While global venture capital can flow from San Francisco to Singapore overnight, a young founder in Yaoundé looking to scale into Cotonou still wrestles paperwork, incompatible banking systems, and regulators who seem allergic to regional collaboration.

But then, Francophone Africa is not folding its hands. Angel networks across the region are stepping in to ensure early-stage investing, even as they contend with structural barriers. 

At the centre of this movement is Joel Nana Kontchou, vice president of the Cameroon Angels Network, who will be speaking at the ABAN Annual Congress 2025 in Lagos under the theme “Accelerating Local Capital Participation.” 

He emphasises that without breaking down barriers to cross-border syndication, African startups risk remaining local champions in a globalised market.

“We need to be aware of how far Francophone Africa has gone, and advocate for the implementation of all or part of what exists there—Startup Act, financial system, investment processes,” Joel told Techeconomy.

The Barriers We Refuse to Ignore

Francophone Africa has deep trade and cultural links that should make cross-border investment seamless. But then, it’s a different case in reality. According to the World Bank, intra-African trade accounts for just 15% of the continent’s total trade, compared to 67% in Europe. 

For startups, the challenge is even worse. Regulations differ from one country to another. Banking systems resist integration. Moving capital across borders usually seems like contraband.

On the biggest barriers preventing cross-border investor collaboration, and how they can be overcome, Joel said, “Financial system and different regulations per country. Moving money across African countries is a big challenge. To overcome this, startups need to have a corporate office in a financial neutral zone (Kigali, Mauritius, the USA, and others). As per regulations, we need to agree on minimum standards that can be used across.”

The solution, he argues, is not to wait for governments but to set up practical frameworks that investors and networks can agree upon.

No Success Stories, Yet

When asked if Francophone Africa could point to a cross-border syndicate that had successfully scaled a startup into a pan-African player, Joel was blunt:

“Unfortunately, we do not have examples.”

It’s an unpleasant eality. But it also explains why conversations like those at ABAN Congress are not just academic, they are strategies to scale up. If networks don’t act, startups will continue to expand one painful country at a time, bleeding resources that could have gone into innovation.

Towards a Minimum Standard

One of the strongest recommendations Joel makes is the need for harmonisation. Different angel groups across the region have varying due diligence, governance, and investment practices. For cross-border syndication to become normal, they need to converge.

“We need to define a minimum standard to use. ABAN could take the lead on this.”

This is where ABAN’s 10-year anniversary is important. The network now spans across the continent with strong representation in Francophone Africa, including 10 active angel groups such as Gabon Angel Investors Network, Business Angel Network of Chad, Congo Business Angels, Casbah Business Angels, and the Women Business Angel Network. Together, they have the numbers and influence to push through reforms.

Beyond the Money

While funding is essential, Joel insists that the role of cross-border investors must extend beyond writing cheques.

“Cross-border investors could bring marketing actions and access to their local network, be it administrative, legal, or commercial.”

For startups, that kind of access is usually more valuable than cash. Market entry support, introductions to regulators, and cultural know-how can make the difference between success and failure.

The ABAN Congress in Lagos is expected to ignite these conversations with renewed urgency. Francophone Africa, with its 300 million people and rising pool of angel investors, cannot afford to remain a fragmented ecosystem. 

The next African unicorn may already exist in Douala, Dakar, or Kinshasa, but without cross-border syndication, it may never grow beyond its home turf.

Joel Nana Kontchou strongly reiterates that integration is the foundation for building Africa-funded African startups. The question is whether angel investors across the continent are ready to match words with action.

For too long, African brilliance has moved without a stage grand enough to carry its voice. That changes in October 2025.

Vesti, a leading global migration and financial technology company, proudly announces the inaugural Prosper Conference 2025, a transformative two-day event designed to celebrate African excellence, innovation, and diaspora leadership across industries.

Set to take place on October 23 and 24, 2025 at the prestigious Landmark Event Centre in Lagos, Nigeria, the Prosper Conference is more than just a tech or business summit, it is a bold reimagination of Africa’s role in the global narrative.

What is Prosper Conference 2025?

Prosper Conference 2025 is Vesti’s flagship event—a convergence of thought leaders, entrepreneurs, creatives, policymakers, and investors from across Africa and the global diaspora.

The event will spotlight cross-industry excellence and facilitate forward-looking dialogue around finance, technology, policy, migration, and the creative economy.

With over 1,500 attendees expected, Prosper will feature:

• Visionary keynote sessions from Africa’s most influential voices
• A curated innovation exhibition showcasing cutting-edge ideas
• An awards ceremony celebrating individuals and institutions shaping Africa’s future
• High-impact networking and collaboration opportunities for entrepreneurs and diaspora leaders

Designed to both honour legacy and ignite momentum, the Prosper Conference will serve as a platform for Africa’s past, present, and future to meet in one powerful moment.

A Platform for Visionaries and Builders

Speaking on the vision behind Prosper, Olusola Amusan, co-founder and CEO of Vesti, said:

“Prosper Conference is our way of saying thank you to those who paved the way and a toast to those building the future. It’s where heritage meets innovation, where the past is honoured and the future is funded.”

Abimbola Amusan, co-founder and COO of Vesti, added:

“Africa’s greatness is often found in our boldness to move, into new ideas, new markets, new continents. At Vesti, we believe migration is not just about leaving—it’s about leading. Prosper reflects that story.”

Why Prosper Conference Matters for Africa and the Diaspora

The Prosper Conference 2025 emerges at a pivotal time in Africa’s growth story. As migration, fintech, and innovation redefine the way Africans engage with the world, Prosper offers a central platform for dialogue, connection, and economic empowerment.

Key benefits of attending include:

• Access to capital, collaborators, and new markets
• Insights from Africa’s leading founders, policy influencers, and technologists
• A powerful showcase of diaspora talent and investment opportunities
• Strategies for leveraging migration as a tool for impact and sustainable development

Vesti Technologies

Vesti Technologies is a global fintech company building secure, compliant infrastructure for migration and cross-border financial services. From legal immigration pathways to borderless payments and digital finance tools, Vesti empowers individuals on the move, especially African migrants and entrepreneurs, to thrive globally.

With a footprint across Africa, the United States, the United Kingdom, and emerging markets, Vesti is creating the infrastructure for the next one billion global citizens.

Register for Prosper Conference 2025

If you’re a visionary, builder, creative, policymaker, or investor looking to be part of Africa’s defining global gathering, now is your moment.

Register now using the link here.

Just six months after its inception, the company is already running pilot programmes in four countries, with paying customers on board.

Co-founders Karim Jouini and Jihed Othmani had already achieved what many African tech founders dream of, selling a startup for a huge sum. Their company, Expensya, was acquired by Swedish procurement software firm Medius in what insiders say was a deal worth over $120 million. 

After that, they swore off launching another company. Jouini even moved into a CTO role at Medius, leading the integration of six firms across three continents. But the itch returned.

“We promised not to do another company because Expensya was too hard,” said Jouini. “But I think it’s like when people have two kids, they forget how hard the first one was. This new venture is less than six months old and already super intense, but we’re fired up. We’re convinced this is unicorn material.”

That fire led to the creation of Thunder Code, a software testing platform powered by generative AI. The product tackles what Jouini describes as the industry’s most annoying bottleneck—slow, manual testing that hinders fast software delivery. 

Their AI agents function like digital QA specialists, identifying bugs, testing interfaces, adapting to changes, and even learning from user feedback.

The idea took root during Jouini’s time at Medius. Watching how development teams struggled with outdated testing tools, he saw a pattern where testing was painful for everyone. That realisation led to Thunder Code’s mission to modernise testing across industries.

The team released its MVP in week six. “Now the product is much more solid six months in than Expensya was in year four,” said Jouini. Speed is a strategy. The startup’s execution playbook is built on lessons from Expensya, don’t overbuild, hire top talent early, and invest in what actually works.

Their approach is straightforward. Write test cases in plain English, let the system convert them to automated tests, use AI personas tailored to different use cases, accessibility, finance, UX, and get actionable feedback immediately. 

That alone has won the attention of QA leads and DevOps teams looking to escape the bloat of legacy testing platforms.

“We’ve been using Thunder Code for our CI/CD pipeline management. The integration with GitHub was surprisingly smooth, and the automated test reporting has made our QA process much more efficient. Saved us countless hours of manual work,” said Mike L., a DevOps Engineer.

Thunder Code’s AI helps with creation and also keeps tests from breaking when apps change. Its auto-healing technology adapts on the fly, reducing test flakiness that usually wastes engineering hours.

The founders are positioning Thunder Code as lean and scalable. Jouini believes AI gives them an edge, not just in product, but in how the company operates. 

“A lot of African entrepreneurs are scared to dilute capital because they want to keep 100%. We believe that if we create a unicorn while diluting ourselves, that’s good value,” he said. He also predicts the company can generate “10 times the value with fewer people” than traditional tech teams.

That lean model has helped them stand out in a market where both legacy players like Tricentis and BrowserStack and new entrants like Nova AI are still defining their next moves. Thunder Code is moving faster and also willing to go broad, with plans to expand beyond web to mobile, desktop, and API testing by late 2025.

Backers from the Expensya days are showing up again. Investors include Silicon Badia, Jaango Capital, Titan Seed Fund, and angels like Roxanne Varza (Station F) and Karim Beguir (Instadeep). 

Even former Expensya employees who profited from the last exit are putting money back in. “Some of our investors are actually Expensya employees and I’m glad it worked out that way,” said Jouini.

Headquartered in Paris with a second office in Tunis, Thunder Code enters a competitive field with real traction, real customers, and a strong sense of purpose. 

For Jouini and Othmani, this is a second attempt at building something far larger than before, faster, and designed for a new phase of software development.