African entrepreneurs seeking investment can apply for the Q1 2027 cohort of the DiaGlocal Collective (DGC) Investment Readiness Programme, a 12-week online initiative designed to help founders prepare their businesses for fundraising.

Applications close on October 19, 2026. The programme is scheduled to begin on October 26, 2026, with Demo Day planned for February 10, 2027.

The initiative helps entrepreneurs strengthen their business models, organise supporting documents and prepare for discussions with potential investors. Participants will work on their value propositions, customer understanding, team structure, financial models, growth milestones and investment pitches.

Through the programme, founders will learn to demonstrate their businesses’ fundamentals and performance using verifiable evidence.

Participants will receive guidance on refining their business models, assessing market opportunities, setting financial projections and defining growth targets. They will also organise company records and supporting evidence in a Digital Data Room, review business performance and traction, and improve their pitches in preparation for investor questions.

The programme includes masterclasses, advisory sessions and regular accountability check-ins to provide feedback and help founders make progress.

Founders who meet the programme’s readiness requirements may present their businesses to members of the DGC investor network during Demo Day. According to DGC, participants who attract investor interest may also receive introductions and support with follow-up discussions.

However, participation does not guarantee investment or provide a guaranteed cash grant. Individual investors retain responsibility for their investment decisions.

The programme primarily targets founders of African descent, including those living on the continent and members of the African diaspora.

It is particularly suited to entrepreneurs at the ideation or pre-seed stage who have started validating their ideas, developed a product or secured early customers and demonstrated initial business traction.

Applicants should be interested in raising capital within the next six to 12 months and be prepared to dedicate time each week to programme activities and business documentation. Founders with more established businesses may also apply, with their suitability assessed according to their circumstances.

Delivered entirely online, the programme allows entrepreneurs to participate from different locations. Its 12-week structure comprises eight weeks of learning and business development using DGC’s POEM framework, followed by Digital Data Room reviews, pitch development, practice sessions and feedback.

Participants are expected to complete weekly learning activities and workbooks, attend a live masterclass, participate in a 30-minute accountability check-in and apply what they learn to their businesses.

How to apply

Interested founders can submit an application for the Q1 2027 cohort through the online form:

Apply for the DGC Investment Readiness Programme

Applicants should provide accurate information about their startups, business stages, traction, business models and investment readiness. The application form takes approximately eight to 10 minutes to complete.

Founders applying through a sponsoring organisation or seeking a referral to a potential sponsor should follow the alternative application route outlined on the official DGC founders page.

Source: DiaGlocal Collective (DGC)