Young African Catalysts launches to democratise access to venture ecosystem

Aiming to democratize access to the African startup ecosystem, Young African Catalysts was established to help young Africans gain new skills, find employment, and attract investment.

Young African Catalysts (YAC) was formed by Luke Morsert, head of investments at Future Africa, and Karl Nchite, a former investor and impact lead at Goodwell Investments, with the goal of igniting cooperation among influential young Africans working in the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

In a little more than a year, its invite-only venture capital network expanded to include the lead investor, under the age of 35, from the 50 top venture capital funds in Africa, as well as internally share more than 250 startup funding deals.

With its Aspiring YAC Fellowships, which are aimed at young professionals aiming to get into venture capital or operator jobs, respectively, YAC wants to challenge the constrained and exclusive recruiting landscape in the venture ecosystem after a 15-month pilot program. Its initial cohort will work in the venture capital industry, and its eight-week, carefully curated program will be taught exclusively by current Young African Catalysts.

The Young African Catalysts Fund I, which is scheduled to debut in H2, will use the community and data of the YAC Ecosystem to invest between US$25,000 and US$100,000 in startups that support the creation of infrastructure and jobs for the next generation of Africans, including talent development, the digital economy, and green solutions.

We at Young African Catalysts are looking to empower first-time operators, first-time founders, and first-time venture capitalists with the infrastructure to ignite their journeys because the venture ecosystem in Africa is still in its infancy, according to Mostert.

Nchite claimed that YAC offered a unique experience that may be useful for up-and-coming talent interested in the African ecosystem.

Aspiring fellows have the chance to work with African company founders who are presently raising money through our vocational fellowships and learn from top African venture capitalists. This is distinctive in the fellowship landscape since it enables aspiring talent to learn directly from the experts they wish to imitate, according to the speaker.

“This aligns with our philosophy – “for Young African Catalysts by Young African Catalysts”. Moreover, our curriculum is specifically designed to incorporate these two critical elements and culminates in the chance to showcase your talents and ideas to VCs in a capstone “Aspiring YAC Demo Day” to secure an internship with them.”

Young African Catalysts has been entirely self-funded to date, while the YAC Fund I is actively accepting investments.