Data for Founders - Africa: The Big Deal & FMO Ventures Initiative.
Africa: The Big Deal, in partnership with FMO Ventures, has launched the “Data for Founders” initiative to support 100 early‑stage start‑ups across Africa with free access to high‑quality fundraising data and expertise. The programme gives selected ventures two years of free access to Africa: The Big Deal’s comprehensive funding deals database (4,200+ deals worth over USD 20 billion, covering all transactions above USD 100,000 across equity, debt, grants and exits), alongside practical guidance on using data to design a data‑driven fundraising strategy. Through quarterly webinars and community engagement, the initiative helps founders benchmark competitors, identify relevant investors, prioritise outreach, and ultimately raise growth capital more efficiently.
Beyond data access and training, participating start‑ups benefit from increased visibility with investors, clients and potential partners as the cohort is promoted and success stories are highlighted throughout the programme. The initiative is also intentionally designed to improve representation by encouraging applications from ventures based outside Africa’s “Big Four” markets (Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Egypt) and from start‑ups with a female co‑founder or female CEO, who are currently under‑represented in the funding landscape. Applications are via a short online questionnaire (approx. 15 minutes, 15 questions) and the deadline is Friday, 20 March 2026 at 23:59 SAST.
Eligible countries
The initiative is pan‑African:
- Eligible countries: All African countries - start‑ups must be headquartered and operating in Africa.
Type of support:
In‑kind support (data access, training, visibility), not direct grant or equity funding.
Key dates
- Call launch: 02 February 2026 (announcement date)
- Application deadline: Friday, 20 March 2026, 23:59 SAST
What selected start‑ups receive
Selected ventures will benefit from:
- Free access to fundraising data
- Two years of free access to Africa: The Big Deal’s funding deals database (worth just under USD 500).
- Database includes 4,200+ deals worth over USD 20 billion, updated monthly, covering all African start‑up deals above USD 100,000 across equity, debt, grants and exits.
- Fundraising strategy support
- Quarterly webinars showing founders how to:
- Build a data‑driven fundraising strategy
- Generate market and competitive insights
- Benchmark against peers
- Prioritise investor outreach and target fit investors.
- Quarterly webinars showing founders how to:
- Visibility and signalling benefits
- Public promotion of the full cohort of 100 start‑ups to the Africa: The Big Deal audience.
- Showcasing of the most successful fundraisers through testimonials and content over the programme period.
There is no cash grant or investment attached; the value lies in strategic data access, know‑how, and improved visibility to investors and partners.
Eligibility criteria
Who is it for?
Start‑ups that meet all of the following:
- Stage: Early‑stage start‑ups.
- Location: Headquartered and operating in Africa.
- Fundraising history: Have already raised some initial funding (typically less than USD 1 million).
- Fundraising plans: Plan to raise a new round within the next 24 months.
Additional selection objectives (representation):
While selection will primarily be based on fundraising‑related criteria and fit with the programme, the organisers aim to build a cohort where:
- Ventures based outside the Big Four markets (Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Egypt) are better represented than in current funding patterns.
- Start‑ups with at least one female co‑founder and/or a female CEO are more strongly represented than current continent‑wide funding ratios (which were 18% of funding outside Big Four, 9% with a female co‑founder, and 2.2% with a female CEO in 2025).
How to apply
- Founders must complete a short online questionnaire (Google Form) designed to take no more than 15 minutes.
- The form has 15 questions, mostly close‑ended or single‑word answers, plus:
- One short start‑up pitch (max 20 words)
- One question for more detail on the next funding round (max 200 words).
- Applications close on Friday, 20 March 2026 at 23:59 SAST.
Click HERE to APPLY.