Harambeans

What Harambeans does

Harambeans (legal name: Harambe Entrepreneur Alliance) is a U.S.-registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2008 by Okendo Lewis-Gayle at Harvard University. It operates a selective pan-African entrepreneur alliance serving approximately 400 members representing 36 African countries, with new members admitted from a pool of roughly 3,000 annual applicants sourced from 335+ universities worldwide. The alliance's mission is to mobilize African innovators — referred to as Harambeans — to build tech-enabled ventures across the continent, bound by a shared pledge known as the Harambe Declaration signed annually at the historic Bretton Woods Gold Room.

The alliance's product surface consists of fellowship programs, the Cisco-established Harambeans Prosperity Fund (a rule-based co-investment vehicle deploying $1.5M across 15 early-stage startups since 2019 and catalyzing $189M+ in follow-on funding), co-investment and angel-matching programs, founder and investor retreats, the biennial Harambeans Global Summit, and the Gold Room Briefings publication series. The underlying technology is a lightweight digital alliance platform supporting member networking, a gated members' lounge, and content distribution; the core asset is the human network rather than a software product.

Harambeans generates revenue through a combination of voluntary member pledges and donations (including a $10M pledge from the Class of 2025), corporate sponsorship (notably Cisco), and structured giving culture campaigns. As a nonprofit, it does not pursue traditional product pricing; admission to the alliance is competitive and application-based with no stated membership fees. Member-led ventures (including Andela, Flutterwave, Yoco, Releaf, SPARK Schools, LULA, and Chari) have collectively raised over $800M from investors such as Google Ventures, CRE Ventures, and Accel, and have created more than 3,500 jobs across the continent.

Name

Harambeans

Legal name

Harambe Entrepreneur Alliance

Website

https://harambeans.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Harambeans is a 501(c)(3) pan-African entrepreneur alliance founded in 2008 that selectively admits ~30 African innovators per year from 3,000+ applicants across 335+ universities. It operates the Cisco-funded Prosperity Fund, fellowship programs, summits, and angel-matching services to grow tech-enabled ventures across 36 African countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pan-African Entrepreneur Alliance

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Educational Support Services (611710), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate Strategic Partnership & Ecosystem Investment Arms (FSANAHAF), STEM, Digital Skills & Innovation Partnerships (EDADALAJ)

Keywords

• Entrepreneur alliance network
• Venture co-investment fund
• Innovation fellowship program
• Startup mentorship network
• Pan-African entrepreneur support

Headquarters

HQ city

Concord

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Prosperity Fund Management: Cisco-established investment vehicle that deploys capital into Harambean-led ventures, recycling knowledge, network and capital within the Alliance
2. Alliance Programs: Fellowships, co-investments, founder and investor retreats, prizes, travel grants, angel investment matching, and seed funding co-investment programs
3. Giving Culture Donations: Voluntary financial contributions and pledges from members supporting institutional development (e.g., $10M pledge by Class of 2025)

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Harambeans is a nonprofit pan-African entrepreneur alliance that operates a selective fellowship program admitting roughly 30 innovators per year from over 3,000 applicants. It provides members with access to the Cisco-established Harambeans Prosperity Fund, co-investment programs, angel investment matching, mentorship, founder and investor retreats, the annual Harambe Bretton Woods Symposium, and biennial global summits, collectively supporting a network of nearly 400 African innovators across 36 countries whose ventures have raised over $800M.

Product overview

Harambeans is not a traditional product company but rather an entrepreneurial alliance (501(c)(3) organization) that provides programs and support services to African innovators. The core offering consists of the Harambeans Prosperity Fund (a Cisco-established co-investment vehicle), Fellowship Programs, Co-Investment Programs, Founder and Investors Retreats, Angel Investment Matching, the annual Harambe Bretton Woods Symposium, and the Harambeans Global Summit. The alliance also publishes Gold Room Briefings documenting its progress. These programs work together to recycle knowledge, connections, and capital within the Alliance to accelerate the growth of Harambean-founded ventures across Africa.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Harambeans Prosperity Fund Rule-based co-investment vehicle established by Cisco that deploys $100,000 investments into high-performing Harambean-led early-stage African startups; deployed $1.5M across 15 startups since 2019 and catalyzed $189M+ in follow-on funding.
• Harambeans Fellowship Program Highly selective values-driven fellowship admitting ~30 young African innovators per year from 3,000+ applicants; members sign the Harambe Declaration at the annual Bretton Woods ceremony and gain access to the Alliance's network, capital, and programs.
• Co-Investment Programs Seed funding co-investment programs that recycle knowledge, network, and capital within the Alliance to accelerate the growth of Harambean-founded ventures across Africa.
• Angel Investment Matching Program connecting Harambeans with angel investors from within the Alliance to support early-stage African ventures.
• Founder and Investors Retreats Immersive retreats bringing together Harambean entrepreneurs, investors, and thought leaders for collaboration, knowledge sharing, and strategic discussions.
• Harambe Bretton Woods Symposium Annual ceremony at the historic Bretton Woods Gold Room where incoming Harambeans sign the Harambe Declaration and reaffirm their commitment to building Africa's future.
• Harambeans Global Summit Biennial gathering of Harambeans, investors, and thought leaders for Guild Sessions, collaboration, and strategic discussions on Africa's future; recent editions held in Masai Mara (Kenya) and Franschhoek (South Africa).
• Gold Room Briefings Annual chronicles and blog publications documenting the progress of Harambeans' collective endeavor to build Africa's future, featuring insights from summits and the Bretton Woods ceremony.
• Prosperity Fund Fellowship Placement program for MBA students and recent graduates to manage deployment of the Prosperity Fund into African startups, gaining exposure to portfolio support and ecosystem strategy.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $800M raised by Harambean ventures
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Star Venture programmeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 April 2026Z.systems supported by the EBRD's Star Venture programme for infrastructure and scaling support.
• The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (Tufts University)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partner of Harambe, preparing next generation of private and public sector leaders across Africa. Laurie A. Hurley, Director of Admissions, serves as champion.
• Yale School of ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBruce DelMonico, Assistant Dean and Director of Admissions, recognizes Harambeans as globally competitive talent and principled entrepreneurs aiming for high impact.
• Oppenheimer GenerationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJonathan Oppenheimer expresses hope that partnership with Harambe will provide a platform to leverage resources so Harambeans can move the dial not only in Africa but globally.
• IDP Foundation, Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIrene Pritzker, President & CEO, states that through Harambeans they can unlock the potential of Ghana and Africa at large.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Endeavor: Global high-impact entrepreneur support network that selects, mentors, and accelerates high-growth founders through a selective multi-stage process. Operates active offices across Africa (Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt) and shares Harambeans' mission of supporting top-tier entrepreneurs to scale transformative ventures.
• African Leadership Network (ALN): Pan-African peer network of successful African leaders and entrepreneurs focused on Africa's socioeconomic transformation. Highly comparable to Harambeans in its pan-African membership model, leadership development focus, and convening power among elite African founders.
• Tony Elumelu Foundation: Pan-African philanthropy that selects and funds African entrepreneurs through the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme, providing seed capital, mentorship, and training. Directly comparable to Harambeans in mission, selection-driven model, and pan-African scope.
• Ashoka: Global network identifying and supporting leading social entrepreneurs via a selective fellowship. Comparable to Harambeans in its values-driven fellowship model, peer-network architecture, and emphasis on systemic impact over pure commercial returns.
• African Leadership Academy: Selective pan-African institution developing the next generation of African leaders and entrepreneurs. Comparable to Harambeans in sourcing top African talent, values-based selection, and focus on long-term continental impact through youth development.
• Echoing Green: Global fellowship for emerging social entrepreneurs providing seed funding, leadership development, and peer community. Comparable in its fellowship model, selection criteria focused on mission-driven founders, and community-building approach.
• Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship: World Economic Forum affiliate that advances social entrepreneurship through a global network of selected entrepreneurs. Comparable to Harambeans in elite peer-network model, institutional backing, and recognition-driven credibility building.

Broad incumbents

• Y Combinator: Largest global startup accelerator providing seed funding, mentorship, and network access in exchange for equity. Much larger and equity-driven versus Harambeans' nonprofit model, but overlaps on founder selection, network effects, and deal-flow aggregation for African ventures.
• Techstars: Global startup accelerator operating multiple programs worldwide including in Africa. Comparable as an accelerator with curated cohorts and mentor networks, though operates on a more traditional for-profit, equity-based model.

Emerging players

• Baobab Network: Africa-focused founder support organization backing mission-driven African tech startups with mentorship and capital. Emerging peer to Harambeans with overlapping focus on African founder development and ecosystem building, though operating at smaller scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/harambeans
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCj8jZvdgYADzWE9hRgH-FEw
• Facebookfacebook.com/weareharambeans
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/harambeans
• Instagraminstagram.com/weareharambeans

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments9 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Harambeans