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AGRF Summit - Agribusiness Pitch Event Summary
By Emily Ziethen | Mon Sep 06 2021
The 2021 African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) Summit is taking place this week (September 6-10) through a virtual conference and deal room platform. The theme of the Summit is “pathways to recovery and resilient food systems”. This past Monday (September 6), AGRA and RENEW co-hosted a session as part of the Summit and in support of the ARISE program.
The session, titled Women Agri-Enterprises and RESILIENCE – Experiences from ARISE Women and Investment Readiness Initiative (or “Agribusiness Pitch Event” for short), highlighted the experiences, insights and lessons learned from the activities and trainings and a participant conducted under the African Resilience & Investment Series for Women Entrepreneurs (ARISE) program. As background, the ARISE program was launched by AGRA in March 2021 in partnership with RENEW. The ARISE program is a continental project aimed at assisting women-owned and women-led agribusinesses recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic through capacity training and strengthening access to finance and investments. So far more than 1,000 women from 27 countries have participated.
The Agribusiness Pitch Event represented almost six months of training and support provided to hundreds of women agribusiness owners and managers. The session was hosted by Sabdiyo Dido (Head, Gender & Inclusiveness of AGRA), Laura Davis (Managing Partner of RENEW) and Matt Davis (Managing Partner & CEO of RENEW).
The highlight of the session was, of course, the live pitch portion, during which three leading women entrepreneurs who were trained as part of the ARISE program pitched to a panel of investors, including eight members of the Impact Angel Network and gender-lens investing experts Jessica Espinoza (Vice President of DEG/KfW; Chair of the 2XChallenge / 2XCollaborative) and Chintal Barot (Founder of CoSustain). Overall, the panel of investors were impressed with the quality of the pitches, as demonstrated by their high-level of engagement during the pitch Q&A and feedback collected during and after the pitches. We are extremely proud of the women who represented their fellow trainees at the event, demonstrated their capacity for resilience and recovery through compelling pitches, and took their first steps on their journeys towards growth and scalability.
The following three women/companies who pitched were selected by their peers and the ARISE project team:
- Ady’s Food Mart: An agro-processing company that provides hygienically processed food ingredients and spices to a wide clientele in Nigeria and the world where African dishes are appreciated.
- Website - http://adysfoodmart.com/
- Kuanijom: A supply chain company that is involved in the fruit and vegetable value chain. Their clients include hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, institutions, wholesalers and retailers.
Parting thoughts of the session were that participants and the broader investment and development communities will need to continue to play a critical role in Africa’s agriculture industry’s recovery from COVID-19 and resilience against future external shocks. The result of these actions will hopefully contribute towards the continent’s overall food security and food system transformation.
The ARISE project team is proud of the women who pitched during the session and is looking forward to continuing to support them and other participants in the ARISE program. . . Stay tuned for more!
Disclaimer: RENEW is not promoting or recommending an investment in any of the companies profiled herein. Nothing in this blog is intended to constitute an investment recommendation or advice, or an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any security.
Renew Capital is an Africa-focused impact investment firm that backs innovative companies with high-growth potential. Renew Capital manages investments made on behalf of the Renew Capital Angels, a global network of angel investors, foundations and family offices who seek financial returns and sustainable social impact. For the latest on investing in Africa, subscribe and follow us at our social links below.
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