The SAIS Livestock Investment Readiness Programme 2027 for African start-ups.

The SAIS Livestock Investment Readiness Programme 2027 is a one-year accelerator programme for African technology-driven start-ups in dairy and aquaculture. Run by Scaling Agriculture Innovations through Start-ups (SAIS), a project of GIZ on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and co-funded by the Gates Foundation, it offers tailored support to help start-ups strengthen livestock value chains and prepare for investment. The programme runs from January 2027 to February 2028, with key in-person events in Nairobi in February 2027 and 2028. What you get • Up to €15,000 technical assistance budget for consultancies, expert support, legal advice, marketing, licenses, certifications, ESG governance, product optimisation, market entry, customer acquisition, sales campaigns, PR, graphic design, and training • Fully sponsored travel to two back-to-back in-person community events with Sankalp Africa Summit in Nairobi (February 2027) and one additional sector conference • Investment and partnership facilitation through invite-only pitch sessions with curated investor network, bespoke investor introductions, and fundraising guidance • Access to community of 100+ portfolio companies • Eligible start-ups may access SAIS Scale-up Grant of up to €40,000 for market scaling • Access to revolving working capital loans of up to €50,000 at 1.5% interest with 9-month maturity • No equity taken by SAIS • Tailored support from dedicated SAIS Navigator How to apply 1. Click Apply now on the webpage 2. Submit application by 15 November 2026 3. Participate in screening and interviews (16–30 November 2026) 4. Await selection decision (December 2026)

• Start-up must be for-profit and legally registered in Africa • Management team must have at least two people • Start-up must be at pre-seed through Series A fundraising stage • Must have at least an MVP (Minimum Viable Product), ideally with recurring revenue, paying customers and established partnerships • Technology must be used to scale the business • Innovation must strengthen dairy or aquaculture value chains in Africa (priority focus on dairy in Kenya and Ethiopia, aquaculture in Nigeria and Senegal; other African countries welcome if innovations offer relevant learnings to these chains) • Main management contact must commit average two hours per week to the programme • At least one team member must attend two in-person SAIS community events (SAIStival) • Must provide regular updates on business indicators (revenue, users, customers, funding, employees) throughout and one year after programme • Must facilitate customer access for impact assessment surveys • Must actively collaborate with assigned experts and share business information as needed