Investing in any business involves risks, including illiquidity, lack of dividends, loss of investment and dilution, and it should be done only as part of a diversified portfolio. GhanaStartups.org is sufficiently sophisticated to understand these risks and make our own investment decisions, based on our knowledge, experience and financial capacity. Not every business can qualify for equity investment from us - An effort to plug a “critical” funding gap for breakthrough technologies to scale up to commercial levels and better compete globally.
Would typically invest GHs25,000 up to GHs5 million+ for a given deal, depending on the stage the company is in and other investors at the table. We will back companies that aren’t even yet revenue generating, up to companies doing GHs10 million+ in annual sales, with established relationships across industries and sectors. We are industry agnostic.
Funding Stages
We do not provide pre-seed stage funding. Only the following funding types are currently available with us:
• Seed Stage Funding
• Series Funding
Limited Partners
We bring together different parties with unique interests, typically include qualified investors, family offices, Corporates and other VCs.
ELIGIBILITY
Applicant Criteria
• An entrepreneur who owns either a majority stake (51% or more) in a qualifying business – or – the largest or equal stake in a qualifying business that is 100% owned and controlled by the founder(s)
• 21 years or older as of the application date
• Ability to read, write and understand basic English
• A legal resident of Ghana
Business Criteria
• For-profit, from any industry
• Have a product in-market gaining traction, or be revenue generating
• Have already completed a Seed Round
• Have a strong founding team
• Be on the growth journey!
• Pitch Deck. See our free guide here on how to structure your pitch
• Early-stage or any stage (one to five years of operations preferred)
• Generating revenues (minimum of GHs25,000 strongly preferred). If your business currently doesn't have revenue, it should at least have a minimum viable product (MVP) or Prototype and satisfies a market need.
• Formed under Ghana law and operating in Ghana
• Must not be a prohibited business
Not Eligible
• Nonprofit organisations
• Idea stage ventures
• Subsidiary businesses or franchisee
• Sole Proprietor Businesses
• Businesses with no revenue, no minimum viable product or prototype.
• One-person shareholder companies
• Industries/businesses that require long research periods or changes to policy for the product to eventually “fit” a market. These include biomedical, advanced hardware/electronic devices (think a new automobile) and aerospace/transportation (trains/rockets/etc.) companies. Additionally, our investments will be, in many ways, reflective of what we (GHStartups.com) collectively believe in.
Copycats & Moonshots
We would ordinarily not provide equity financing for copycats, but we are very much open to discuss on a case by case basis so long as you don't hold your business idea as novel as we have seen with recent business proposals that is just like fiverr, upwork, amazon, uber, etc.
Fine, nothing wrong with replicating a business operating elsewhere in Ghana, but at least show us your monetisation plans instead of just mere hollow talk that doesn't lead us anywhere, except waste our time.
Note: If your business is ineligible for equity investments, you may still qualify for debt financing (loans).
EVALUATION
In accordance with the official rules, we will assess the submissions to determine qualified recipient businesses, including the following considerations:
Personal Statement and Resume: Leadership, professional experience, passion and commitment to the business.
The Business Plan: Scalability and profitability, originality, and impact.
Social Responsibility: Personal community impact, mission-driven business, or track record for volunteering.
Proposed Use of Funds: Value of business, quality of products selected and understanding opportunities to grow.
INVESTMENT ROUTES
• GRA Tax Advantaged Equity Runway
• Venture Capital
• Private Equity
• Traditional Equity Investing (Quoted / Unquoted)
• Other Options
How to apply
To apply for equity funding with us, you need to be an existing customers with us before you can apply below...
Would typically invest GHs25,000 up to GHs5 million+ for a given deal, depending on the stage the company is in and other investors at the table. We will back companies that aren’t even yet revenue generating, up to companies doing GHs10 million+ in annual sales, with established relationships across industries and sectors. We are industry agnostic.
Funding Stages
We do not provide pre-seed stage funding. Only the following funding types are currently available with us:
• Seed Stage Funding
• Series Funding
Limited Partners
We bring together different parties with unique interests, typically include qualified investors, family offices, Corporates and other VCs.
ELIGIBILITY
Applicant Criteria
• An entrepreneur who owns either a majority stake (51% or more) in a qualifying business – or – the largest or equal stake in a qualifying business that is 100% owned and controlled by the founder(s)
• 21 years or older as of the application date
• Ability to read, write and understand basic English
• A legal resident of Ghana
Business Criteria
• For-profit, from any industry
• Have a product in-market gaining traction, or be revenue generating
• Have already completed a Seed Round
• Have a strong founding team
• Be on the growth journey!
• Pitch Deck. See our free guide here on how to structure your pitch
• Early-stage or any stage (one to five years of operations preferred)
• Generating revenues (minimum of GHs25,000 strongly preferred). If your business currently doesn't have revenue, it should at least have a minimum viable product (MVP) or Prototype and satisfies a market need.
• Formed under Ghana law and operating in Ghana
• Must not be a prohibited business
Not Eligible
• Nonprofit organisations
• Idea stage ventures
• Subsidiary businesses or franchisee
• Sole Proprietor Businesses
• Businesses with no revenue, no minimum viable product or prototype.
• One-person shareholder companies
• Industries/businesses that require long research periods or changes to policy for the product to eventually “fit” a market. These include biomedical, advanced hardware/electronic devices (think a new automobile) and aerospace/transportation (trains/rockets/etc.) companies. Additionally, our investments will be, in many ways, reflective of what we (GHStartups.com) collectively believe in.
Copycats & Moonshots
We would ordinarily not provide equity financing for copycats, but we are very much open to discuss on a case by case basis so long as you don't hold your business idea as novel as we have seen with recent business proposals that is just like fiverr, upwork, amazon, uber, etc.
Fine, nothing wrong with replicating a business operating elsewhere in Ghana, but at least show us your monetisation plans instead of just mere hollow talk that doesn't lead us anywhere, except waste our time.
Note: If your business is ineligible for equity investments, you may still qualify for debt financing (loans).
EVALUATION
In accordance with the official rules, we will assess the submissions to determine qualified recipient businesses, including the following considerations:
Personal Statement and Resume: Leadership, professional experience, passion and commitment to the business.
The Business Plan: Scalability and profitability, originality, and impact.
Social Responsibility: Personal community impact, mission-driven business, or track record for volunteering.
Proposed Use of Funds: Value of business, quality of products selected and understanding opportunities to grow.
INVESTMENT ROUTES
• GRA Tax Advantaged Equity Runway
• Venture Capital
• Private Equity
• Traditional Equity Investing (Quoted / Unquoted)
• Other Options
How to apply
To apply for equity funding with us, you need to be an existing customers with us before you can apply below...