African Law & Tech Network

What African Law & Tech Network does

African Law & Tech Network (ALT Network) is a private, for-profit information technology and consulting company founded in 2017 and currently headquartered in Kigali, Rwanda, hosted by the Center for Law and Innovation. The company operates the ALT Directory, a vetted, web-based searchable platform connecting licensed lawyers, law firms, legal tech businesses, civil society organizations, academia, and individual advisors with expertise across African law and technology markets. Listings span 15+ countries and are searchable by listing type, jurisdiction, and 40+ areas of expertise including Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, RegTech, Fintech, Healthtech, and Data Protection. The platform supports multi-search functionality, member profile interviews, and ongoing social/newsletter promotion for subscribers.

The company generates revenue primarily through annual directory listing subscriptions ($199-$450 per category, with custom pricing for civil society organizations), ticket sales for its annual flagship ALT Network Summit ($70-$120 per ticket), commissioned and proprietary research/advisory reports covering topics such as AI ethics, judicial responses to COVID-19, and ride-hailing regulation, and partnership/consultancy services. Distribution relies on a self-serve online application, organic social channels (LinkedIn, X), a monthly newsletter, and partnerships with organizations such as HiiL, Africa Fintech Summit, Africa Tech Summit, Future Lawyer Week Africa, and Rwanda ICT Chamber. The core team consists of three individuals—co-founders Nankunda Katangaza and Christina Dutton (Network Coordinator), and associate Ben Rosie—with total headcount in the 1-10 range. ALT Network carries no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, and operates as an independent private entity with first-mover positioning as the first African legal innovation hub.

Name

African Law & Tech Network

Legal name

African Law & Tech Network

Website

https://alt-network.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

African Law & Tech Network operates the ALT Directory, a vetted online platform connecting licensed lawyers, law firms, legal tech businesses, and civil society organizations across 15+ African countries with expertise in law and technology markets, monetized via annual subscriptions, an annual summit, and research reports.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Technology Directory Platform

NAICS

Web Search Portals and All Other Information Services (51929), All Other Legal Services (541199)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHALAH

Technical & Scientific Expert Networks

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Research, Analytics & Expert Services

Keywords

• Legal technology network
• Law firm directory
• Professional membership platform
• Legal advisory services
• Legal innovation community

Headquarters

HQ city

Kigali

HQ country

Rwanda

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Directory Membership Subscriptions: Annual subscription fees for directory listings across six categories: Lawyer ($199/year), Law Firm ($450/year), Business ($250/year), Individual ($199/year), Academia/Training Providers ($250/year), and Civil Society Organization (custom pricing). All listings enjoy rolling year-round benefits including social media promotion, newsletter inclusion, and network opportunities.
2. Event Revenue: The ALT Network generates revenue through its annual summit and related events. The 2024 Summit in Kigali offered delegate tickets at $120, startup tickets at $70, and ALT Network member tickets at $100.
3. Research and Advisory Services: The network produces commissioned and proprietary reports on key areas of law and technology, available for download. Reports cover topics including judicial responses to COVID-19, healthtech regulation, database rights, AI ethics, and ride-hailing regulation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The African Law & Tech Network (ALT Network) operates a membership-based directory and network platform connecting lawyers, law firms, legal tech businesses, civil society organizations, academia, and individual advisors working at the intersection of law and technology across Africa. It offers paid annual directory listings (six categories ranging from $199 to $450 per year), flagship events such as the annual ALT Network Summit, commissioned research reports on legal tech topics, and partnership/advisory services.

Product overview

The African Law & Tech Network (ALT Network) is a directory and networking platform for Africa's legal and technology ecosystem. The core offering is the ALT Directory, a searchable database of vetted lawyers, law firms, legal tech businesses, and civil society organizations across the continent. The platform offers tiered directory listings (Lawyer, Law Firm, Business, Individual, Academia/Training Provider, Civil Society Organization) with varying pricing and benefits. Additional offerings include Member Profiles featuring interviews, proprietary Research and Advisory Reports on law and technology topics, Partnership Services with consultancy and advisory capabilities, and an Events Platform hosting and co-organizing summits and conferences. The network facilitates connections between legal professionals, tech innovators, investors, and policymakers across Africa.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ALT Directory A searchable online directory connecting users with vetted lawyers, law firms, legal tech businesses, and civil society organizations across Africa with expertise serving African technology and legal markets. Features multi-search functionality by listing type, country, and areas of expertise including Blockchain, AI, Legal Tech, and RegTech.
• Research and Advisory Reports Commissioned and proprietary research reports on key areas of law and technology in Africa, covering topics such as judicial responses to COVID-19, healthtech regulation, database rights, AI ethics, ride-hailing regulation, the Africa FinTech State of the Industry Report, and the Start-Up Laws in Africa report.
• Partnership and Consultancy Services Expert consultancy and advisory services for firms and institutions on international strategy, profile raising, and client relationships, including content partnerships, events partnerships, and networking meet-ups across Africa's legal and tech ecosystem.
• ALT Network Summit and Events Platform Annual flagship conference and partner events bringing together legal and tech professionals for networking, workshops, masterclasses, and B2B collaboration opportunities, with delegate tickets at $120, startup tickets at $70, and member tickets at $100.

Quantifiable outcome

• Founded in 2017 as the first African legal innovation hub
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Rwanda ICT ChambermajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Collaboration partner for the ALT Network Summit 2024 in Kigali, Rwanda. Rwanda ICT Chamber supports technology innovation and digital transformation initiatives in Rwanda.
• Certa Law / Certa FoundationmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Event collaboration partner for ALT Network Summit 2024. Certa Foundation hosted the event and managed registration payments including Rwanda Mobile Money and bank transfer options.
• Center for Law and Innovation (CLI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024CLI is now the home of the African Law & Tech Network. Founded with a mission to accelerate and facilitate coexistence between law and innovation for sustainable development, CLI specializes in Digitalization and Fintech, Trade and Investment, Climate Justice, Alternative Dispute Resolution, and AI and Data Protection.
• HackapathminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Event collaboration partner for the ALT Network Summit 2024 in Kigali, Rwanda.
• Africa Fintech SummitmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Content and events partnership. ALT Network promotes Africa Fintech Summit events and co-produced the Africa FinTech State of the Industry Report. Christina Dutton spoke at the Washington DC event in April 2023.
• Africa Tech SummitmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Event partnership for the 7th Edition of Africa Tech Summit at London Stock Exchange in June 2023.
• Future Lawyer Week AfricamajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership with The Innovation Village in Kampala, Uganda to host FLW Africa 2023 (February 21-23). ALT Network offered 20% discount with code 'ALTNetwork'. Three-day event featuring access to justice hackathon, legal technology conference, and networking.
• The Innovation VillagemajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022Partnership with Uganda's innovation hub for Future Lawyer Week Africa 2023 and ongoing collaboration in the East African legal tech ecosystem.
• TechHive AdvisoryminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Supported publication of the second volume of TechHive Advisory's 'Start-Up Laws in Africa' report covering Kenya, Ethiopia, Senegal, Nigeria, and others.
• Legal Innovation Hub UgandaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Provided research support for the 'Role of Technology in Judicial and Court Responses to COVID-19 in Africa' report.
• HiiL (Hague Institute for Innovation of Law)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017ALT Network founders were inspired to establish the network after attending HiiL's Innovating Justice Forum in 2017. The partnership focuses on innovating justice across Africa and supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 16.3). HiiL has supported over 150+ justice startups globally through its Justice Accelerator program, and ALT Network shares HiiL's commitment to access to law and justice initiatives.
• Hook TangazacoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2017Founding partnership. Legal sector insiders offering bold ideas, global connections, and in-depth market knowledge to help clients prepare for the future. Ben Rosie serves as Associate.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Lawyered: India's leading legal-tech media and community platform covering legal innovation, events, and the Indian legal-tech ecosystem. Comparable in community/content/events model to ALT Network but focused on India rather than Africa.

Others

• The Innovation Village: Uganda-based innovation hub hosting Future Lawyer Week Africa in partnership with ALT Network. It is an ecosystem enabler rather than direct competitor, but provides comparable community/event programming for African tech and legal-tech founders.
• Africa Fintech Summit: Pan-African fintech conference series that has co-produced content and partnered with ALT Network on events and the Africa FinTech State of the Industry Report. Operates in an adjacent vertical (fintech rather than legal-tech) but competes for the same audience of African founders, investors, and policymakers at events.
• HiiL (Hague Institute for Innovation of Law): Dutch-based justice innovation organization that incubates and funds justice startups globally and runs the Innovating Justice Forum. It is both ALT Network's core strategic partner and the closest adjacent institution — operating overlapping mission, programs (Justice Accelerator), and access-to-justice framing across Africa.

Broad incumbents

• Chambers and Partners: Global legal directory and rankings firm providing vetted lawyer and law firm directories across jurisdictions. Operates the same directory model as ALT Network but at global scale with paid rankings, making it the dominant incumbent that any pan-African legal directory must position against.
• Legal 500: Established global legal directory providing rankings, reviews, and profiles of law firms across practice areas and jurisdictions, including Africa. Comparable to ALT Network as a paid directory platform but much larger and more commercially entrenched.

Direct peers

• Legal Hackers: Global legal-tech community organizing local chapters, hackathons, and educational events around law, policy, and technology. Comparable to ALT Network in being a volunteer-led, chapter-based community platform, though globally distributed rather than Africa-focused.
• Afriwise: Africa-focused legal information and compliance platform providing curated legal, tax, and regulatory content across African jurisdictions. It is an ALT Network content partner and competes for the same audience of African lawyers, law firms, and in-house legal teams seeking pan-African legal intelligence.
• LegalGeek: UK-based legal-tech community and conference organizer that hosts one of the largest legal-tech events globally. Comparable to ALT Network in combining a community/newsletter/events platform with curated content, but focused on UK/EU markets rather than Africa.
• LawPavilion Business Solutions: Nigeria's foremost legal-tech company providing AI, blockchain, legal analytics, and case management software to African lawyers and law firms. It is both an ALT Network member and the dominant African legal-tech product player, making it the closest commercial peer in the African legal-tech ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ALT_LegalTech
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/africa-legaltech-network
• Facebookfacebook.com/africalegaltech

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about African Law & Tech Network