovative platform enables diasporans to pool their resources, overcoming financial constraints and empowering even those with smaller denominations of investments to make a substantial impact. By leveraging the power of pooling, Zidi transforms the investment landscape, providing an accessible and inclusive platform for diasporans to invest in SMEs in their host and home countries.

The Zidicircle Coop was initiated by an organised group of diaspora individuals from previous angel investment programmes who were confronted with the lack of an investment structure after completing the training. The Coop enters into investment agreements with start-ups or small and medium-sized businesses  on behalf of its members who decided to invest in the selected businesses. The beneficial ownership from those investments lies with the members. 

The Coop is managed by a board of directors who are elected by the members. 

Learn more about the Coop here.