ANNUAL REPORT
Whether it’s in a co-working space in the western world or atech-hub in Nairobi, Lagos or Addis, creating a startup is a dauntingtask that more often than not leads to failure. Having founded startups in the past ourselves, and beginning Ampion as much of a dream as a plan, we know how difficult it is for entrepreneursto find their way.
Although widespread commercial success still has far to go, we believe that true investment in African startups requires more than just being prepared to participate - it requires being prepared tobuild and contribute.
We have used this philosophy and our commitment to entrepreneurs to drive the impact and expansion of our programs and we believe that the growth that we have seen and participated in across the continent will only continue in 2016 and in the years to come.
Ifeanyi Oteh, Ampion Co-Founder
In 2013, when we first ran the Ampion Venture Bus through Southern Africa, my personal goal was to prove that a startup generation concept, which originated in Silicon Valley, could work across Africa. Our team saw a very strong potential in the increased investment and entrepreneurial energy on the continent, facilitating the ability for startups to have a larger effect on a wider range of people.
As of today, we have been able to support 400 entrepreneurs from 24 African countries, as well as from 10 other countries around the world. We helped to create 80 African startups.
After three years, Ampion has witnessed how a proactive and steadfast commitment to achieve impact can lead to success, as opposed to waiting for an ideal situation to present itself. As we continue to scale our impact, we know this will be key to making progress each year in the future.
Fabian Guhl, Ampion Founder & CEO
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Photos by Espen Eichhöfer
TABLE OF CONTENTS
01 INTRODUCTIONOur StoryWhy Africa?
02 BACKGROUNDHow it All Started?Our ModelOur ProgramsAchievements in 2015Ampion at a Glance
03 PROGRESS IN 2015Our ProjectsGlobal OutreachNew Partnerships
04PEOPLEAmpion TeamAdvisory BoardSupporters
05 NUMBERSOur Financials
06 OUTLOOKThe FellowshipMore WomenNew Synergies
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07 CONTACTContactDonations
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INTRODUCTION
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About 65% of the total population of Africa is below the age of 34, and over 36% are between 15 and 35 years old - making itthe continent with the largest youth population. About 10 million additional youths enter the African labor market each year - with youth unemployment at approximately 50%.
IN THREEYEARS
OUR STORY
16 COUNTRIES 400 ENTREPRENEURS 80 STARTUPS
Ampion’s mission is to enable young entrepreneurs to launch businesses in Africa, and create new jobs. Ampion stands for Amplifying Pioneership. We are an inter-national impact-based organization, founded in 2013on the principles of entrepreneurship and the transformativepower of technology-based business models.
...AND WE’RE JUST GETTING STARTED.5
{37%
MOBILE PENETRATION {25%
ELECTRICITY
PENETRATION{27% OF AFRICA’SINTERNET USERSRESIDE IN SOUTHAFRICA
{
3.9%
OF THE
WORLD’S INTERNET USERS ARE AFRICAN
{
6.7%
INTERNET PENETRATION
It is estimated that in 2016 the African population will reach1,069 billion people, the majority of whom are under 30. African countries have the highest rates of urbanisation; its poor infrastructure, which has previously hampered growth and development, is now a catalyst for innovation. Mobile phones have become a game-changer for Africa. According to the technology company Ericsson, by 2019 there will be 930 million mobile phones in Africa, almost one for every person onthe continent.
One of the biggest innovations to come out of Africa is theuse of mobile payments, which have disrupted traditional financial models that failed to effectively meet the needs of their target customers. The technology behind mobile money has been so successful in Africa that it has now been exportedto the West. The continent is starting to see the rise of e-healthcare solutions and online education platforms, which are helping to solve two of the biggest challenges Africa faces.The emergence of such technologies has ushered in a potentialnew trend of Africa leading innovative technology solutionsrather than simply adopting them.
It is an exciting time for Africa. Ampion’s goal is to be at theforefront of this development and actively shape how technology will transform and revolutionize the continent, by offeringtargeted support to young entrepreneurs and enabling them to create the best technology ventures possible.
WHYAFRICA?
In Africa, mobile phone penetration is higher than access to electricity.
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Source: African Union
TOTAL INVESTMENT196.7 million dollars
INVESTMENT IN AFRICAN TECHNOLOGY STARTUPS 2015
EGYPT
ETHIOPIA
KENYA
TANZANIA
RWANDAUGANDAMOZAMBIQUE
ZIMBABWE
ZAMBIASOUTH AFRICA
BOTSWANA
CAMEROON
NIGERIA
GHANA
IVORY COAST
SENEGAL
11%
1%
1%2%2%
1%3%
5% 22%
23%
6%8%1%
2%2%
5%
7Source: Disrupt Africa
BACKGROUND8
HOW IT ALL STARTED
Building ventures in Africa on a busIn November 2013, 41 entrepreneurs from 14 countries set outon the 2500 kilometer trek from Harare in Zimbabwe to Cape Townin South Africa, creating 8 mobile apps with the goal to transformthe energy, education and healthcare sectors.
One of them, Sterio.me, was chosen as one out of the ten mostinnovative startups by Fast Company! After months of planningand uncertainty, we turned the concept into a reality, havingthe BBC, CNN and Al Jazeera on board. Ever since, we havemaintained a pragmatic and hands-on approach to enablingentrepreneurship and fostering technological innovation; wepride ourselves on always being on the road and challengingboth ourselves and the entrepreneurs to constantly innovateand create. The first ever Venture Bus in Africa was fundedby Interswitch (recently tabbed as Africa’s first tech unicorn),Econet Wireless and our amazing community via crowdfunding.
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OUR MODEL
Through our multi-tiered programs, we enable experiencedand prospective entrepreneurs to find like-minded young peoplefrom across Africa and the world to form partnerships and foundstartups. We help participants discover different startup eco-systems, by visiting investors, technology hubs and corporateinnovation centers.
Our “Ampioneers” learn what it takes to successfully launch a startup and are mentored by experienced serial entrepreneurs and industry experts.
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STEP 1: DISCOVER, PROTOTYPE & PITCH
THE VENTURE BUS
A 7-day bus journey using design thinking principles to identify problems affecting communities, form teams, develop ideas, receive coaching and create a startup.
Continued education, provide tools, networking and mentoring, enabling African entrepreneurs to secure funding and achieve commercial success.
Incubation program to provide selected startups from across the continent. A tailored 4-month virtual curriculum with live bootcamps. We provide office space, mentoring and operational support, seed funding and financial assistance for entrepreneurs, access to international investors and accelerators as well as a network with fellow entrepreneurs including events.
STEP 2: MENTORING & STIPEND
THE FELLOWSHIP
ACHIEVEMENTS
IN 2014In 2014, Ampion received official non-for-profit designation to continue our goal of supporting innovators and entrepreneurs in emerging markets. This marked the first major step for Ampion as we built upon our 2013 successes by running 4 Venture Bus tours through Tunisia, Cote d’Ivoire, Togo, Benin, Ghana, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. A total of 160 entrepreneurs participatedin 28 days of mentorship, business planning, prototyping, pitching and networking and 39 startups were founded.
Nigerian FinTech startup
Nigerians largest comparison platform for digital services
Raised more than $1.1 million in funding so far
Kenyan eHealth startup
Healthcare & medical tracking for patients
Established a successful collaboration with our partner Merck
Botswanan Agritech Startup
Livestock management application for farmers
Winner of both the Orange and Seedstars startup competitions
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TOP CHECK MOBIDAWA MODISAR
/
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CORPORATE PARTNERS
THREE YEARS OF AMPLIFYING PIONEERSHIP
92% of MENTORSinvest in Ampion startups
HIGHEST AMOUNT RAISED BY AN AMPION STARTUP $1.1 MILLION BY TOPCHECK
EVENT ATTENDEESAFRICA
U.S.AEUROPE
10,0001,0003,000
The networks and mentorship provided by Ampion was exactly what I lacked to create my own startup.
Mosidi Modise, SOUTH AFRICAFounder of e.Mkuyu Samia Haimoura, MOROCCO
Founder of Securella
The Ampion Venture Bus is a uniquelearning experience, it provides everything you need to make your startup successful.We need more programs like this one!
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AMPIONEERSBECOME ENTREPRENEURS
600 000FOLLOWERS
700+ ARTICLESFEATURED ON
OUT OF MORE THAN 4000 APPLICATIONS EVERY YEARWE SELECT 400 AMPIONEERS
THAT’S ONE IN TEN
80STARTUPS
400ENTREPRENEURS
76MENTORS
29%
71%
SECTORSAGRITECH
GREENTECH
EHEALTH
FINTECH
EdTECH
eCOMMERCE
MOBILITY
SINCE2013
9 VENTURE BUSES24 CITIES16 COUNTRIES21 600 KM21 TECH HUBS
34 ANGEL INVESTORS
9 PARTNER VCs
2 PROGRAMSTHE VENTURE BUS
THE FELLOWSHIP
PROGRESS IN 2015
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PROJECTS
In 2015, we kicked-off 4 week-long Venture Bus programs. The first tour took place in Morocco, followed by tours in West Africa and East Africa, and our final tour through Southern Africa.In total we enabled 150 entrepreneurs to launch 50 startups spanning the fields of GreenTech, FinTech, eHealth and AgriTech. During the seven-day bus tours, entrepreneurs were accomp-anied by high-level mentors from around the world and each Venture Bus ended with a pitch competition in front of a jury of international investors and tech influencers at leading regionaltech conferences: Shape Africa 2015 in Rabat, Demo Africa in Lagos, Transform Africa in Kigali and AfricaCom in Cape Town.Meanwhile, our team went on to host workshops in Amman,
Meanwhile, our team went on to host workshops in Amman, Jordan (Public Sector Innovation, in partnership with UNDP), Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire (at AfDB’s inaugural Innovation Week-end), Budapest, Hungary (Industry and SME Dialogue, with ITU) and Kigali, Rwanda (Smart Cities Innovation, in partnership with UNDP and Motorola). In October we joined the steering committee of Africa Code Week with our partner SAP, running Ampion Coding Buses through Rwanda and South Africa, intro-ducing almost 90,000 children to coding.
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GL BALOUTREACH2015 began in an unforgettable way for the Ampion team, as we were honored to meet and discuss digital social innovation with the woman who would later be named Time Magazine’s person of the year - German Chancellor Angela Merkel. In Feb-ruary, Ampion was the proud winner of the 2015 Innovation Ecosystem Award at the Global Innovation Summit in SiliconValley. We then took part in an exciting journey as part of a delegation to DRC, Kenya and Rwanda, which was led by German Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier.
March was highlighted by our attendance at the Africa Business Conference at Harvard Business School, where the Venture Competition featured an Ampion startup founded in 2014. In March, we were featured at CeBIT, the world’s largest Tech Expowhere engaged with industry leaders from across the globe and triggered their interest for African innovation and doing business in Africa. We added 25 new mentors to the Ampion network and flew two promising alumni startups from Africa toHannover to meet investors at the expo. In April we became proud recipients of the Pan-African Award for Entrepreneurship in Education by the the Saville Foundation.
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The summer was ushered in by TechCrunch exclusively announcing our Venture Bus 2015 program, for which over 2,000applicants from around the world applied. We also participated in several conferences, notably the 50th Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank in Abidjan and the World Economic Forum on Africa in Cape Town.
Visibility and networking are everything in the business and startup world. We are proud of our partnerships with leading African conferences where “our” startups regularly take the stage, particularly Shape Africa in Rabat, Demo Africa in Lagos, Transform Africa in Kigali an AfricaCom in Cape Town. An integral part of our mission is to tell the success stories of our programs, the startups we co-create and the entrepreneurswe support .
To let the world know that Africa is the home of pioneering ideas and an entrepreneurial spirit that solves real problems.Did you know that over 700 articles have been written about Ampion in the last three years? The media loves us and we love the media. And through our various social media platforms and regular TV appearances we reach over 3.4 million people annually!
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In July we teamed up with the U.S. State Department and nominated 25 Ampioneers to fly to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Nairobi and join U.S. President Barack Obama. Shortly thereafter, we announced our partnership with Merck KGaA in launching Africa’s first eHealth accelerator program. We also had the opportunity to meet with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella in Nairobi and later announced our pan-African partnership with Microsoft to support Ampion-backed startups and entrepreneurs through our virtual incubation and company building initiatives.
Our sponsors are and have been Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), the German Federal Ministry for Eco-nomic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the German International Cooperation (GIZ), the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Southern African Innovation Support (SAiS), AfricInvest, MTN, Microsoft, SAP and Merck - Thank you!
NEWPARTNERSHIPS
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PEOPLE19
Fabian GuhlCEO
Deborrah Schaer Corporate Relations & Communications
Ifeanyi Oteh Co-Founder
AMPION TEAMAmpion is made possible by our amazing staff, interns and volunteers, such as our startup mentors, our pro bono consultants and many many others who contribute to the success of Ampion and our mission. Our home base is in Berlin, but our team works from all over the world, mostly in Africa.
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ADVISORY BOARDBen White
Founder & CEO VC4AfricaAmsterdam, Netherlands
Arun SharmaFounder and Lead Infinite Potentials Consulting
Berlin, Germany
Landry SigneChairman & CEO, The Global Network for Africa’s Prosperity,
Lecturer at StanfordPalo Alto, USA
Hugo HanselmannGlobal Director Digital Connections
at Anheuser Busch InBevNew York, USA
Jochen BaumeisterCEO Jochen Baumeister Consulting &
Project ManagementBerlin, Germany
Prof. Dr. Johann FüllerCEO HYVE and Professor at Innsbruck University
Munich Germany & Innsbruck Austria
Tayo AkinyemiDirector at AfriLabs
Chicago USA
Ralph OlayeDirector, Business Development and
Project Management at EranoveTunis, Tunisia
Richard BolyBoard Member at InnovateEDU
Washington D.C, USA
Manuel KoserFounding Partner Silvertree Capital
Cape Town, South Africa
Nabeel MalikPresident/CEO at NIMR Consulting Inc
Toronto, Canada
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OUR SUPPORTERSOur work across Africa would not be possible without our local partners, particularly our volunteer country managers and technology hubs that host and support us in the 16 African countries which we are active in. We have made some amazing friends across the continent and are grateful for:
1020 m2OF OFFICE SPACE
21 STARTUP SKILLS WORKSHOPS
45 MICROPHONES
41 (WORKING)PROJECTORS
691PIZZASJOLLOF RICECHIPS MAYAI
824FACEBOOKPICTURES
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NUMBERS
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6% MEDIA & COMMS
5% EVENT EXPENSES
2% STIPENDS & SCHOLARSHIPS
6% TRAVEL
4% OFFICE, IT & PROF FEES
49% PROGRAM EXPENSES
30% SALARIES
24% CORPORATIONS
69% PUBLIC SOURCES & FOUNDATIONS
7% INDIVIDUALS
OUR FINANCIALS IN 2015Organizational EfficiencyWe pride ourselves on our ability to be effective and lean, with nearly 50% of all funds received being used directly in the field.
Where Our Resources Come From
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OUTLOOK25
Providing, not just entrepreneurs who participate in our bus program but also entrepreneurs from across the continent, with the support, mentorship and capacitytraining skills needed to succeed is the central goal of the Ampion 2016 Fellowshipprogram. February marks the launch of our more robust commitment to leverageour excellent global network of mentors,investors, technology hubs and corpor-ations to benefit African entrepreneurs. The Fellowship Program is a 4-month incubation program for high-potential entrepreneurs and startups in Africa. The goal is to help these “Ampioneers” to build the future, by successfully launching, funding and scaling their businesses. “We’re very excited indeedabout Africa, the whole continent actually. We see huge potential.”
Rupert Keeley, General Manager Paypal Mena & Africa
THE FELLOWSHIP MORE WOMEN NEW SYNERGIESCORPORATIONS & VENTURE BUILDING
“We need to ensure women are part of the revolution.”
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Chairperson African Union
As the technology and innovation boom hits Africa, there is still a gender divide. Ampion aims to close that gap and ensure that women are part of this digital revolution by becoming part of the design and development of technological solutions. Ampion will launch the “100% Women” initiative to make parts of our programs exclusive for women. Now is the perfect time to use technology as a catalyst to create inclusive economies, and address income inequality. Be believe that there is an opportunity for Africa to become a leader in gender equality in the technology and entrepreneurship sector.
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Throughout the coming year, we aim to work closely with more corporate partners, as webelieve the potential synergies between established companies and agile startupsare immense: technology skills, sector expertise, business know-how, entre-preneurial spirit and digital mindsets represent the core areas where we believe targeted programs will result in impactful and profitable solutions. We want to help corporations stand alongside entrepreneurs at the forefront of African technology and entrepreneurship.
2016 also marks the expansion of our venture building initiatives which will provide centralized support services, networks and tools so that Ampion startupsare truly able to scale. Accelerators and incubators have been a significant part of the growth in excitement on the continent but resources are needed to build ventures not just identify them to achieve real impact.
“If you don’t sit on the table of innovation, you land on the menu of disruption.”
Ashley Veasey, CIO Barclays Africa
CONTACTBecome part of the vibrant entrepreneurial spirit of Africa as a partner, investor, mentor or journalist.
Oranienburger Strasse 6910117 Berlin
Germany+49 030 2089 6875
You can also find us on
If you would like to support Ampion and our entrepreneurs in 2016, we gladly take on donations of any amount.
AMPION.org gUGIBAN: DE23 1204 0000 0072 6257 00
BIC: COBADEFFXXX
A donation receipt for EU and US-based individuals and organizations can be issued at any time.
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