“When I retired in 2019, I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do, but I knew that I wanted to give back.” Our community round lead investor, Bade Aluko speaks on his journey from entrepreneur to investor, and his mission to create opportunity for African startups
Entrepreneurship and Investing in Africa: A conversation with Bade Aluko
Equity & Funding are topics (/challenges) high on the list of priorities for nearly all startup Founders, so it’s no surprise that the very final session of the Founder Institute program is the most highly anticipated and sought after.
So sought after in fact that Founder Institute Ghana typically receives many messages from non-members of the cohort requesting (and willing to pay) to attend, which – while flattering and understandable – we have to decline as it’s a session that is a privilege exclusively for our Founders who’ve managed to remain standing to the end of the program.
And this session did not fail to disappoint, thanks to an outstanding group of Mentors:
– Bade Aluko, Managing Partner of White Hibiscus Capital
– 🚀Mark Kleyner, Co-Founder of Dream VC
– Meghan McCormick, Co-Founder & CEO at OZÉ & Dare to Innovate

Our mentors, delving into their extensive experience, were able to contextualise such questions as:
– What are the most viable funding options available to new startups?
– What do the different types of investors expect to see with respect to progress on team, product and traction?
– How long does it take to raise the various funding types, and how much time do you have to dedicate to fundraising?
– How do you allocate the proceeds from fundraising?
– How do you set up and manage a cap table?
– How do you identify friendly investors to test your pitch on?
– How do you update you pitch?
– How do you know when you are ready to fundraise?
Our Founders are now on the home run, with just a few weeks until their graduation. We wish them well in completing their assignments and incorporation.
Applications are NOW OPEN for the Fall ’22 cohort. Apply now: fi.co/ghana