Angolan Association of Startups and Digital Entrepreneurship - AASED

What Angolan Association of Startups and Digital Entrepreneurship - AASED does

AASED (Associação Angolana de Startups e Empreendedorismo Digital) is a Luanda-based non-profit association founded in 2020 (the firmographic record lists 2022). The organization operates a digital platform that connects four stakeholder groups in Angola's innovation ecosystem: startup founders, investors, mentors, and incubators. The platform is built around a registration and matching system with an ecosystem dashboard that tracks startups, members, and provinces in real time, and is accessible via web at aased.ao. Supporting services include an acceleration program (first launched in 2021 with 10 participating startups), investor matching, and a calendar of ecosystem events such as ANGOTIC 2026, Startup Weekend Luanda, and Sunset.

The association claims active presence across all 21 provinces of Angola and serves seven primary sectors: Fintech, EdTech, HealthTech, AgriTech, CleanTech, SaaS, and Marketplace. Its business model is that of a non-profit association, with revenue appearing to come from a membership/subscription-style relationship with ecosystem participants and from sponsorship by institutional partners. No specific pricing tiers, fees, or revenue figures are publicly disclosed. Lead partners include Total Energies, Unitel, and Banco BAI as financial partners, the Ministry of Planning, Ministry of Telecommunications, and Ministry of Commerce and Industry as government partners, and INAPEM and AGT as government agency partners. The organization is led by Lisa Videira (President), Bartolomeu António (Honorary President), Lúcia Stanisla (Assembly President), John Nvula (National Coordinator for Technology and Innovation), and Erminda Kalunga (Science and Education).

Name

Angolan Association of Startups and Digital Entrepreneurship - AASED

Legal name

Associação Angolana de Startups e Empreendedorismo Digital

Website

https://aased.ao

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

AASED is a Luanda-based non-profit association that operates a digital platform connecting startups, investors, mentors, and incubators across all 21 provinces of Angola, supporting the country's innovation ecosystem through acceleration programs, events, and institutional partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Ecosystem Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (51821)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs (FSANAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)

Keywords

• Startup ecosystem platform
• Innovation community network
• Digital entrepreneurship association
• Investor startup matching
• Entrepreneurship support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Luanda

HQ country

Angola

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Platform: AASED operates as a nonprofit association connecting ecosystem participants through its digital platform. Revenue model appears to be membership-based connecting startups with investors, though specific pricing is not publicly disclosed.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

AASED operates a digital platform that connects startups, investors, mentors, and incubators across Angola, providing startup registration, investor matching, and ecosystem visibility. The association supplements the platform with a startup acceleration program launched in 2021 and organizes ecosystem events such as ANGOTIC 2026 and Startup Weekend Luanda, functioning as the national hub for Angola's innovation ecosystem across all 21 provinces.

Product overview

AASED operates a unified digital platform that serves as the central hub for Angola's innovation ecosystem. The platform connects four key stakeholder groups—startups, investors, mentors, and incubators—through a registration and matching system. Supporting services include an acceleration program launched in 2021 and organized events such as ANGOTIC 2026. The ecosystem dashboard provides real-time visibility into startup activity across all 21 provinces of Angola.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AASED Digital Platform Web-based digital platform that connects startups, investors, mentors, and incubators in Angola, providing an ecosystem dashboard with real-time statistics on startups, members, and provinces.
• AASED Acceleration Program Acceleration program for Angolan startups, first launched in 2021 with 10 participating startups, supporting startup growth and development under the responsibility of the Honorary President.
• AASED Ecosystem Events Organization and hosting of technology and innovation events for the Angolan ecosystem, including ANGOTIC 2026, Sunset innovation events, and Startup Weekend Luanda.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

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

• Ministério do PlaneamentomajorOthersMinistry of Planning of Angola supporting the innovation ecosystem development through AASED platform.
• Ministério das TelecomunicaçõesmajorOthersMinistry of Telecommunications of Angola providing institutional support to the digital entrepreneurship ecosystem.
• INAPEMmajorOthersInstituto Nacional de Apoio às Pequenas e Médias Empresas - National institute supporting small and medium enterprises in Angola.
• Poddle ITcoreTechnology or IntegrationIT services provider offering technology support and integration services to the AASED ecosystem.
• Startup Portuguese CommunitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partnership connecting Angolan startups with the Portuguese startup ecosystem for cross-border collaboration.
• EmpvisionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMarketing partner supporting ecosystem visibility and promotion activities.
• AGTminorOthersAdministração Geral Tributária - General Tax Administration supporting ecosystem development.
• Ministério do Comércio e IndústriaminorOthersMinistry of Commerce and Industry providing institutional support to entrepreneurship development.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Broad incumbents

• Founder Institute: Global pre-seed accelerator operating in 100+ countries including African markets. Comparable in providing structured programs to develop early-stage founders, but at much larger scale and with a profit-driven model versus AASED's non-profit structure.
• Startupbootcamp: Global accelerator with established operations in Africa and multiple emerging markets. Comparable in running accelerator programs targeting African founders, but with substantially greater capital resources and global brand.

Direct peers

• MEST Africa: Pan-African entrepreneurship training, incubation, and seed funding program operating across multiple African countries. Comparable in running structured programs to develop early-stage African startups and connecting them to international capital.
• Startup Portugal: Portuguese startup association that AASED explicitly partners with for cross-border collaboration. Highly comparable in mission and structure as a national-level ecosystem-builder, with the additional relevance of being AASED's international gateway to Europe.
• AfriLabs: Pan-African network of 400+ innovation hubs across the continent. Comparable in its mission to build connected innovation ecosystems and serve as an umbrella organization for hubs, though operating at continental rather than national scale.
• Villgro Africa: African innovation incubator providing funding, mentorship, and acceleration to early-stage African entrepreneurs. Comparable mission in supporting African entrepreneurship ecosystem development with a focus on impactful ventures.
• Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB): Nigeria's leading innovation hub connecting entrepreneurs, investors, mentors, and corporates across Africa. Operates a similar multi-stakeholder platform model and runs acceleration/incubation programs, making it the closest direct peer for AASED's ecosystem-building mission.
• iHub: Kenyan innovation hub that connects entrepreneurs with investors, mentors, and corporate partners. Shares the community-led model and stakeholder-matching approach that AASED uses for the Angolan ecosystem.

Regional players

• ABStartups: Brazilian startup association that represents and connects the Brazilian innovation ecosystem — startups, investors, corporates, and government. Highly comparable association model to AASED, but operating in Brazil rather than Angola.

Emerging players

• Seedstars: Swiss-based investor and accelerator with strong African footprint running programs and competitions across emerging markets. Comparable in targeting emerging-market startup ecosystems but operates more as an investor/competition than a membership association.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/associa%C3%A7%C3%A3o-angolana-de-startups-e-empreendedorismo-digital-aased

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Angolan Association of Startups and Digital Entrepreneurship - AASED