Disrupt Africa has today announced a partnership with Africa-focused pre-seed investment program Madica, as well as other leading investors and industry stakeholders, to release the second edition of “Diversity Dividend”, its (Disrupt Africa) pioneering research publication focusing on gender equality in the African tech startup ecosystem.
Since launching its research arm in 2016, Disrupt Africa has built up a significant portfolio of publications, most notably the African Tech Startups Funding Report, Finnovating for Africa, and deep-dives into various leading startup ecosystems with various partners across Africa’s tech ecosystem.
In June of last year, the startup-focused news and research company released “Diversity Dividend: Exploring Gender Equality in the African Tech Ecosystem”, the first-ever deep-dive into gender equality, or the lack of it, within the African tech startup space. In the report, almost 2,500 African tech startups were studied, and according to the key findings, 14.6 percent had a female co-founder, and 9.6 percent were led by a female CEO.
This year, Disrupt Africa will release the second edition of the report, tracking some advancements for women within Africa’s tech space. The report will contain quantitative and qualitative data — quantifying female founders and VCs in the ecosystem and their access to funding and opportunities — polling them directly about their experiences within the ecosystem. In addition, the report will also feature personalized case studies.
The report is scheduled to be released in June this year and to make this a success, Disrupt Africa has partnered with Madica and other partners including Goodwell Investments; SAIS powered by GIZ, and the International Trade Centre (ITC).
In a press statement Ms. Gabriella Mulligan, co-founder of Disrupt Africa said, “We are delighted to once again work with Madica, as well as our other partners, in ensuring this research is made available for free to anyone interested.” Adding that “This second edition of this pivotal piece of research digs deep into diversity within the African startup space and provides a benchmark for the improvements we hope to see over the next few years.”
Mr. Emmanuel Adegboye, Head of Madica, said Madica was excited to partner with Disrupt Africa again in advancing the conversation on gender diversity and equality within African tech. He noted, “Our previous collaboration was instrumental in bringing attention to the pressing issue of gender disparity, and we are again eager to further our commitment to addressing this concern head-on.”
Adegboye further said, “At Madica, we are staunch advocates for the need and the transformative impact of diversity, integrating it into the fabric of our organization and operations.” “As we continue to champion successful women in tech, making admirable examples of them, we hope it creates a ripple effect and point of reference for the entire industry and inspires young women to venture and succeed in the industry.”
Mr. Nico Blaauw, Partner at Goodwell Investments, said there was a long tradition of female entrepreneurship in Africa, yet somehow that has not yet translated into the startup scene, where there is still a huge imbalance in gender diversity.
“We’re excited to work with Disrupt Africa to uncover some of the underlying reasons for this disparity, and explore how we as investors can play a greater role in achieving gender equality,” said Blaauw.
Adding to Blaauw’s remarks, Mr. Michel Bernhardt, Head of the Program at SAIS, said women were the central pillar of agriculture in many African countries, yet startup innovation on the continent remained a male-dominated field.
“It is important to support more female founders and innovators,” said Bernhardt. “Their numbers are growing, but there could and should be more so that they can develop, test, and deploy innovations and technologies that help women in agriculture in Africa to improve their livelihoods.”
Bernhardt noted that understanding the linkages between gender, agriculture, and startup innovations is crucial to inspire action and change. “Therefore, we are happy to work with Disrupt Africa on their new report on gender equality,” he concluded.
Disrupt Africa and its partners will unveil the report in June this year and it will be available for free download.
