Chapter54, the Accelerator Helping European Tech Scaleups Break into Africa, is now in full swing!

Chapter54, the first accelerator dedicated to European scaleups wishing to expand into African markets, launched in January 2022 by Partech, has started to support its first batch of European scaleups.  

Paris, July 7, 2022 – Be Energy, Kawarizmi, Cellcube, CoachHub, SumUp: these are some of the European scaleups that have been onboarded to the Chapter54 program.  

Africa, with its young, tech-savvy population as well as its fast-growing tech ecosystem, offers unprecedented growth potential for European scaleups. However, a successful launch in Africa requires market expertise, local networks, and access to local talent with existing expertise and operational capacity.  

Chapter54 has been designed to support European tech scaleups committed to entering African markets. The tailor-made program has now started accelerating its first batch.  

European scaleups with diverse needs 

The scaleups that have been chosen represent various sectors and have different expansion plans. Chapter54 is here to help them find their own path to success.  

A curated network of mentors and speakers at work! 

The program boasts a large and curated network of C-Level mentors and speakers, hailing from some of Africa’s biggest names in tech such as Fawry, Jumia, Copia Global, Wasoko, to name a few, but also from major international companies already operating on the continent including the likes of Uber, Glovo, Galileo Global Education. These diverse, hands-on mentors all think think hard about viability before starting any new operations, the mindset needed for success in African markets.

“From my experience, I know that African markets require both a strategic vision and precise operational execution,” says Kamil Senhaji, VP Emerging Markets and New Territories at Galileo Global Education. “That’s why I am more than happy to share my expertise with entrepreneurs and teams eager to invest in this continent.” 

Each of these partners help the selected companies refine their operational models, construct solid expansion roadmaps, and align their plans with the local context. 

The program kicked off with original and insightful reviews of African operating models, success stories and post-mortems, and then continued with dozens of dedicated working sessions with experts from a curated network. 

Kawarizmi’s co-founders, Hakim Hattou and Salif Diop, with their mentor, Kamil Senhaji (standing),in the foreground: Hamza Iraqi, Chapter54 Scaleup Success Manager.

“It’s a privilege to help these great companies on so many different topics,” comments Vincent Previ, Managing Director at Chapter54. “It’s not just a matter of additional flags. Co-building a B2B lead machine, switching from an export business-model to a directly operational one, enriching a diaspora-centric positioning... These are just a few examples of the objectives of different acceleration journeys”.

A wide array of benefits 

Our conviction at Chapter54 is that European scaleups won't succeed in Africa without support on the ground from the best-in-class local ecosystems. With this in mind, Chapter54 has partnered with innovators on the continent, such as AfricaWorks in Cape Town, Flat6Labs in Cairo and Tunis, Nairobi Garage in Nairobi, Westerwelle Startup House in Kigali, and many others. Likewise, companies in the program also have access to a unique catalogue of perks selected to aid market entry, from Afriwise, an intuitive platform for the African legal sector or Asoko Insights, Africa’s Leading Corporate Data and Research Platform to Talent2Africa, a Pan-African Digital Recruitment platform. 

Chapter54 will be open the call for applications to the second batch in Q4 2022. 

About Chapter54 

Chapter54 is an acceleration program for European scaleups looking to expand into African markets. The program is designed and operated by Partech Shaker, Partech’s innovation programs arm, with the sponsorship of the German promotional bank KfW on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development BMZ to support growth and employment creation in Africa. 

www.chapter54.com

About Partech 

Born in San Francisco and Paris, Partech is one of the most active tech investors in the world, bringing together capital, operational experience, and strategic support for entrepreneurs at seed, venture and growth stages. The current portfolio is made up of 200+ companies in more than 30 countries, of which 16 are valued at more than $1B, including: Alan, Jellysmack, ManoMano, Merama, People.ai, Rohlik, SellerX, Sorare, Toss, Wave, Xendit, Zepz. 

About KfW 

KfW is one of the world’s leading promotional banks. With its decades of experience, it works on behalf of the Federal Government and the federal states of Germany to improve economic, social and ecological living conditions at home and abroad.

Press contact 

Isabelle Tresson: +33 7 86 08 85 85, itresson@partechpartners.com