Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding allows entrepreneurs to raise (usually) small amounts of capital from a large group of individuals via the Internet to finance their business venture. In Uganda, the following crowd funding opportunities exist:

• Akabbo is the crowd funding platform in Uganda
• Start Some Good is an online crowd-funding platform for fundraising in Africa.
• Indiegogo is a platform of crowd funding in Africa for projects of all kinds with no criteria.
• Kickstarter is an online crowd-funding platform where projects of all kinds can be funded.

A list of the top crowd funding websites is available here.

A global list of crowd funding websites is available here.

Angel investments 

Angel investments are typically the earliest equity investors in startup companies. Angel investors are usually wealthy individuals that band together in investor networks.

• Uganda Angel Investors is an online platform for entrepreneurs and investors to match and find each other.

Venture capital 

Venture capital refers to money invested in a project in which there is a substantial element at risk, typically a new or expanding business.

• Fanisi Venture Capital Fund is a fund that makes direct investments in businesses with potential for substantial growth.
• Invenfin Venture Capital is a wholly –owned subsidiary group of Remgro (Pty) Ltd. And specializes in early stage venture capital funding, providing start-up capital to entrepreneurs to fund the commercialization of their intellectual property internationally.
• The government of Uganda in Partnership with DFCU Bank, Stanbic Bank and Centenary Bank has made available a venture capital fund of UGX 25 Billion. The Fund will be used to support growth of viable and sustainable SMEs by the youth in the private sector.
• Venture Den is a website listing entrepreneurs and investors and matching the right venture capital investments.
• Fusion capital is another venture capitalist that operates in Africa. It is part of Fusion Group of businesses based in London UK. The firm is a hybrid business financing and private equity house that focuses on the needs of the local businesses in the emerging economies of the East and Central African region.
• eVaFund is the first venture capital firm investing in African SME’s active in digital media.
• East Africa Capital Fund Partners (EACP) is a technology, media, and telecommunications sector focused Venture Capital Fund Manager investing in the greater Eastern Africa region.
• Adlevo Capital makes equity and equity-linked investments in rapidly growing private companies in various stages of development.
• The Mara Ad-Venture Fund will offer early-stage startup and growth capital to high potential African entrepreneurs.

Grants

• Embassy of Japan in Uganda – Grant assistance for grass-roots human security projects
• The US African Development Fund provides grants for development that grows community enterprises by providing seed capital and technical support.
  • Agricultural cooperatives and small-scale producer groups: An organization formed by a group of small-scale farmers, artisans, or producers to achieve some or all of the advantages of large-scale marketing and production. 
  • Community-based organizations (CBOs): An organization made up of a group of people who come together to accomplish a common goal or a set of goals tailored to meet the development needs of their community. 
  • African intermediary organizations (AIOs): An organization that works directly with very low-income people and underserved groups.
  • Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs): A registered enterprise that employs up to 100 workers, has annual sales revenues up to $500,000, and has a business plan that impacts communities either directly within their enterprise or indirectly through supply-chain linkages. 
• The East African Development Bank offers services for young companies and business to kick off.
• The Rhodes Scholars’ Southern African Forum (RSSAF) gives small grants of up to £1,500 to programs of economic, political and social development in sub-Saharan Africa. Priority is given to projects less likely to secure funding from large donors and to projects with which Rhodes Scholars or other Oxford students/staff are associated.
• Private Sector Foundation Uganda is managing the Business Uganda Development Scheme (BUDS-DFID) a cost sharing project funded to a tune of £13 Million by UK Department for International Development (DFID). It aims to promote private sector growth, investment and employment opportunities under the PRDP sub-regions in Acholi, Lango, Teso, West-Nile, Karamoja, Bukedi and parts of Bunyoro sub-regions.
• The US AID Uganda published a list of the grants available for Small and Medium sized enterprises.
• Echoing Green’s Fellowship Programs will offer more than $4.6 million in seed-stage funding and support this year to emerging leaders working to bring about positive social change.

Other

• S2 Capital is a social investment fund that invests in the most promising new technologies and companies built by young people that advance gender equity, improve health care delivery, and amplify economic growth in low-resource countries.
• The TBL Mirror Fund is a private Equity Fund for East African and Nigerian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) targeting various high growth sectors and deals where value can be added through the know-how and involvement of the Fund managers and its investors.