Announcing the Launch of Dream VC’s 2024 Venture Capital Fellowship Program Applications
Trainees benefit from a robust curriculum, expert and peer mentoring from a deep pool of Africa-focused investment professionals, and access to professional investment tools.
The 2024 Cohort of Dream VC builds on the institute’s successful track record and includes new modules on practical financial modeling, an expanded training curriculum, and unprecedented networking opportunities for aspiring venture capitalists to build strong connections across the continent.
Background
Over the decade, the phenomenal growth of Africa’s tech ecosystem has been impossible to miss, with a total of nearly 3,000 rounds and $20bn deployed — 2/3rds of which has come in just the last 3 years alone.
This fantastical growth has come with peaks and valleys, as with any financial market, but the resilience of African founders and funders in the wake of the first major pullback among foreign investors has only highlighted the long-term need and opportunity for a strong, thriving, specifically African-focused investor class. Even as the ecosystem has seen a deceleration in several regions, the rate of entrepreneurship continues to rocket, and Africa today — as a continent — has more startups than ever before.
Ecosystems from across the African continent are seeing a resurgence of interest in the venture capital asset class and in supporting technology and innovation, across both the private and public sectors.
As the African ecosystems witness the increasing continent-wide adoption of a new technology-enabled reality, it is key that the investors of today and the investors of tomorrow come together to build the foundations of the continent’s private markets, to ensure that startups, funds, and corporations alike all influence the growth of, and reap the benefits of, future venture capital inflows across Africa.
Dream VC, Africa’s foremost venture capital institute and investor accelerator is back once again, announcing the commencement of applications for the 2024 cohorts of their flagship African-focused Venture Capital training programs.
Founded in 2021, Dream VC has trained more than 170 African and Africa-focused investment professionals across 3x successive cohorts and 5x programs, many of whom are currently leading and operating in different investment roles across over 65x African investment firms.
The annual remote venture capital fellowship programs provide the ideal launchpad for all aspiring and current investors to break into the African venture space, with an extensive curriculum, practical training, and direct exposure to world-class investors provided to both junior and more venture enthusiasts.
Dream VC’s tailored educational investor training programs are dedicated to creating the necessary pipeline of talent — the next generation of African-focused investors. “Investor Accelerator” and “Launch into VC” are Dream VC’s remotely delivered flagship venture capital fellowship programs, both run entirely virtually. The two concurrently running programs provide an ideal launchpad for all aspiring and current investors to learn, practice, and sharpen the skills needed to successfully find, invest in, and grow African technology businesses.
“The Dream VC fellowship was a big part of my journey into Venture Capital, it allows you to work alongside enthusiastic venture capitalists in the African VC ecosystem, gain hands-on experience in due diligence and deal sourcing, and build a strong network in the industry,” said Cinderella Alinaitwe, now an Investment Analyst at Pearl Capital Partners, a Dream VC alumni from the 2021 cohort.
Previous Dream VC cohorts have welcomed over 100+ guest lectures including leading African General Partners (GPs) such as Dr. Ola Brown (HealthCap Africa), Ryosuke (Rio) Yamawaki (Verod-Kepple Africa Ventures), Sam Sturm (Founders Factory Africa), Idris Bello (LoftyInc Capital Management) and Kyane Kassiri (RaliCap) as well as founders of Africa’s top startups like NALA, Chari and Fawry.
Both of Dream VC’s programs combine an extensive annually updated curriculum, practical training, and end-to-end simulations and pair this with direct exposure to world-class investors to provide sophisticated investor training. Dream VC also routinely trains investment teams for over a dozen global investment funds, actively supports both local and international corporations with corporate venture capital training, and trains over fifty entrepreneurship support organizations in making their first investments in African markets.
“Dream VC is what I wished I had access to when I started my VC journey. The barrier to entry is high for anyone looking to break into the African VC industry, and going through Dream VC equips individuals with the necessary skillset needed to land that entry-level role at an African VC firm. With more African funds springing up every year, there is a huge opportunity to fill positions and get the best talent. The current gaps in the market for talent are huge, and Dream VC is plugging into a critical pain point. With Dream VC, you are sure of the best talents to hire from.” echoes Dayo Koleowo, General Partner at Microtraction and a past speaker at Dream VC’s venture capital training programs.
The 2024 Programs
This year, Dream VC is back in full force with an expanded team and a success rate evidenced by the many funds that count Dream VC alumni on their teams. In 2024, the investor accelerator will accept applications for their now-familiar venture capital training programs from today, the 27th of February 2024. The two programs running for this year are:
- The 4-month-long Launch Into Venture Capital (LIVC) Program will run from June to Late September.
- The 5-month-long Investor Accelerator Program (IA) will run from June to Late October.
Dream VC’s focus on accessibility continues, and Dream VC is proud to share that they have once again secured a round of commitments from their partners and alumni to enable the Dream VC Access Foundation (Dream VC’s scholarship arm) to provide much-needed support and financial assistance to any aspiring investor-in-training, who makes it through the application process but cannot cover a portion of the program costs.
What to expect from the “Launch Into Venture Capital” Program?
The LIVC Program is ideal for junior professionals and graduates who wish to gain skills and break into entry-level roles (interns, analysts, associates) in VC and investment firms.
- The typical LIVC fellow generally has 2–5 years of full-time professional experience in junior-to-mid-level positions at previous organizations.
- LIVC is structured like a boot camp, with predominantly skills-based training throughout the program.
- The program serves as a crash course into VC, teaching fundamental venture capital skills like due screening, analysis, due diligence, and more. Fellows would also be trained on post-investment value add and startup support.
Based on feedback from a range of funds collaborating with Dream VC over the years, the instructors are announcing a completely revamped curriculum, raising the difficulty of the program, but also increasing the employability of any future LIVC alumni to ensure high conversion in the current market environment.
Now spanning a novel 4 months, instead of the prior 3-month program, the new program structure features an extensive focus on practical skills needed by top analysts and associates and includes multiple extra sessions of content.
Dream VC’s Launch Into Venture Capital program will be offered at a new rate of $1,500 per person this year, reflecting the substantially increased curriculum.
What to expect from the “Investor Accelerator” Program?
The Investor Accelerator Program is geared towards mid to advanced-stage career professionals who have the capital and experience to begin investment activities upon program completion.
- Past IA fellows who have gone through the program had on average 8–10 years of professional experience, with many having 15+ years of expertise in a wide range of industrial domains.
- The program covers over 800 hours of on-demand content and multiple weekly lessons across skill-building, theory, fundamentals, venture capital, and angel investing, covering many topics, from VC 101 to Fund Launch and VC Career Development.
- Fellows are fully immersed in practical deal review and undergo regular weekly tasks individually and in groups, culminating in multiple extensive end-to-end investment committee simulations, where the collective debate tangible investment opportunities with their peers.
- Fellows should be ready to begin investment activities or to launch an initiative of their own upon program completion.
Following many success stories among Investor Accelerator alumni, Dream VC is proud to present an updated curriculum that builds on last year’s success. Dream VC’s flagship Investor Accelerator program will continue to be offered at $5,000 per person this year.
“Our commitment at Dream VC extends far beyond merely churning out a set number of investors within a specific timeframe. We’re dedicated teachers and builders, meticulously identifying and bridging gaps within the investor ecosystem across Africa. We firmly believe in the immense potential of African talent. Through our programs, we’re shaping future leaders poised to enter various roles within the venture capital landscape, from joining VCs and launching funds of their own to becoming angels, venture builders, and ecosystem enablers at ESOs,” remarked Mark Kleyner, Co-Founder of Dream VC, highlighting Dream VC’s pivotal role and continued success rate in nurturing and empowering investors, funds, and corporate entities to actively participate in Africa’s burgeoning startup scene.
Applications for the 2024 cohort for “Launch into VC (LIVC)’’ and “Investor Accelerator” programs open on Tuesday, February 27th, and will close at 23:59 GMT on the 14th of April 2024.
Both programs will run concurrently from summer to autumn. Launch into VC runs for 4 months from June to Late September. The Investor Accelerator program commences in June and runs until October for a total of 5 months.
Interested applicants can apply for the 2024 cohort of Dream VC’s programs here before 23:59 GMT on April 14th, 2024: https://forms.gle/DJuY7QHsMMYxBEBZ9
Financial Aid Information, 2024 Dream VC Financial Aid Application (Same deadline as main application!)
About Dream VC
Dream VC is an African-focused investor accelerator and venture capital institute. Dream VC creates and delivers multiple educational programs focused on startup investment, and actively imparts knowledge to emerging investors and key investment stakeholders across the African venture value chain.
Dream VC’s community is powered by 170 investors and ecosystem players spanning 40 countries globally and collectively managing $6.6bn USD in AUM focused on emerging markets. After its successful pilot in 2021, the organization has successfully run 3 annual cohorts and 5 programs in total and delivered training for nearly 100 funds, startup support organizations, and corporates in Africa.
For more information about Dream VC and/or any of our programs or to speak with a representative please visit www.dream-vc.com or contact our team at team@dream-vc.com.
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Cindy Ai — Co-founder of Dream VC
Mark Kleyner — Co-founder of Dream VC
