Both by Ring #19 - Regardless of the geography, it's always about aligning economic performance and impact
Featured with Elisabeth Moreno, Chairwoman @Ring Capital & Ring Africa, and Cedric Mangaud, Co-founder & CEO @MStudio
Dear community,
This month, we, at Ring Capital, announced the launch of Ring Africa, our new Early-Stage Impact fund in French-speaking Africa.
There are several findings behind Ring Africa. One is the strong ambition and dynamism of this region. Another is the lack of capital in these countries, compared with their neighbours in English-speaking Africa. Finally, the fact that having an impact when you're an investor is not just about injecting capital: it's about providing the best possible support to local entrepreneurs by helping them develop solutions to the social and environmental challenges specific to their local realities.
For all these reasons, we have chosen to surround ourselves with people who have extensive knowledge and experience of entrepreneurship on the African continent. On the one hand, Ring Africa will benefit from its Chairwoman Elisabeth Moreno’s experience and commitment on inclusion and impact. On the other hand, the partnership with MStudio, a leading start-up studio based in Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire), will provide Ring Africa with a strong local foothold. Together with Ring Capital’s ecosystem, this partnership with Mstudio will give Ring Africa an opportunity to work with the best entrepreneurs, investors and experts, in Africa and elsewhere.
In a nutshell, Ring Africa embodies our desire to bring out the future impact champions in French-speaking Africa and to create a bridge between the two continents. To do so, our ecosystem is our greatest strength.
Geoffroy Bragadir & Nicolas Celier, co-founders & managing partners @Ring Capital
The interview
Understanding the investment opportunity in French-speaking Africa: a geography where investors’ profitability objectives overlap with their desire to have a positive social and environmental impact
Elisabeth Moreno, Chairwoman @Ring Capital & Ring Africa, and Cedric Mangaud, Co-founder & CEO @MStudio
How would you describe the impact investment opportunity and the VC market in French-speaking Africa?
Elisabeth Moreno:
It is a unique and promising opportunity. On the one hand, the market is very dynamic. It is growing fast and the population is young and entrepreneurial, so there's a significant pool of talents and innovative ideas ready to be tapped by start-ups. On the other hand, there is still a lot to build in education, health, clean energy, sustainable agriculture and financial services. These initiatives will not only meet important local needs, but will also offer significant investment opportunities. An incredible opportunity for both start-ups and investors. Indeed, by focusing on innovation, social impact and long-term value creation, investors can substantially contribute to the continent's sustainable development while achieving attractive returns on their investment.
Despite challenges such as fluctuating regulatory frameworks, limited access to finance and language and cultural barriers, the VC market in French-speaking Africa is growing and offers a significant opportunity for investors willing to navigate its complex but opportunity-rich landscape.
Therefore, as Chairwoman of Ring Africa, I aim to catalyse social and economic impact by supporting businesses and initiatives that not only generate a financial return, but also contribute to the sustainable development and prosperity of the continent. I believe that through these investments, we can create a virtuous circle of growth and innovation, while addressing the specific challenges of French-speaking Africa.
Ring ecosystem’s insights
When you are part of Ring Capital’s ecosystem, there's never a dull moment! Here's the latest news.
💪 Bodyguard: CEO Charles Cohen has won the Inventors 2024 prize (Le Point).
🚫 Castalie has signed a joint statement in L’Opinion calling for a ban on small-format bottles, which are particularly difficult to recycle.
❗️Entourage & EachOne have signed a collective petition published in Les Echos to alert the Government on the impact of budget cuts on vulnerable people.
🏡 Fratries has inaugurated a new home in Rennes.
🌿 Goodvest has updated its methodology with the addition of MSA.KM2 (which calculates the average abundance of species per square kilometre) and launched an infrastructure offer with Eiffel.
🚗 Karos has extended its offer to the Lorient metropolitan area and Strasbourg Eurométropole.
🧑💻 Share It is developing a programme to raise awareness and put generative AI into practice in the public interest, in partnership with Latitudes, Data for Good and Bayes Impact, and with the support of the SFR Foundation.
🌱 Soil Capital: CEO Chuck de Liedekerke to speak at ChangeNow on March 25th, about Soil Capital's nature-based solution for climate change via regenerative agriculture.
📐 Vestack has developed digital tools based on artificial intelligence to promote its construction systems to architects.
🏅 Weefin is one of CommerzVentures' Top 50 climate fintechs.
Ring news
Following the launch of Ring Africa, we are delighted to announce, with our partner Mstudio, the opening of the Africa's Next Startup hackathon.
Africa's Next Startup is a hackathon dedicated to students and alumni of leading international, African and European schools... An exceptional opportunity to be part of the new generation of impact entrepreneurs in French-speaking Africa.
Top reads and ressources
🤝 African Multilateral Financial Institutions forge historic strategic alliance to serve as catalyst for Sustainable Economic Development and financial self-reliance in Africa
🔎 The entrepreneurial boom in Africa is undeniable, but behind this fervor lies a concerning reality for women entrepreneurs
🎉 Ring Africa: new impact fund to back French-speaking West African entrepreneurs
See you next month ✌️