{"id":636,"date":"2026-08-26T12:46:01","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T12:46:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/betrworkr.com\/events\/?page_id=636"},"modified":"2026-09-05T15:48:07","modified_gmt":"2026-09-05T15:48:07","slug":"founders-funders-friends","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/betrworkr.com\/events\/founders-funders-friends\/","title":{"rendered":"Founders, Funders & Friends"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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FOUNDERS<\/span>
\nFUNDERS &
\nFRIENDS<\/span><\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Local Capital \u00b7 Global Standards<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Our flagship event returns in September with a room full of people who understand the lay of the land \u2014 the mentality and the psyche of people building real careers and funding real companies from Africa to the world.<\/p>

Funding details, check sizes, and pitch deck critiques are shared in a room full of the people building, investing, and shaping what comes next<\/p>

A founder you sit next to. A fund manager you meet reaching for the same drink at the bar.<\/p>

An investor who’s tired of hearing the same pitch dressed up to sound like it was built somewhere else.
On September 9th, Founders, Funders & Friends<\/strong><\/span> returns for a conversation we’ve wanted to have since our very first edition, one that doesn’t get enough honest airtime in rooms like this.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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LOCAL CAPITAL,
\nGLOBAL STANDARDS<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Building for African markets without apologizing for them.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>

A conversation about raising and investing in African startups \u2014 from local investor bases and diaspora capital, to businesses that don’t have to pretend to be Silicon Valley to get funded.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Every founder in this region has sat across from an investor who wanted their business to look more like a startup from San Francisco than the market it was actually built for.<\/p>

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Every investor here has watched a founder chase a valuation benchmark that never made sense for where they operate \u2014 because that’s the only benchmark anyone handed them.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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This edition is about saying that out loud, in a room built to actually talk about it.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Hear from an all-investor panel<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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No founder softening the conversation<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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For the first time, we’re putting the funders alone at the table. No founder on the panel to keep the conversation polite, no pitch to react to, just the people who write the checks, talking to each other and to the room about what “global standards” actually cost founders here, and what it would look like to fund this market on its own terms instead.<\/p>

If you’ve ever wondered what investors say about your market when they think founders aren’t in the room, this is the closest you’ll get to hearing it firsthand.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The Agenda<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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FEATURED\nCONVERSATIONS<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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This edition of Founders, Funders & Friends centers around:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Local Capital, Global Standards.<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Building for African markets without apologizing for them \u2014 and saying it out loud, in a room built to actually talk about it.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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A conversation about raising and investing in African startups specifically from local investor bases, diaspora capital, and building businesses that don’t have to pretend to be Silicon Valley to get funded.<\/p>

Every founder in this region has sat across from an investor who wanted their business to look more like a startup from San Francisco than the market it was actually built for. <\/p>

Every investor here has watched a founder chase a valuation benchmark that never made sense for where they operate, because that’s the only benchmark anyone handed them.<\/p>

This edition is about saying that out loud, in a room built to actually talk about it.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Testimonials<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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WHAT PAST ATTENDEES SAY<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Hear directly from founders, investors, and operators who’ve been in the room at past editions of Founders, Funders & Friends.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\"The Betrworkr Founders, Funders and Friends event lived up to their usual high standards. The panel was diverse, thoughtful and honest. I learned particular approaches to fundraising and business expansion, gained industry insights, and left with two connections I've stayed in contact with. I'm looking forward to the next one.\"<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Brett Calhoun<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Chief Operating Officer, Ship Shap<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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\"Founders, Funders and Friends was a well curated and resourceful event. An outstanding take home was being able to mingle with very solutions-driven professionals and ecosystem decision makers. Thanks Betrworkr Events Team.\"<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Wambui Mutugi<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Legal & Compliance Manager, Trade Grid<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The Difference<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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WHY THIS ROOM
IS DIFFERENT<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Most conversations about capital in this region happen in two separate rooms.
Founders talking to each other about which investors to avoid.
Investors talking to each other about which founders are worth the risk.
Nobody’s in the room for both conversations at once.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThis time, you are.<\/span><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin Us On September 9th<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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WHO ENDS UP
IN THE ROOM<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Founders, Funders & Friends is built as an access-driven experience, not just an event. Inside the room, you’ll find:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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