Kenya, April 2026 — Included VC has today announced the launch of the Included VC Africa Investor Fellowship, its first designed for existing investment professionals. The pilot programme, backed by FSD Africa, the financial sector development agency and FMO Ventures Program , of the Dutch entrepreneurial development bank which has been supported by the European Commission, will bring together more than 40 investment professionals working in Africa in its inaugural cohort and reflects a shared commitment to strengthening the continent’s investment ecosystem by investing in the talent driving it.
The 4+ month Fellowship is designed to strengthen how analysts, associates, and other early-career investment professionals source deals, assess opportunities, and learn alongside peers facing similar opportunities and challenges. Through a blend of technical training, practical exercises, expert insight, and peer connection, the Fellowship is built to help participants deepen their practice, expand their networks and gain exposure to both regional and international approaches.
While capital flowing into African venture markets has grown over the past decade, investor capability hasn’t kept pace. Many funds operate with lean teams, limited time for structured training, and uneven exposure to global best practice, which in turn shapes how deals are sourced, assessed, and supported. At the same time, there is a growing pool of talented early- and mid-career professionals across the continent, but access to high-quality, context-relevant training remains scarce. As a result, much of the learning is on the job, which is difficult to scale and inconsistent across the industry.
The Fellowship will be introduced to an audience of investors, partners, alumni, fellows, and other ecosystem leaders at an event on 28th April during the AVCA Conference and VC Summit in Nairobi, Kenya. It builds on Included VC’s strong seven year track record of providing investor education, opening access to world-class learning, networks, and opportunities in venture capital for exceptional talent. Its global Fellowship is now well established, and in 2025, Included VC launched a dedicated Africa Fellowship aimed at helping new talent break into the broader investment ecosystem with a five year vision of investors across 54 countries. The pilot of the Africa Investor Fellowship will run from July to December 2026. Its initial cohort will be drawn from FSD Africa capital providers, FMO portfolio funds, and Included VC Africa partners, before the programme opens to a wider audience.
For more information please contact:
Nikita Thakrar
Co-Founder and CEO
Included VC
nikita@included.vc
