Only a few years in the past, Africa’s tech ecosystem was booming. In 2021, startups throughout the continent raised over $4 billion throughout 355 funding offers, buoyed by a world funding wave and the promise of leapfrog innovation. However the wave has since receded.
By 2023, funding had dropped by over 40%. The funding winter started as international VC pullback, financial headwinds, and native forex instability created a more durable, leaner atmosphere. The fallout was swift and painful — startup shutdowns, mind drain, layoffs, and widespread uncertainty.
In 2024, it turned evident that the world was shifting quick, and Africa should transfer with it. To search out the expansion and complete addressable markets that make for viable and VC-pleasing exits, African startups may now not afford to assume solely domestically. They needed to assume greater and go additional afield to actually thrive. That urgency knowledgeable the theme of Moonshot 2024 — Constructing for the World.
And but, regardless of the headwinds, the ecosystem didn’t collapse. Slowly, it started constructing momentum. The funding frenzy cooled, however as a substitute got here a stronger deal with enterprise fundamentals. Resilient startups tailored, restructured, and survived the downturn. Many emerged with leaner operations, sharper product-market match, and clearer development paths.
By early 2025, inexperienced shoots started to appear. The market appeared to have corrected itself and turned a nook. Investor sentiment began shifting. Most notably, the emergence of two new unicorns in This fall 2024 and the robust funding kickoff in Q1 2025 signaled that the tide was rising once more, albeit extra cautiously and intentionally. The ecosystem is shifting once more, and this time, it’s shifting smarter.
That’s what Moonshot 2025 is all about. We purpose to create a platform that examines the previous, learns from it, and boldly co-creates the long run collectively. Moonshot will likely be an experiential occasion that displays a maturing ecosystem capitalising on present positive aspects to leap into the long run, and unveiling Africa’s subsequent nice tales.
A theme rooted in actuality
“Constructing Momentum” isn’t only a catchy phrase. It’s a sample we noticed throughout dozens of conversations with founders, buyers, and policymakers on the continent and the globe, as we ready for this yr’s convention.
“The ecosystem is bullish, as it’s standing with little reliance on overseas capital,” mentioned Wiza Jalakasi, Director of Africa Market Enlargement at EBANX, capturing the prevailing sentiment throughout a pre-Moonshot dialog.
The theme acknowledges the hard-won positive aspects of the ecosystem whereas emphasising the pressing must shift from survival to structured, scalable development. It seeks to reply the query: What does scale appear to be for African startups?
All by our analysis, knowledgeable insights, and conversations, it turned clear that whereas the ecosystem is regaining steam, additionally it is vital to study from previous cycles and put together for its subsequent leap ahead.
At Moonshot 2025, we’re assembling the operators and leaders shifting the continent ahead to handle the important thing query of what scale appears like for African startups.
What momentum appears like in Africa’s tech ecosystem
Let’s be clear, the numbers aren’t but explosive, however they’re telling:
- Over $800 million in fairness funding was raised in Q1 2025 alone, signaling cautious investor confidence returning.
- Sectors like local weather tech and AI noticed double-digit development in startup creation and partnerships.
- Extra native capital is being mobilised by angel networks and sovereign funds, slowly changing overseas VC dominance.
- And hubs inside and past the “massive 4” proceed to deepen their startup ecosystems with coverage reforms, accelerators, and infrastructure investments.
There’s no single breakout second, however there’s clear ahead movement, and there must be sustained momentum as a collective.
That’s why we’re centering Moonshot 2025 on the builders, believers, and establishments laying down the rails for Africa’s subsequent leap.
What to anticipate at Moonshot 2025
This yr, Moonshot expands past a convention; it turns into a curated, residing museum of Africa’s innovation journey. We get to inform the tales of what obtained us right here and highlight the individuals and concepts that can carry us ahead.
9 Daring Content material Tracks from the Inventive Financial system to the Way forward for Commerce, this yr’s programming is laser-focused on sectors and concepts with actual potential to form Africa’s digital future. Every observe is designed to reply with sincere reflections and hopeful forecasts: What’s the subsequent concrete step ahead for this sector?
100+ audio system from inside and outdoors Africa, together with policymakers, massive tech leaders, early-stage founders, innovators, and buyers making the boldest guess on Africa.
Motion-focused Conversations. Suppose much less speak, extra traction. We’re crafting deep-dive workshops, coverage roundtables & pledges, and stay showcases designed to maneuver conversations into outcomes.
TC Battlefield, Africa’s main early-stage pitch competitors, returns with stronger worth and matchmaking periods designed to attach probably the most promising startups with high African and worldwide buyers. Apply right here
Workshops & Roundtables, sensible deep dives, stay use-case walkthroughs, and policymaker-operator roundtables targeted on options, not soundbites.
Be a part of the momentum
Whether or not you’re a founder searching for your subsequent investor, a policymaker charting digital development technique, or an operator constructing the following category-defining product, Moonshot 2025 is the place momentum builds.
We’ve simply launched Early Chicken Tickets, which can be found now for a restricted time. Safe your spot for Moonshot 2025 at a reduced fee and be a part of Africa’s most purposeful tech gathering.
Get your ticket right here
