Builders of Africa's Future

BAF pitch day 2024

The African Diaspora Network warmly invites you to the seventh annual Builders of Africa’s Future (BAF) Pitch Day event, taking place on Thursday August 22nd. Celebrate with us as we highlight the innovation and significant impact of early-stage African enterprises. This event honors the rising stars of African entrepreneurship who are actively shaping the continent’s future through both nonprofit and for-profit ventures addressing critical community needs.

The Builders of Africa’s Future (BAF) program is dedicated to recognizing and supporting Africa’s most promising entrepreneurs. This year, we proudly awarded 16 exceptional entrepreneurs with access to enterprise development training, valuable partnerships and mentorship, and a platform to enhance their brand visibility and attract investment.
The BAF Pitch Day event features compelling pitch presentations from grassroots African entrepreneurs, offering an ideal opportunity for venture capitalists, angel investors, and anyone committed to making a meaningful impact through their investments.
Since its inception in 2018, the BAF program has played a key role in identifying and accelerating the growth of 52 African startups. We are excited to introduce this year’s cohort of 16 remarkable Builders who are set to drive positive change across the continent.

Speaker

Dan Barker

Dan Barker

President and CEO of Halcyon

Dan is the President and CEO of Halcyon, an incubator and investor in early-stage, impact-driven startups from around the globe. Dan joined Halcyon from the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth where he was vice president focused on supporting cutting-edge research on financial inclusion and entrepreneurship. Prior to Mastercard, Dan was vice president for social impact at BlackRock. Dan first connected with Halcyon during his time as a management consultant at Deloitte where he advised corporate, multilateral, and nonprofit clients on social impact strategy. He began his career as a researcher at the Council on Foreign Relations and Earth Institute. He holds a master’s in international finance and economic policy from Columbia University and a BA from NYU. He serves on the advisory boards of Global Kids, Inc. and the Guyana Economic Development Trust and is a judge for the Inclusive Fintech 50.