Name

SAFEEM

Legal name

Swiss Association for Entrepreneurship in Emerging Markets

Website

https://safeem.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Non-profit Entrepreneurship Support Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

akta.pro primary industry

Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming (BPADAEAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Leadership, Management & Teamwork for Business (EDAMAHAI)

Keywords

• Entrepreneurship support programs
• Women entrepreneur acceleration
• Emerging market venture support
• Non-profit business development
• Grant funding programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Carouge

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: SAFEEM operates as a non-profit organization funded primarily through grants from institutional partners including the European Union, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), GIZ, USAID, and Millennium Challenge Corporation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

SAFEEM (Swiss Association for Entrepreneurship in Emerging Markets) is a non-profit association that supports and empowers entrepreneurs in emerging and frontier markets through grants, coaching, events, workshops, and acceleration programs. It connects entrepreneurs with governments, industry experts, partners, investors, and thought leaders regionally and internationally. Its flagship offerings are the Women Entrepreneurship for Africa (WE4A) acceleration and growth program in Sub-Saharan Africa and the DigiFemmes digital transformation program in Côte d'Ivoire.

Product overview

SAFEEM (Swiss Association for Entrepreneurship in Emerging Markets) is a non-profit organization that supports and empowers entrepreneurs in emerging and frontier markets. The organization operates as part of the Seedstars Group and provides two main programs: (1) Women Entrepreneurship for Africa (WE4A) - an acceleration and growth program offering grant funding, technical support, and mentorship to women entrepreneurs across Sub-Saharan Africa, organized into sector-specific clusters (Agriculture, Consumer Products, Eco-Friendly, Education & Training, Health, Market Places, Services); and (2) DigiFemmes - a holistic technical assistance program in Côte d'Ivoire providing digital and data skills training through coworking spaces, with separate tracks for existing SMEs and new entrepreneurs. The organization also facilitates connections between entrepreneurs and governments, industry experts, partners, investors, and thought leaders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Women Entrepreneurship for Africa (WE4A) An acceleration and growth program that provides women entrepreneurs in Sub-Saharan Africa with access to €10,000 in grant funding paired with 3 months of technical support, investment readiness trainings, mentorship, and ecosystem integration. A Growth Program offering up to €50,000 in additional grant funding is available for 15 selected high-growth startups. Programs are organized into 8 sector-based clusters with dedicated Entrepreneur in Residence support.
• DigiFemmes A holistic technical assistance program providing women entrepreneurs in Côte d'Ivoire with resources to run and grow successful businesses by leveraging digital and data skills. Co-located in coworking spaces in Abidjan and San Pedro, the program offers two tracks: one for existing women-owned SMEs (9-month timeline) and one for new women entrepreneurs (2-year timeline). Activities include digital skills training, entrepreneurship capacity building, coworking access, and mentorship.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100 women-led enterprises supported with grants and acceleration services
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SeedstarscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAFEEM is part of the Seedstars Group, a Swiss-based private company with a similar mission of making an impact on people's lives in emerging markets through technology and entrepreneurship. SAFEEM operates in association with Seedstars and leverages its global network, brand, and ecosystem.
• GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGIZ implements the WE4A program alongside Tony Elumelu Foundation under the E4D program, providing technical support and program implementation for women entrepreneurs in Africa.
• Tony Elumelu FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTEF provides the alumni network of African entrepreneurs who are the primary beneficiaries of the WE4A acceleration program. SAFEEM runs the growth and acceleration programs.
• Empow'HercoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEmpow'Her leads short-term trainings in 6 cities in Cote d'Ivoire and establishes supportive community in innovation hubs. They support over 4000 women entrepreneurs in the country.
• Seedstars Ivory CoastcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSeedstars Ivory Coast provides coworking spaces, incubation programs, and access to global networks and mentors for women entrepreneurs.
• DalbergminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDalberg monitors the DigiFemmes program systematically, measuring achievements against established baselines and targets with expertise in strategy and data analysis.
• MicrosoftminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMicrosoft is listed as a program partner for the DigiFemmes initiative supporting women entrepreneurs in Cote d'Ivoire.
• GIZ (Gender Equity Track)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGIZ partners with SAFEEM on gender equity activities, empowering women and bridging the investment gap in female-led ventures.
• CTCN (UN Climate Technology Centre and Network)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAFEEM partners with CTCN on Climate Innovation Labs and Academy, bringing youth innovation and climate technology experts together with the private sector.
• UNEPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAFEEM collaborates with UNEP on climate-related initiatives supporting entrepreneurs tackling climate issues.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Ashoka: Largest global network of leading social entrepreneurs with presence across emerging markets. Comparable mission-wise but operates at much larger scale with broader social entrepreneurship focus, including support to women entrepreneurs and accelerator-style programming.

Direct peers

• Endeavor: Global high-impact entrepreneur support organization with presence in emerging markets including Africa. Comparable because it provides mentorship, investor connections, and acceleration services to growth-stage entrepreneurs, mirroring SAFEEM's accelerator-and-network value proposition.
• Village Capital: Non-profit that supports impact-driven entrepreneurs through peer-selected investment-readiness programs. Comparable to SAFEEM's WE4A in providing grant funding, capacity building, and Demo Day investor connections for early-stage entrepreneurs in emerging markets.
• Acumen: Global non-profit impact investor supporting entrepreneurs in emerging markets through patient capital and advisory services. Directly comparable to SAFEEM's mission of building enterprise capacity in frontier markets, with overlapping donor base (EU, USAID-style funders).
• TechnoServe: Non-profit working with enterprising people in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses, and industries. Comparable to SAFEEM in mission, donor base (USAID, EU, BMZ-style funders), and program delivery through grants, training, and capacity building in emerging markets.
• Tony Elumelu Foundation: Africa-focused entrepreneurship support non-profit providing seed capital, mentorship, and training to African entrepreneurs. Direct peer because it is both an SAFEEM implementation partner and operates a similar model of entrepreneur capacity-building plus grant funding at pan-African scale.
• Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE): Network organization supporting entrepreneurship in developing countries through capacity building, research, and grants to SMEs. Comparable as both operate in the small and growing business support ecosystem with similar donor funder profiles and emerging market focus.

Regional players

• Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB): Africa's largest innovation hub providing incubation, acceleration, and funding to tech-enabled entrepreneurs primarily in Nigeria. Comparable in mission but operates more as a regional physical hub with direct investment activity versus SAFEEM's distributed non-profit program model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about SAFEEM