ABAN

Overview

The African Business Angel Network (ABAN) is a pan-African organization founded in 2015. It serves as a network for angel investors across Africa, playing a significant role in the continent’s early-stage investment ecosystem. Based in Mauritius, ABAN aims to facilitate angel investing by increasing the number of investors, improving the overall environment, and providing essential infrastructure and training. Over the past decade, ABAN has mobilized over $35 million into 1,200 early-stage African startups and expanded its community to over 5,000 angel investors across 37 countries.

Recent Developments

October 2025: The 2025 ABAN Annual Congress was held in Lagos, Nigeria, marking ten years of promoting angel investing across Africa. This event featured strategic launches, including Catalytic Africa 2.0, and highlighted ABAN's commitment to expanding local capital participation.
August 2025: ABAN reported a partnership with Madica Ventures, aiming to enhance African investment ecosystems by sharing startup pipelines and improving investor education.
March 2025: The ABAN CEO emphasized the transformative potential of angel investing at the CSAE Conference in Oxford and announced a partnership with GITEX Europe to foster global tech and startup growth.
February 2025: Launched a Sports and Creative Early-Stage Investor Network during the Inclusive Fintech Forum in Kigali, aiming to drive investments in diverse and emerging sectors.
Throughout 2025: ABAN has focused on strategic ecosystem enhancements, launching new surveys, and developing sector-specific angel networks to address the needs of different African markets.

Attribute	Information
Founding Date	2015
Headquarters	Ebene, Mauritius
Founders	Six pioneering angel networks from across Africa
Revenue	Not publicly disclosed
Profits	Not publicly disclosed
Key Investors	Various angel networks and syndicates across Africa
Industry	Early-stage investment, Angel investing
Number of Employees	Not publicly disclosed

Early History

ABAN began as a consortium of six independent angel investor networks, including the Lagos Angels Network, Cameroon Angel Network, and Ghana Angel Network, among others. Supported by international entities like the European Business Angel Network, its mission was to connect African investors to maximize their impact and align with global counterparts. Since inception, ABAN has focused on creating a unified ecosystem for angel investment, which was relatively nascent across the continent at that time. Its collaborative approach has been pivotal in mainstreaming early-stage investments in Africa.

Company Profile and Achievements

ABAN’s business model revolves around fostering an enabling environment for angel investors, offering training, network development, co-investment platforms, and advocacy. Key achievements include:

Mobilizing over $35 million in investments into 1,200 startups.
Engaging over 5,000 angel investors across 37 African countries.
Launching the Catalytic Africa platform to offer matched funding for startups emerging from innovation hubs.
Partnering with key international and regional development organizations to drive ecosystem growth.

Current Operations and Market Position

ABAN’s current operations focus on expanding the pool of angel investors and fostering an inclusive investment environment across Africa. The organization actively supports sectors like digital trade, technology, healthcare, education, and clean energy. By leveraging networks like ABAIV and initiatives such as Catalytic Africa, ABAN continues to enhance its competitive edge in the early-stage investment market. Its strategic initiatives include the development of co-investment models and policy advocacy, aimed at securing $100 million in investments to create over 10,000 jobs annually.

Conclusion

The African Business Angel Network plays a crucial role in Africa's startup ecosystem. Through its various programs and widespread network, it catalyzes innovation and entrepreneurship across the continent. With a focus on building a robust investor community and fostering a conducive investment climate, ABAN is well-positioned to drive further growth and development in the early-stage investment scene in Africa. Moving forward, its impact is likely to expand as it champions local capital participation and nurtures the potential of African startups.