Startup-focused news and research company Disrupt Africa will make its 'African Tech Startups Funding Report 2021' available for free for a second year through a partnership with Africa-focused venture capital firms Novastar Ventures, Quona Capital, 4Di Capital and Future Africa.

The yearly report quantifies investment into the African technology space over the course of the previous 12 months and analyses key trends and themes.

Previously for sale, the most recent 2020 report, released in January, was open-source for the first time to make it accessible to those for whom the information is most valuable – African entrepreneurs.

As a result of the success of this initiative and the subsequent free release of its deep-dive report into the African financial technology (fintech) startup ecosystem, Disrupt Africa will make the seventh edition free to all.

“Our flagship funding report was the first of its kind when the inaugural edition was released in January 2016 and has become an industry benchmark. In democratising access to this vital data, we hope to empower African entrepreneurs through access to information,” says Disrupt Africa co-founder Tom Jackson.

The seventh edition report is due for release in January 2022 and will tell the story of a year in which funding records have already been toppled.

The series of reports has tracked the extraordinary progress made by the continent’s startup ecosystems from an investment perspective since 2015, with the sixth edition, released in January, having detailed a record-breaking 2020 during which 397 startups raised $701.5-million in funding.

Disrupt Africa is grateful for the support of major ecosystem support players such as Novastar Ventures, Quona Capital, 4Di Capital and Future Africa in this initiative, says Disrupt Africa co-founder Gabriella Mulligan.

“Our partners understand the challenges faced by African founders in accessing capital and vital information around who is providing that capital to whom and why,” she adds.

“We are looking forward to working with our partners across the ecosystem to ensure the next edition of the report lands in as many entrepreneurs’ inboxes as possible.”

“We are delighted to partner with the team at Disrupt Africa to ensure their research is accessible to all entrepreneurs. The data and insights in the report are a vital resource, not just for charting the development of the venture ecosystem in Africa, but for supporting it,” says Novastar Ventures MD Steve Beck.

“We have been investing in startups on the continent since 2014 and are encouraged by the tremendous growth of the venture ecosystem since then.

"Nevertheless, as startups move from proof-of-concept to scale, capital remains scarce. Disrupt Africa’s annual funding report is a critical resource for founders as they climb and navigate a capital ladder that still has missing rungs,” he notes.

Quona Capital partner Johan Bosini, meanwhile, says the company is seeing "incredible traction" on many fronts of the venture ecosystem in Africa, with major milestones being achieved in large investment rounds and total quantum being invested in technology businesses across the major hubs in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya and Egypt.

“We all learn and benefit from this industry data, and we are delighted to be part of this important initiative. Quona Capital is proud to support this important work by Disrupt Africa,” he says.

"Publications such as the African Tech Startups Funding Report help all members of the African ecosystem to get a snapshot as to how and where the industry is moving and it is, therefore, vital to all of our businesses and teams," adds 4Di Capital partner Anton van Vlaanderen.

“The Disrupt Africa team is doing important work in ensuring we have the right data when it comes to measuring the success of the African tech ecosystem.

"Future Africa is happy to support the Disrupt team in making sure actionable data and insights are available to founders, operators and investors looking to build the future of Africa,” notes Future Africa MD Iyinoluwa Aboyeji.