Viktoria Ventures, a Nairobi-based angel investment and startup support organization, has been crowned “Angel Network of the Year 2025” at the prestigious Africa Early-Stage Investor Summit (AESIS).
The award was presented during the summit in Cape Town, hosted by the African Business Angel Network (ABAN) and VC4A.
This recognition highlights Viktoria Ventures’ pivotal role in professionalizing the continent’s early-stage investing landscape and structuring the mechanisms required to mobilize local capital for African innovation.
The accolade is a culmination of years of ecosystem building. Viktoria Ventures has been instrumental in moving angel investing from informal structures to organized, high-impact syndicates capable of executing complex deals.
Stephen Gugu, CEO of Viktoria Ventures, described the award as a validation of their long-term strategy to empower investors with the right tools.
“Our belief has always been simple: if Africa’s startup ecosystem is to thrive, angel investors must be empowered with the right tools, community support, and access to deal flow,” said Gugu. “This award validates our mission to build the network, capacity, and community that drives African innovation forward.”
A significant driver of Viktoria Ventures’ success has been the Angel Leads Program, delivered through the African Angel Academy (AAA) and sponsored by UK Kenya Tech Hub. The initiative offers a six-week self-paced course, live masterclasses, and technical support to equip investors with the skills needed for startup syndication and deal execution.
The program has already delivered tangible results, most notably the formation of the Moneva Syndicate. This group of 6 newly trained investors recently closed an investment in Afyalishe Wellness Ltd, a Kenyan functional foods company founded by Dr. Monica Mburu that commercializes academic research into consumer health products.
This learn-by-doing approach creates a catalytic ripple effect, moving participants from passive observers to active check-writers.
In the lead-up to the summit, Viktoria Ventures played a key role in galvanizing the East African investment community. The firm co-hosted the AESIS Nairobi Investor Meetup alongside partners like Jasiri4Africa and the Nairobi Business Angel Network.
The Nairobi event focused on a critical theme: How can local capital be mobilized to accelerate African innovation? The consensus, that collaboration and aligned incentives are essential to unlocking domestic funding—set the stage for Viktoria’s recognition on the continental stage in Cape Town.
Beyond Kenya, Viktoria Ventures has established itself as a pan-African powerhouse. To date, the organization has:
- Trained 797 angel investors across 38 African countries.
- Partnered with Africa: The Big Deal to provide alumni with priority access to curated investment data.
- Seen its alumni rise to leadership positions, including Yemi Keri, who was recently elected President of ABAN.
Viktoria Ventures has announced that the next chapter of its expansion begins immediately, with AAA Cohort 13 set to launch in 2026. The new cohort will invite both emerging and seasoned investors to join the platform, continuing the push to place African innovation in the hands of local stakeholders.
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