Smart Africa Launches SAVR Bootcamp for 15 Women-Led Startups

Smart Africa has announced the launch of a second edition of its Smart Africa Venture Readiness (SAVR) Bootcamp in Côte d'Ivoire, where 15 women-led digital and green tech startups will participate. The five-day investment readiness program that took place from June 22 to 26, 2026, aims to provide early-stage entrepreneurs with the skills, knowledge, and investor networks they require to secure investment funding and accelerate their growth.

The bootcamp will be run by Smart Africa in partnership with Mstudio, under the Africa-Europe Digital Innovation Bridge (AEDIB 2.0) program, supported by the European Union for the purpose of boosting digital innovation ecosystems and access to finance for African-based entrepreneurs and startups. Specifically, the program focuses on encouraging women-led businesses that are creating new solutions to tackle environmental, social and economic issues in Africa.

The intensive five-day program is dedicated to learning by doing, where the selected founders are learning about investment readiness, fundraising strategies, financial and business modelling, investor storytelling, pitch deck preparation, and growth planning. The participants are also being mentored by seasoned entrepreneurs and investors and made to events where they can connect with key stakeholders in Africa's startup ecosystem.

Key Highlights:

• Smart Africa launched the SAVR Bootcamp for 15 women-led digital and greentech startups in Côte d’Ivoire
• The five-day program provides investment readiness training, mentorship, and investor networking
• The initiative promotes women entrepreneurship, innovation, and sustainable growth across Africa

SAVR Bootcamp is geared to digital and greentech startups at the pre-seed and early-seed stage with a minimum viable product (MVP) or some measure of market traction. The program will equip founders with a greater awareness of investor expectations and help them get ready for financing in the coming 6 to 18 months, boosting their likelihood of investment for their subsequent growth.

One of the top priorities for boosting the investment readiness of Africa's entrepreneurial ecosystem is improving investment readiness, according to Smart Africa. The Smart Africa Network of Incubators and Accelerators (SANIA) is one of the initiatives that fall within its mandate to deepen the investment-ready pipeline of startups and to link entrepreneurs with incubators, accelerators, investors and innovation hubs across the continent. This holistic approach aims to speed up digital transformation, foster innovation, and nurture sustainable economic development in Africa.

The initiative also aligns with the goals of the Africa-Europe Digital Innovation Bridge (AEDIB 2.0), which aims to boost innovation ecosystem collaboration between Africa and Europe through high-impact startups, entrepreneurial capacity building, and bringing innovative ventures closer to finance and international partnerships. The program is driven by women's businesses, helping to bring women into the rapidly expanding technology and green innovation spaces in Africa.

Smart Africa has said more details regarding the startups to be included in the list will be announced in the near future. The bootcamp hopes to enhance the participating founders' capabilities to go out and secure investments, grow businesses and, in general, drive innovation towards economic development in Africa.