Since its well-publicized inception in 2013, Angel Fair Africa (AFA) has hosted an annual event that brings selected entrepreneurs to pitch to a room of curated investors with the intent of closing deals.
Over the years, this platform has resulted in about $10M in direct investments, which in turn attracted additional capital and generated 10X the original deal value across its eleven-year run. AFA is known for its unique format—pairing entrepreneurs with investors in a 1:2, 1:3, and sometimes even 1:5 ratio—which often leads to investor syndicates.
The event has cultivated vibrant communities of entrepreneurs and investors in countries like South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Côte d’Ivoire, Tanzania, and Mozambique. It has also helped seed local angel investment networks, facilitated mentorships, partnerships, sales, and cross-border trade.
The momentum from AFA 2024, held in Nairobi, Kenya, caught the attention of the Graca Machel Trust (GMT), which reached out to Chanzo Capital (CC) to collaborate on this year’s edition. GMT is currently sponsoring a gender lens investment fund under Afrishela, aimed at catalyzing early-stage investments in women-led and women-owned businesses across Africa.
Afrishela also seeks to build communities that attract additional capital via co-investment syndicates and limited partners. These goals closely align with AFA’s vision, and a natural partnership was born—anchored in the African proverb, “If you want to go far, go together.” Together, GMT and CC co-curated two gender-focused events in the run-up to this year’s main event.
On March 25th, 2025, the “AFA@12 Launch” event was held at ONESPACE in Nairobi’s Two Rivers International Finance and Innovation Center (TRIFIC), where six founders pitched to 42 investors and 12 ecosystem players under the theme “Mobilizing Local Capital to Fuel Africa’s Future.” A second pre-event, the “AFA@12 Roadshow,” took place on June 19th at 22OnSloane in Johannesburg, South Africa. There, seven additional founders pitched to a room of 45 investors and 14 ecosystem players under the theme “Catalytic Angel Capital for Inclusive Growth.”
Now, building on the momentum from Nairobi and Johannesburg, the 12th edition of Angel Fair Africa (AFA@12) is heading to New York City this September, marking the event’s first venture outside the continent. Scheduled for September 19, 2025, during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) week, AFA@12 will be hosted at Google’s offices on 9th Avenue. Google, which committed $1 billion to Africa during the COVID era, will bring together top-tier African founders and global investors in a collaborative, deal-making environment.
Investor participation from the U.S. has grown significantly over the years, and engagement from the African diaspora in the U.S. has become increasingly influential. However, many potential investors in African ventures have yet to set foot on the continent—this New York edition provides them a unique opportunity to experience the power of Angel Fair Africa firsthand.
With the event’s rising profile, AFA is beginning to be likened to global investor showcases like Shark Tank and Dragons’ Den, though its format is distinct.
Serving as keynote speaker for AFA@12 is legendary angel investor Esther Dyson, who will speak under the theme “Building and Investing in Africa.” Esther is a pioneering figure in the U.S. and European angel investing scene and helped shape the early New York investor community. Reflecting on her journey, Esther recalls:
“For 25 years (1982–2007), I wrote and mostly owned the Release 1.0 newsletter, chronicling the rise of PCs, the venture capital boom, AI, and the internet. I avoided investing during that time due to journalistic ethics, but after launching Rel-EAST in Eastern Europe, I eventually shut it down to start EDventure Ventures. My early investments—like Scala Business Software—taught me the value of hands-on early-stage investing. After selling EDventure to CNET in 2005 and departing in 2007, I focused fully on investing.”
Esther has also built a diverse African investment portfolio, including:
- •Angaza – solar energy
- •Nomanini – financial services for small retailers
- •Ilara Health – healthcare financing and franchising
- •Oradian – cloud services for small finance institutions
- •Rasello – health data analytics
- •Swvl – mass transit solutions
- •Trella – logistics and freight
Her keynote fireside chat will explore these ventures and more—including her recent projects Wellville and an upcoming book titled Term Limits, set for release in 2026.
