During London Tech Week, UK launches pan-African founder support program

The UK–Africa Ecosystem Week, the country’s first coordinated pan-African support program offered during London Tech Week, is being supported by the UK’s Department for Business and Trade – Africa.

The initiative, which is driven by the UK–Africa Sandbox and Ventures 54 in collaboration with the UK Department for Business & Trade (DBT), the UK South Africa Tech Hub, the UK Nigeria Tech Hub, London & Partners, and the office of the Mayor of London, represents a new stage in the UK’s development as a global launchpad for African technology companies.

Over 100,000 people attend more than 500 events during London Tech Week, one of the biggest annual technology gatherings in the world, and the UK-Africa Ecosystem Week offers a fully organized approach to participation. A carefully planned, week-long program will help founders better access and navigate opportunities and accomplish their business growth objectives.

In order to support African Founders and Delegations in London that week, the initiative offers a coordinated support layer throughout the week, including curated sessions, concierge support, dedicated workspaces, and a flagship UK-Africa Ecosystem Day that brings together important market entry stakeholders and the larger UK-Africa tech ecosystem.

“We’ve seen a clear increase in the number of African founders coming to London Tech Week to explore the UK market. Over the past four years, we’ve been building support around that, starting with a simple mixer, evolving into full day of programming, and now scaling into a full week of activity. This is about putting the right structure in place, so African founders have a dedicated support track to get the most out of the week and access the best of what the UK has to offer,” the initiative architect, Anthony William Catt, founder of Ventures 54 and UK-Africa Sandbox, said.