The countdown is on: Africa Tech Summit London is heading back to the London Stock Exchange on May 29, marking its 10th edition and a decade of connecting African tech with global investors.
What started in 2016 as a relatively early-stage ecosystem meetup has grown into one of the most important bridges between African startups and international capital. This year’s event is expected to bring together 350+ investors, founders, entrepreneurs and industry leaders to unpack the technologies shaping Africa’s next growth phase — including fintech, AI, climate tech and digital infrastructure.
The summit returns as Africa’s tech ecosystem is showing renewed momentum. According to the 2025 Partech Africa Tech Venture Capital Report, startups across the continent raised $4.1 billion in 2025, up 25% year-on-year and the strongest performance since 2022. Much of that growth is being driven by debt financing, alongside continued equity investment in high-growth sectors.
For Andrew Fassnidge, Managing Director of Africa Tech Summit, the shift reflects a maturing ecosystem entering a new phase: Fassnidge comments, “when Africa Tech Summit was born in 2016, the ecosystem looked very different,” he explained. “Many ventures were purely focused on securing funding, formal VC activity was still emerging, and most startups were simply surviving round to round. The past decade has brought some tough shakeouts, but we’ve also seen African tech ventures scaling across borders, driving trade and reaching more mergers and exits.”
That evolution is also changing what investors are looking for. It’s no longer just about capital; now, strategic partnerships, regulatory guidance and access to global networks are becoming just as valuable, particularly for startups navigating fragmented markets across the continent.
The event’s Investment Showcase aims to reflect that shift. Startups across fintech, blockchain, AI, payments, agritech, cybersecurity and Web3 are invited to pitch directly to investors and global partners, with applications open until April 22. The focus is on high-growth ventures looking to expand internationally, rather than simply raising their first round.
Fintech still attracts the largest share of funding, but its dominance is slowly being challenged. Cleantech, healthtech and enterprise software are gaining traction, while AI is accelerating innovation across sectors. The result is a broader, more diverse African tech landscape than the one that existed a decade ago.
Over the past ten years, Africa Tech Summit has expanded beyond a single event to host editions across Africa, Europe, North America and Asia, connecting more than 30,000 delegates from over 80 countries. The London edition remains a key meeting point for global investors looking at African opportunities.
This year’s agenda includes keynotes, panels, fireside chats and masterclasses covering fintech, AI, IPOs, climate tech, cross-border trade and venture growth. Expect conversations around scaling infrastructure, unlocking capital and how African startups are increasingly building for global markets from day one.
In other words, the 10th edition isn’t just an important milestone. It’’s a snapshot of a tech ecosystem that’s moved from survival mode to scale mode, and that’s something worth looking at.
