Venture Capitalist Arian Simone visits MEST Africa, awards grant to local startup

Venture capitalist and co-founder of the Fearless Fund, Arian Simone, paid a courtesy call to MEST Africa, an organization providing critical skills training, funding, and support in software development, business, and communications to Africa's technology entrepreneurs.

During her visit to the MEST Africa Ghana office in Accra on June 5, 2024, Ms. Simone engaged with students, sharing her expertise about the venture capital space and learning from local startups.

Ms. Simone, who co-founded America’s first venture-capital (VC) firm led by women of color that invests exclusively in tech and consumer-goods companies owned by women of color, shared insights from her journey. She surprised the students by listening to pitches about their businesses.

After hearing 14 pitches, she awarded Agriguard—a startup providing financial access to smallholder farmers to increase yield—with a $2,500 grant through her Fearless Foundation. The Agriguard team comprises Derek Addo, Maku Mazakpe, Bernard Sackey, and Nkwi Loh.

In an interview following her engagement, Ms. Simone expressed her enthusiasm for the local startup scene in Ghana and revealed plans to establish a Fearless Fund presence in Africa. She highlighted key factors contributing to the success of startup businesses, such as a good brand story, a strong product, a solid team, and market traction.

Agriguard CEO Derek Addo expressed gratitude for the interaction, stating that he and his colleagues had learned valuable lessons from Ms. Simone. He also shared his excitement about winning the pitch contest and indicated that the grant would be invested back into the business.

Ms. Simone and her co-founder, Ayana Parsons, have invested over $27 million in 44 companies, including the restaurant chain Slutty Vegan, the cosmetics company The Lip Bar, and the digital platform COMMUNITYx.