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Oxford University’s Saïd Business School is hosting the Africa Venture Finance Programme (AVFP), taking place from 1–5 September 2025 to strengthen the venture capital landscape in Africa.
The in-person executive programme dubbed Boost Africa brings together more than 40 of Africa’s leading venture capital fund managers — nearly half of them women — for a week of peer learning, skills development, and strategic dialogue.
The programme was created to unlock Africa’s entrepreneurial potential by providing technical support to fund managers and addressing an early-stage financing gap.
“Boost Africa is about more than just finance – it’s about building resilient economies, fostering innovation and creating inclusive growth through smart, targeted investment,” said EIB Vice-President Ambroise Fayolle.
Now in its fourth edition, the AVFP is delivered by Boost Africa — a program of the European Investment Bank’s development arm (EIB Global) and African Development Bank, with support from the European Commission and the Organization of African, Caribbean & Pacific States (“OACPS”) — and the AfricaGrow Technical Assistance Facility, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through KfW/DEG.
Following this edition, over 150 of Africa’s most relevant venture capital fund managers will have participated in the programme, representing the lion’s share of active VC funds on the continent. These alumni form a vibrant and engaged community that continues to collaborate and exchange knowledge on an ongoing basis.
Investors, Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) including the EBRD, Proparco, the Arab Fund, FCDO, and British International Investment (BII) and the EU via the Global Gateway strategy will take part. Senior partners from three established VC firms include TLcom, Partech, and AfricInvest.
Africa receives only 1% to 2% of global venture capital while representing 18% of the world’s population. In addition, relatively few African-led startups receive significant funding.
Boost Africa is designed and led by Oxford academics equips fund managers with the tools, networks, and critical thinking needed to shape the future of capital on the continent. It isn’t about growing funds—it’s about reimagining what finance can do when it’s grounded in context, community, and long-term value creation.
The programme will offer early-stage funding and hands-on support to venture capital fund managers
Africa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem secured 487 deals in 2024, according to the African Private Capital Association. This included 427 venture capital deals with a value of $2.6 billion and 60 venture debt deals worth $1 billion.
The initiative has supported six private equity funds as well as more than 70 companies and mobilised over €380 million in capital for startups across the continent. Moreover, 94% of Boost Africa-supported founders were able to raise $1 million or more in funding – nearly double the rate of comparable entrepreneurs.