The investment world revolves around the perception of value. To ill-informed entrepreneurs, investors seem to speak another language. Savvy startups communicate potential in ways investors can't resist. Working with BE to understand the value your company holds can go a long way in securing the capital you need to thrive. Presenting strong numbers and a compelling story will go a long way with investors. Understanding valuation and equity can protect you from bad deals. BE can help you construct a killer pitch and plug you into our investor network. The rest is on you...

No one in their right mind will give you millions of dollars just because you say so. Due diligence is an investigation, audit, or review performed to confirm the business is what you say it is. In the financial world, due diligence requires an examination of financial records, business plans, and reputation before entering into an agreement with an investor. BE prepares you in advance for this process so conversations around investment can happen in a way that is more secure and transparent. BE works with both investors and startups to provide insight that leads to key investment decisions.

Big data is increasingly difficult to find within the African continent and other "developing" economies. Having to lean on behavior, culture, and other qualitative data points alongside quantitative ones provides BE with the ability to provide more accurate information across the board. They say numbers don't lie, but they can be "truer." Understanding and capturing the subtle nuances in local and international markets give your business an extra advantage when developing business strategies. "Rome was not built in a day," but with more accurate information, your company can cut down development times and find more efficient routes to success.

In 2017, a survey of investors was conducted by members of the West African tech ecosystem. There was an assumption that investors weren't investing in Africa, but the truth was that investors didn't find the companies they encountered interesting. Investor emails were flooded with requests from entrepreneurs who had done little more than brainstorm and send a PowerPoint. Today's investor is savvier. They are looking for the telltale signs common in successful startups. Investment in Africa and other "developing" economies has grown over the years as more and more entrepreneurs learn to speak the language of investors. BE works with our clients to highlight the best parts of their business model, craft a story around it, and deliver their narrative in a way that will make investors look for you.

BE has been striving to develop promising startups since 2015 and began working with investors in 2017. BE, as a company, learned a lot working under Maya Horgan Famodu, the youngest Black woman to launch a tech fund, and the youngest person to launch a tech fund in Sub-Saharan Africa. She is also the first solo woman to have raised a tech fund in Nigeria. In fact, Maya’s $10 million venture fund, Ingressive Capital, may well be the largest first-time tech fund raised by a solo Black woman GP in all of venture. Since then BE has grown as a branch from the Ingressive tree and expanded our network to include local and international investors committed to empowering the African diaspora. In addition to investors, BE can plug you into investment communities that will market your product and services and share your brand across the globe.

(BE is a community partner and friend of the Ingressive brand but has no direct business relationship nor makes any promises based on our connection, we're just really proud of this amazing woman!)