SAIS
SAIS is a German government-backed accelerator, implemented by GIZ for BMZ with Gates Foundation co-funding, running Investment Readiness Programmes for 100+ African tech start-ups across agriculture, food, livestock, and climate sectors through mentorship, in-kind support, and investor access.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersBonn, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What SAIS does
SAIS (Scaling digital Agriculture Innovations through Start-ups) is a company development and accelerator programme implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), with co-funding from the Gates Foundation. Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Bonn, Germany, SAIS runs annual cohort-based Investment Readiness Programmes (IRPs) for African tech start-ups operating in agriculture, food, livestock, and climate sectors, alongside dedicated Livestock and Sri Lanka CIRCULAR programme streams. Selected start-ups receive up to €20,000 in in-kind support (mentorship, legal advice, pitch training, marketing, digital product support, investor access), with strong performers eligible for an additional €20,000 through SAIS+ and working capital loans of up to €50,000 via partner Melanin Kapital.
The core offering is a services portfolio rather than a unified software product: the flagship IRP, a mentors and experts network, wildcard support, curated investor interactions, the Female Leader Circle, the annual SAIStival gathering, and the Female Founder Award. Distribution is event-driven and community-led, anchored at major African tech venues (Africa Tech Summit Nairobi, GITEX AFRICA, AfricArena) and reinforced through venture studio partnerships with Delta40, Fast Forward, MStudio, and Pyramidia Ventures for upstream deal creation. Since inception, SAIS reports 100+ supported start-ups across 22 African countries, $91M+ in follow-on funding raised by portfolio companies, 65–77% of graduates raising follow-on capital, 94% still operating, and 2.1M+ beneficiaries reached.
SAIS's revenue model is grant-based rather than commercial: it receives development funding from BMZ/GIZ and the Gates Foundation, provides in-kind services (not equity) to selected start-ups, and does not generate fee revenue from founders. Customer concentration is therefore inverted — funder concentration (BMZ dominant, Gates Foundation as co-funder) is the principal continuity risk, while beneficiary concentration is low given the breadth of the 100+ start-up portfolio spanning multiple sub-sectors and geographies.
SAIS firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SAIS
- Legal name
- Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
- Website
- https://sais-accelerator.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- SAIS is a German government-backed accelerator, implemented by GIZ for BMZ with Gates Foundation co-funding, running Investment Readiness Programmes for 100+ African tech start-ups across agriculture, food, livestock, and climate sectors through mentorship, in-kind support, and investor access.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SAIS industry classification
Industry- Product category
- AgTech Accelerator / Startup Development Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (61171)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Results-Based Financing (RBF) & Performance-Based Grants (BPADAOAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Donor Coordination, Monitoring & Evaluation (MEL) Programs (BPADABAN), Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning (MEL) & Reporting for Donor Programs (BPADAOAL)
Keywords
Where SAIS is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bonn
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
SAIS business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Development Funding: SAIS is funded by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), with co-funding from the Gates Foundation. The programme provides in-kind support to start-ups rather than taking equity.
- In-Kind Support to Start-ups: Selected start-ups receive up to 20,000 EUR in in-kind support, with strong performers eligible for an additional 20,000 EUR through SAIS+. Working capital loans up to 50,000 EUR available through partner Melanin Kapital.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Investment Readiness Programme (IRP) - Standard |
| Other | Multi-year contract | SAIS+ Enhancement |
| Outcome Based/ Performance | Pay-as-you-go | Working Capital Loan |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels9 records
SAIS product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SAIS is a company-development and accelerator programme that runs annual Investment Readiness Programmes (IRPs) for African tech start-ups in the agriculture, food, and livestock sectors. Selected start-ups receive up to €20,000 in in-kind support (extendable to €40,000 via SAIS+), mentorship, legal advice, pitch training, marketing and digital product support, and curated investor interactions, with additional working-capital loans of up to €50,000 available via partner Melanin Kapital. The programme operates through cohort-based virtual delivery combined with in-person touchpoints at the annual SAIStival and major African tech conferences.
Product overview
SAIS (Scaling digital Agriculture Innovations through Start-ups) is a company development and accelerator programme implemented by GIZ on behalf of BMZ. Rather than a unified software product, SAIS offers a portfolio of services centered on its Investment Readiness Programme (IRP), which provides mentorship, investor access, wildcard support, and peer exchange for African AgTech, FoodTech, and ClimateTech start-ups. Additional services include the Livestock Programme, the CIRCULAR Programme for Sri Lanka, Female Leader Circle, and the annual SAIStival event. The programme has supported 100+ start-ups from 22+ African countries.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Investment Readiness Programme (IRP) Annual cohort-based accelerator programme for African AgTech, FoodTech, and ClimateTech start-ups. Provides tailormade services including team development, deal-room preparation, customer acquisition, mentorship, pitch training, and investor introductions to help start-ups become investment-ready. Delivered largely virtually with in-person touchpoints.
- SAIS+ Performance-based enhancement available to strong performers in the Investment Readiness Programme, providing an additional €20,000 in in-kind support on top of the initial €20,000 allocation, for a total of €40,000.
- Mentors & Experts Network Curated access to a wide network of dedicated mentors and experts covering general start-up development as well as sector-specific topics including agriculture, livestock, climate change, and circular economy, available to portfolio companies within SAIS.
- Wildcard Support Highly customised support service for portfolio companies covering legal advice, marketing skills, visibility services, access to licenses, hardware acquisition, and other specialised assistance tailored to individual start-up needs.
- Investor Interactions Curated service providing portfolio companies access to the SAIS investor and partner network, pitch training, and investor negotiation preparation to support start-ups in raising follow-on funding.
- Female Leader Circle (FLC) Dedicated services offered to female founders and female start-up staff within the SAIS community, providing networking, mentorship, and support tailored to women entrepreneurs in AgTech, FoodTech, and ClimateTech.
- Livestock Programme Dedicated support stream for African livestock tech start-ups tackling challenges in animal health, dairy, poultry, aquaculture, and sustainable protein sectors, operating alongside the flagship IRPs.
- CIRCULAR Programme (Sri Lanka) Incubation and acceleration programme for start-ups and MSMEs in Sri Lanka focused on circular economy approaches, including food and plastic waste reduction, delivered as part of SAIS's geographic expansion.
Quantifiable outcome
- 65-77% of start-ups raised follow-on funding after programme completion
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use SAIS
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
SAIS technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability10 records
Feature2 records
SAIS partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbHcoreSAIS is implemented by GIZ on behalf of BMZ. GIZ handles programme implementation, management, and operational delivery of the Investment Readiness Programmes for African tech start-ups.
- 60 DecibelsminorImpact measurement and evaluation partner providing social performance metrics for SAIS portfolio companies.
- Delta40minorKenyan venture studio partner for building new green economy start-ups from scratch through SAIS.
- Fast ForwardminorNigerian venture studio partner for co-developing new green economy start-ups through SAIS.
- MStudiominorIvorian venture studio partner for building new green economy start-ups from scratch through SAIS.
- Pyramidia VenturesminorKenyan venture studio partner for co-developing new green economy start-ups through SAIS.
- LuventminorOperational partner providing advisory and consulting support to SAIS programmes.
- Briter IntelligenceminorData and intelligence platform that co-authored a white paper on African venture studios with FMO and GIZ SAIS.
- World BankminorSupported the Ag Safari Summit as a partner alongside SAIS, Briter, Mercy Corps AgriFin, UN ITC, and AgSafari.
- Mercy Corps AgriFinminorPartner in the Ag Safari Summit conference supporting dialogue on African agricultural innovation.
- UN ITC (International Trade Centre)minorUnited Nations agency partner supporting the Ag Safari Summit for African agricultural development.
- Bergische Universität WuppertalminorAcademic partner providing research and educational support to SAIS programmes.
- CEFE ConsultingminorConsulting partner providing business development and capacity building services to SAIS portfolio.
- Flat6LabsminorRegional accelerator network partner connecting SAIS with broader African startup ecosystem.
- Garage48minorHackathon and startup event organizer partner for startup ecosystem development.
- IncludedVCminorVenture capital firm focused on inclusive investing, supporting SAIS ecosystem development.
- MaibornWolffminorConsulting partner providing strategic advisory services to SAIS.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
SAIS competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Seedstars: Swiss-based global emerging markets accelerator running cohort programmes and pitch competitions across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Direct competitor for top-tier emerging market startup deal flow with similar in-kind mentorship and investor access model.
- VC4A (Venture Capital for Africa): Pan-African venture capital platform connecting early-stage African startups with investors and accelerator programmes. Listed as a SAIS financial partner, it also runs its own startup discovery and acceleration features that overlap with SAIS's IRP.
- Mercy Corps AgriFin: Programme supporting digital solutions for smallholder farmers in Africa, including the Ag Safari Summit partnership with SAIS. Operates a similar donor-backed model driving African AgTech innovation, with overlapping target founders.
- Flat6Labs: Africa-focused seed accelerator and early-stage investor operating in multiple African countries. Listed as a SAIS channel partner, directly competing for early-stage African tech startup deal flow with cohort-based programmes and seed funding.
- Westerwelle Startup Haus: German-founded emerging markets startup hub supporting founders in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Backed by a German foundation, it shares SAIS's German institutional pedigree and emerging-market accelerator mission, serving similar cohort-based and event-driven models.
- Make-IT in Africa (GIZ): Sister GIZ programme supporting the African tech and innovation ecosystem through investment, networking, and policy work. Shares SAIS's implementer (GIZ) and donor (BMZ), and overlapping mandate in supporting African digital entrepreneurship.
Broad incumbents
- FMO (Dutch Entrepreneurial Development Bank): Dutch development finance institution investing in emerging-market startups and funds. Listed as a SAIS partner, it is a broader DFI operating venture-building and direct investment vehicles that compete for the same African AgTech/FoodTech founders at later stages.
Emerging players
- ABAN (African Business Angel Network): Pan-African network of angel investors providing early-stage capital and mentorship to African startups. SAIS partner; partial overlap with SAIS's investor-matching function for portfolio companies.
- Briter Intelligence: Africa-focused data and intelligence platform co-authoring research with SAIS, FMO, and GIZ. While not a direct accelerator, it supports the same investor/startup ecosystem and indirectly competes for ecosystem-influence mindshare among African AgTech stakeholders.
Regional players
- Foundations for African Development: Africa-focused foundation supporting entrepreneurship and SME development across the continent, including in agriculture and tech. Operates accelerator and grant programmes that overlap with SAIS's mission in select African markets.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
SAIS social profiles
Digital presenceSAIS financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SAIS leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles15 records
SAIS funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SAIS M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments104 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SAIS
What does SAIS do?
SAIS is a company-development and accelerator programme that runs annual Investment Readiness Programmes (IRPs) for African tech start-ups in the agriculture, food, and livestock sectors. Selected start-ups receive up to €20,000 in in-kind support (extendable to €40,000 via SAIS+), mentorship, legal advice, pitch training, marketing and digital product support, and curated investor interactions, with additional working-capital loans of up to €50,000 available via partner Melanin Kapital. The programme operates through cohort-based virtual delivery combined with in-person touchpoints at the annual SAIStival and major African tech conferences.
Is SAIS a public or private company?
SAIS is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was SAIS founded?
SAIS was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is SAIS based?
SAIS is headquartered in Bonn, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does SAIS make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Development Funding is the primary driver. The others are in-Kind Support to Start-ups.
Who are SAIS's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Seedstars, VC4A (Venture Capital for Africa), Mercy Corps AgriFin, Flat6Labs, Westerwelle Startup Haus and Make-IT in Africa (GIZ). FMO (Dutch Entrepreneurial Development Bank) is listed as a broad incumbent. Emerging players are ABAN (African Business Angel Network) and Briter Intelligence. Foundations for African Development is listed as a regional player.
Does SAIS have an API?
No public API is recorded for SAIS.
What industry is SAIS in?
SAIS's product category is AgTech Accelerator / Startup Development Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPADAOAF, Results-Based Financing (RBF) & Performance-Based Grants, with a secondary code of BPADABAN, Donor Coordination, Monitoring & Evaluation (MEL) Programs. Its NAICS code is 61171 and its SIC code is 8742.