The Africa Tech Festival 2025 brought together many of the continent’s most forward-thinking innovators, investors, and ecosystem leaders. For Venturebeam, it was a privilege to contribute to this dialogue and to reaffirm our commitment to supporting sustainable, long-term growth for founders across Africa.

Our participation was led by Kevin Holliday, CEO EMEA at Venturebeam, who moderated a timely and thought-provoking session:

“Future-Proofing Your Business: Have You Thought About the Exit Journey?”

On stage, he was accompanied by two leaders contributing significantly to Africa’s innovation ecosystem:

• Naadiya Moosajee, Co-founder of WomHub: A recognised champion for diversity and engineering excellence, Naadiya provided invaluable insights into the foundational mindset and operational structures founders must establish from day one.

• Hanim Dogan-Jain – Partner at  Prime Capital: As a key player in the investment landscape, Hanim offered a clear-eyed perspective on the expectations of capital partners and the role financial structuring plays in achieving optimal exit value.

Together, they explored a topic that is often overlooked in the early stages of company building: considering exit pathways well before they become relevant.

The conversation touched on several key areas, including:

• The importance of early planning
  Founders should begin thinking about potential exit pathways from day one, as early preparation shapes stronger operations, clearer governance, and better long-term optionality.

• The evolution of Africa’s exit landscape
  With acquisitions and secondary transactions becoming more common, founders should stay aware of how the market is shifting and how their sector is being valued.

   

• Signals of exit readiness
  Clear financials, operational maturity, and transparent data rooms were highlighted as early indicators that a company is well-positioned for an eventual transaction.

   

• Maintaining cap-table and governance discipline
  Keeping the cap table structured and transparent, along with maintaining solid governance, can make the investor review process considerably more straightforward.

   

• Navigating cross-border exit interest
  With increasing acquisition activity from MENA, Asia, and the U.S., founders should be prepared for international due-diligence standards and multi-market expectations.

• Identifying sectors with strong future exit potential
  Areas such as AI, climate tech, and digital infrastructure were noted as particularly well-positioned for strong exits in the coming decade.

We would like to thank Naadiya Moosajee and Hanim Dogan-Jain for their thoughtful contributions, as well as the Africa Tech Festival team for bringing this conversation to the stage.

We also appreciate the founders and ecosystem partners who continue to drive meaningful progress across Africa’s tech landscape.