Schedule

[Pre-event] Welcome reception

Experience APS’ distinctive welcome reception coloured by art.

Arrival, Registration and Networking Breakfast

Welcome Remark

[Keynote Address] The State of the Market: The View from the Capital Stack

A data-backed reflection on capital flows into Africa’s innovation ecosystem — who is deploying, what LPs expect today, and how fund managers must adapt. Furthermore, rather than viewing Africa in isolation, this keynote will draw on comparative data from Latin America and India — highlighting trends in VC inflows, exits, fund sizes, and ecosystem maturity — to situate Africa’s trajectory within the broader evolution of emerging markets. By showing how peers navigated macro turbulence before scaling, the keynote frames Africa’s current challenges as part of a proven growth journey, setting the stage for deeper conversations on DPI, sustainability, and institutional readiness.

[Panel Session] Liquidity as Leverage: Catalysing Exits to Sustain the Cycle

This panel unpacks the full continuum of capital and the critical role of liquidity in sustaining Africa’s venture cycle. It explores how exits can take multiple shapes — from M&A to IPOs, including the dynamics of local vs. global listings and the growing potential of dual listings. By examining where venture capital hands off to private equity, strategics, or institutional investors, the discussion will demystify what successful exits look like and who drives them — founders, boards, or investors. In highlighting exits, the panel reframes liquidity not as a single outcome but as leverage that fuels the next wave of growth.

[Fireside Chat] Betting on Africa: The Global Investor Perspective

A global LP or frontier markets investor shares why they’re still investing in Africa, how they evaluate managers in this market, and what gives them conviction in uncertain times.

[Panel Session] Beyond Equity: Structuring Alternative Capital Pathways for Sustainable Growth

In a market with constrained equity financing, new models are emerging — from venture debt and revenue-based financing to blended capital structures. This session will explore how these instruments are being used, what investors and founders should understand about risk and returns, and how to ensure alignment between non-equity capital providers and long-term growth goals.

Stears x Ventures Platform: Exit Index Presentation

Launch of the Stears x Ventures Platform: Exit Index

[Workshop/Side Panel] Acquisition for Expansion: Thinking About M&A as a Growth Tool

M&A is one tool among many for expansion. In this session, we’ll explore how to think about it: where it fits, where it doesn’t, and how geography and sector dynamics shape the call (for example, expanding from anglophone to francophone Africa, or navigating differences across various sectors). The session will outline key steps, knowledge areas, and practical insights founders need to approach M&A confidently. The aim is a candid and practical conversation that founders can adapt to their context.

[Workshop/Side Panel] LP–GP Roundtable: Transparency, Alignment, and What's Next

This roundtable—organised into three breakout groups—brings together LPs, including DFIs, Family Offices, and Corporate LPs, and GPs for a candid, solutions-driven discussion on strengthening alignment in African venture capital. Through interactive breakout sessions, participants will explore the practical challenges and emerging opportunities shaping effective partnerships across the continent. The discussions will centre on three themes: what happens after the signed LPA and how to build trust for long-term partnerships; ESG approaches for funds and their portfolios; and what family offices are optimising for, along with how fund managers and DFIs can engage them more effectively.

Lunch Break

[Panel Session] Policy & Capital Markets Forum: What Regulators, Exchanges, and Investors Must Build for Africa's Liquidity Future

Regulation can either accelerate or constrain how capital recycles through Africa’s innovation ecosystem. This panel explores the regulatory role in shaping exit options — from M&A and strategic acquisitions to local and global listings. It will examine how capital markets in Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, and beyond are evolving, and what reforms could unlock more accessible pathways to liquidity. By bringing together regulators, stock exchange representatives, and ecosystem players, the conversation aims to surface candid perspectives on what’s working, what needs to change, and how regulation can actively support sustainable exits across the continent.

[Fireside Chat] The Road to a Billion: Raising, Scaling, and Building Trust at Scale

This intimate fireside chat will bring together the CEOs of Flutterwave and Moniepoint – two of Africa’s few unicorns – for a candid conversation about what it really takes to scale to a billion-dollar company.

Closing Remarks

Networking Cockail

After-event networking cocktail with light bites and drinks.

[Post-event] Immersive Lagos Experience

Experience Lagos in November, when the city transforms into a hub of artistic energy where culture and community converge. 1st Stop: TLP’s Report Launch - “Rethinking Funding & Exits: Nigeria’s Missing IPOs and the NGX” 2nd Stop: Afrobeat Rebellion: An Exhibition of Fela's Enduring Legacy 3rd Stop: Contemporary Nigerian/ African Art Exhibition at Nahous Final Stop: Lunch