The global venture capital machine is broken when it touches African soil. Despite the continent’s immense entrepreneurial energy, the “funding gap” remains a chasm. In 2024, while global VC markets adjusted, African startups faced a unique struggle: a lack of liquidity and a mismatch between Western valuation models and local realities. Many African SMEs—the backbone of the continent’s economy—are deemed “uninvestable” by traditional standards simply because the tools used to measure them were built for Silicon Valley.
The problematic is clear: Actual VC models, though improving, do not fit the African reality. We need an updated approach to protect investors and cover the funders’ needs while reflecting the true economic pulse of the continent.
Part 1: The Best Modern Approaches (The Foundation)
To improve the system, we must first look at the most successful innovations currently used by VCs globally, which serve as a baseline for any new model:
- The Hybrid Signaling Model: Moving beyond just the “idea,” modern VCs use the Resource-Based View, which “notates” a company based on its intangible assets—patents, team complementarity, and internal processes.
- The Scorecard & Berkus Methods: These provide a pragmatic “points-based” system. Instead of guessing revenue in a volatile currency, they assign value to risk-reduction milestones like having a functional prototype or a verified strategic partnership.
- Dynamic SURF Scoring: A breakthrough in Fintech, the SURF model (Sustainability, Underwriting, Risk, Financial) uses real-time data to create a living “note” for a business, reducing the reliance on static, outdated annual reports.
- The Tryptique Model: This French-inspired approach simplifies the “notation” into three pillars—Human, Market, and Governance—to speed up the trust-building process between founders and funders.
Part 2: The Unsolved Problems and Limitations
While these models are a step forward, they still harbor significant limitations when applied to the African context:
- The Survival Paradox: Even with these models, global statistics are grim: only 10.1% of startups move from Seed to Series A. The current systems are better at identifying “growth potential” than “long-term durability.”
- Sector Bias: Most models prioritize “trendy” tech topics (SaaS, AI) over businesses addressing structural market failures like logistics, local manufacturing, or agritech, which often require different capital structures than a typical software startup.
- The “Hype” Trap: In emerging markets, valuations are often driven by international “signaling”—if a US-based fund invests, the value goes up, regardless of whether the Unit Economics (profit per customer) are actually sustainable in a low-purchasing-power market.
Part 3: The Utafiti Corporation Vision: A New African Standard
At Utafiti Corporation, we are developing a valuation model specifically engineered to stop the “waste of funding” and prioritize businesses that answer real African problematics. Our vision is to transform startup funding from a “risky placement” into a sustainable investment in the continent’s future.
Our model is built on three uncompromising pillars:
- Rigorous “Hard-Check” Audit: Unlike traditional VC due diligence that often skims the surface, our model requires a deep audit of financial processes and operational key aspects. We believe transparency is the only way to protect the investor’s “sound and safe” interest.
- The “Resilient Founder” Appreciation: We evaluate both hard and soft skills, but we hold a specific preference for founders who have failed and learned at least once. In the African context, resilience is a more valuable asset than a perfect CV.
- Economic Potential & Depth of Market: We ignore trends to focus on “Depth.” Does the business solve a systemic issue? Is the strategy grounded in the local reality of West Africa?
The Goal: We want everyday people and institutional investors alike to be able to buy shares in African SMEs and Startups with the same confidence they would have in a blue-chip stock. We are moving toward experimental investment rounds across West Africa by 2027 to demonstrate that this model leads to higher profitability and durability.
Redefining the Game for Africa
The current system was not designed for us, but that does not mean we cannot redesign it. Whether it is through the Utafiti Model or other local innovations, we must redefine the valuation game so that it serves the interests of the African continent first. We need a system where “value” isn’t just a number on a spreadsheet intended for an exit, but a measure of a business’s ability to create jobs, solve problems, and sustain the African real economy.
By 2027, the goal is simple: make investing in Africa less of a gamble and more of a legacy.
Signed,
AI & IA
