Chapter54: The New Accelerator Helping European Tech Scaleups Break into Africa

Partech launches Chapter54, the 1st accelerator dedicated to European scaleups wanting to expand into African markets 

Paris, Jan. 11, 2022 – Global tech investment firm, Partech, is announcing the launch of Chapter54 (www.chapter54.com), a first-of-its-kind acceleration program for European scaleups looking to expand into African markets. The program is designed and operated by Partech Shaker, Partech’s innovation programs arm, with the sponsorship of the German promotional bank KfW on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development BMZ to support growth and employment creation in Africa. 

With its young, tech-savvy population, fuelling a fast-growing tech ecosystem, Africa offers unprecedented growth potential for European scaleups.  While a handful of European scaleups are already active on the continent, their experience proves that a successful launch in Africa requires market expertise, local networks, and access to local talent with existing expertise and operational capacity. This is where Chapter54 comes in! 

Chapter54 is a program designed for European tech scaleups committed to entering African markets. This tailor-made program offers a curated network of hands-on mentors & speakers and a wide array of benefits. It is powered by global investment firm Partech via Partech Shaker, its innovation programs arm.  

Chapter54 is a program of up to 8 months, which is: 

• Equity-free and open to all European scaleups 
• Sector-agnostic 
• Focused on aligning operating models and go-to-market strategies with the local context 
• Respectful of scaleups' workload 

With teams and investments both in Europe and in Africa (15 investments already made in 9 African different countries), Partech has created a remarkable ecosystem for entrepreneurs and top managers who are now considering Africa as their next move. 

“Because of its unique positioning in the Tech ecosystems of both Europe & Africa, Partech Shaker is an excellent choice to be the sparring-partner of European scaleups wanting to invest in Africa” says Dr. Jan Martin Witte, Director Global Equity and Funds at KfW. 

With Chapter54, selected scaleups will have access to: 

• Dozens of dedicated work sessions with experts from a curated network of 50+ hands-on mentors with experience in Africa (e.g., Heads of Sales, Heads of Supply Chain, Country Managers, ...)
• Original and insightful keynotes on African operating models, success stories and post-mortems
• Soft-landing solutions thanks to partnerships forged with the most relevant innovation players of the continent
• A unique catalogue of perks, specially sourced to prepare for market entry in Africa

“You may have great technology and fantastic credentials in Europe, but Africa requires some very practical amendments in the way you recruit, operate, sell, and form partnerships... That’s why Chapter54 is a program ’by doers, with doers, for doers’” comments Vincent Previ, Managing Director at Chapter54. 

For interested companies, these are the milestones to keep in mind: 

• February 7th, 2022: applications open 
• March 5th, 2022: applications close 
• March 9th, 2022: unveiling of the chosen scaleups 
• April 2022: start of the acceleration journey 

About Partech:  

Born in San Francisco and Paris, Partech is one of the most active tech investors in the world, bringing together capital, operational experience, and strategic support for entrepreneurs at seed, venture and growth stages. The current portfolio includes 200+ companies in more than 30 countries, of which 14 are valued at more than $1B. Partech also operates Partech Shaker, its innovation programs arm. 

About KfW: 

KfW is one of the world’s leading promotional banks. With its decades of experience, it works on behalf of the Federal Government and the federal states of Germany to improve economic, social and ecological living conditions at home and abroad 

Press contact 

Isabelle Tresson: +33 7 86 08 85 85, itresson@partechpartners.com