The African Leadership University’s Centre for Entrepreneurship (C4E) builds and supports African founders across the venture journey — from discovering opportunities and validating ideas to launching businesses, accessing capital and scaling what works.
Find your place in the C4E ecosystem
Whether you are building a venture, looking for investable companies, supporting entrepreneurs or bringing expertise into the ecosystem, there is a way to engage.
Find the programme that matches your stage — from early opportunity discovery to scaling an established business.
Sponsor founders, build a programme with us or connect entrepreneurs in your network to relevant C4E opportunities.
Access a growing pipeline of African ventures and participate in curated founder-investor engagements.
Share your experience with founders through masterclasses, mentorship, diagnostics and specialist support.
ABOUT C4E
C4E is ALU’s engine for entrepreneurship and venture development.
We believe entrepreneurship support should not end with an idea, a pitch competition or a single accelerator. Founders need different kinds of support at different stages of building.
C4E therefore operates an integrated venture progression model that supports founders from their earliest exploration of a problem through validation, venture creation, capital readiness, growth and continued alumni support.
Across this journey, founders learn by building. They test ideas with real customers, develop and launch products, strengthen their business models and operations, access experienced mentors and experts, prepare for investment, and connect to capital and strategic opportunities.
C4E also directly deploys catalytic capital to selected ventures at critical stages of their development.
THE C4E VENTURE JOURNEY
Entrepreneurs do not need the same intervention at every stage of building.
C4E’s programmes are designed as a connected venture journey, allowing founders to access the right support as they move from identifying opportunities to building, funding and scaling viable ventures.
STAGE 01
What problems are worth solving?
E-Lab develops the entrepreneurial mindset required to identify meaningful problems, recognise opportunities and begin thinking like a founder.
All first-years, every trimester
STAGE 02
Is this idea worth building?
Customer discovery, assumption testing and early prototypes — before committing real time or money to building.
80 founders · 9 wks + build · $500–1.5K
STAGE 03
Can this become a viable venture?
Twelve weeks removing the reasons an investor would say no — documented in an investor-grade data room.
30–50 ventures · 12 wks · $10–30K
STAGE 04
How do I grow and finance what already works?
A diagnostic, targeted expert work, then curated one-to-one conversations with capital that actually fits.
4 wks · open to any African venture
Capital at C4E
C4E provides direct catalytic funding to selected ventures at critical points in their development. Capital supports founders as they validate products, enter markets, strengthen operating businesses and pursue critical milestones toward sustainable growth. Funding is complemented by structured venture support, due diligence, milestone setting and continued post-funding engagement.
An African road-safety technology company using IoT and AI to monitor driving behaviour, detect accidents in real time and automatically alert emergency responders.
An AgriTech company developing automated, renewable-energy-powered livestock brooding systems designed to reduce animal mortality and energy costs.
A Ugandan company tackling malaria by integrating mosquito protection into affordable everyday household products such as soap.
A climate-smart agriculture company providing solar-powered smart irrigation and digital farming solutions for smallholder farmers.
A smart-home technology company providing automation, security and energy-efficiency solutions.
A healthtech company developing accessible, non-invasive malaria diagnostic technology.
THE C4E PORTFOLIO
Making breast cancer screening more accessible through a portable, low-cost screening device and AI-powered diagnostic platform.
Developing smart temperature-regulation technology to improve chick survival, stabilize production and strengthen smallholder poultry farming.
Using everyday household products to make effective mosquito protection more affordable and accessible.
Using AI and IoT technology to improve road safety and accelerate emergency response.
Helping smallholder farmers improve water efficiency, productivity and climate resilience through smart irrigation technology.
Developing non-invasive malaria diagnostic technology for underserved and remote communities.
IMPACT STORIES
Check Me is making breast cancer screening more accessible with a portable, low-cost screening device and an AI-powered diagnostic platform — bringing faster, affordable detection to underserved communities.
Making breast cancer screening more accessible through a portable, low-cost screening device and AI-powered diagnostic platform.
Developing smart temperature-regulation technology to improve chick survival, stabilize production and strengthen smallholder poultry farming.
Using everyday household products to make effective mosquito protection more affordable and accessible.
Using AI and IoT technology to improve road safety and accelerate emergency response.
Helping smallholder farmers improve water efficiency, productivity and climate resilience through smart irrigation technology.
Developing non-invasive malaria diagnostic technology for underserved and remote communities.
C4E works with corporations, investors, foundations, development organisations, universities, entrepreneurship networks, industry experts and founder communities. Five ways to engage
Give promising entrepreneurs in your network access to C4E programmes, expertise, venture diagnostics and growth opportunities.
Join C4E’s network of investors and capital providers and engage with ventures selected and prepared for relevant investment conversations.
Support founders through mentorship, masterclasses, technical expertise, sector knowledge or investment-readiness support.
Work with C4E ventures through pilots, procurement, distribution, licensing, technology partnerships and other commercial opportunities.
Partner with C4E on venture challenges, accelerators, founder-development initiatives, research and entrepreneurship ecosystem programmes.
Building a venture, looking for investable companies, supporting entrepreneurs, or bringing expertise into the ecosystem — there is a route in.
