Building into Africa from the UK: Lunch. Workshop. Mixer.
A curated afternoon for founders, operators and investors exploring how to build and scale into African markets from the UK.
Hosted by Itana in partnership with Ventures 54 through the UK–Africa Tech Immersion, this small-group working session brings together people actively operating across African markets to share practical insight and access on what it really takes to expand, structure, and scale across the UK–Africa corridor.
The session forms part of the build-up and gives attendees access to the 2026 DBIA Tour and Africa Technology Expo Week.
Capacity is intentionally limited to keep the discussion practical, candid, high-value and provide actual market access.
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Working Lunch | 13:00–16:00
A discussion-led working session, not a presentation.
This small-group session brings together founders and operators building from the UK into African markets to exchange practical insights, share lessons from the front lines, and connect with people actively operating across the UK–Africa corridor.
The session is designed to give participants direct access to experience, networks, and perspectives from those already building and scaling across African markets.
Topics will include:
Market entry realities across key African markets
Structuring partnerships and cross-border infrastructure
Capital flows, deal structuring, and what investors are looking for
Regulatory realities and navigating local operating environments
Lessons from companies building across UK–Africa corridors
Capacity is very limited to keep the session interactive.
Accepted attendees will receive complimentary access to the Pop-Up UK–Africa Tech Hub that follows.
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Pop-Up UK–Africa Tech Hub | 16:00–18:00
After the working session, the space stays open as an informal pop-up workspace for attendees to do work from.
Use the space to:
Work alongside other founders and operators in the ecosystem
Continue conversations from the working session
Meet partners supporting market entry and expansion
Book a 1:1 market entry advisory conversation with the Itana team
Coffee and refreshments will be available.
1:1 advisory slots are limited. Tick yes on the registration form to secure a session.
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London Africa Mixer | 18:00–22:00
The day concludes with a London Africa Network Community Mixer, bringing together founders, investors, operators, and ecosystem leaders working across the UK–Africa tech corridor. This includes African founder delegations from the Royal Academy of Engineering's Africa Prize Shortlist and the ITC’s DRC Founder and Tech Leaders cohort.
Select this option to request an invite. There are very limited spots available.
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About the Hosts
This event is hosted by Itana, building Africa’s first Digital Special Economic Zone, designed to support global tech companies to launch, operate, and scale across African markets.
This event is delivered in partnership with Ventures 54 through the UK–Africa Tech Immersion Initiative, an initiative funded by the UK Government’s UK South Africa Tech Hub.