UNCOVERED FUND, a Japanese venture capital firm, will be hosting its annual Showcase Africa conference on 19 March 2024, where it will showcase more than 20 start-ups from Africa to an audience of Japanese corporations and investors looking for collaborative commercial partnerships in the continent.
Founded in 2020, UNCOVERED FUND is a Japanese venture capital firm with a focus on emerging markets, starting with Africa. The VC firm has invested into 29 technology start-ups across 18 markets in Africa and the GCC region, including LipaLater, Gozem,Treepz, Amitruck, Bosta, Trella, Piggyvest, Chari and more.
Running its third edition in 2024, UNCOVERED FUND’s Showcase Africa, is a single full-day conference that aims to bridge the tech ecosystems of Africa with that of Japan. The VC-organised conference is the first and only conference in Japan with a core focus on start-ups and tech innovation coming from Africa.
“Showcase Africa is a great opportunity for African start-ups that are either actively fundraising or looking for commercial partnerships or POCs with Japanese corporations,” says Takuma Terakubo, General Partner and CEO of UNCOVERED FUND.
UNCOVERED FUND has invited over 20 start-ups from Africa to attend the conference set to take place in Tokyo on 19 March 2024. These start-ups operate in various sectors, including automotive, logistics, financial services, climate change, agriculture, and e-commerce. Countries that are represented in the delegation of Africa start-ups include Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, and Egypt.
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Attending start-ups:
Ampersand, Renda, Tunl, Grinta, Brass, Terminal, Curacel, KOKO Networks, Shekel Mobility, Carbon Clear, Mtor, Badili, Lem-Fi, Sun-Fi, Mecho Auto, Asaak, Sylndr, SunCulture, Koolboks, ARC Ride, MuduPay, Winich Farms, Chowdeck, Allawee, Xolani Health, and My Healtchcare Solutions.
In the previous edition, UNCOVERED FUND invited 10 start-ups (mainly from their portfolio) to showcase their innovative solutions and network with Japanese corporates and investors in attendance, including Monex Group, Mitsubishi, Honda, Toyota Tsusho, Seino Logistics, JETRO, Rakuten, SBI Holdings, Meidensha Corporation, Sompo International, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and many more.
This year the conference expects to bring +/- 300 corporate and investor attendees (including those mentioned above), and even more start-ups from across Africa to showcase in exhibition booths, panel discussions, keynote presentations and pitches. The conference themes will be: achieving economic development and decarbonization.
An additional value-add for the Japanese attendees will be two workshops. The first is a corporate venture capital crash course facilitated by Dream VC, an investor accelerator dedicated to supporting the next generation of African-focused investors and ecosystem builders globally. The second, is a workshop on how Japanese corporations can trade carbon credits with African companies, facilitated by Carbon Clear, whose carbon intelligence and procurement platform helps companies purchase high quality carbon offsets to achieve their climate goals.
More information about this event can be found on the Showcase Africa website, and highlights from the previous edition can be found here.
