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In this edition, main topics include:

  • A deep dive in AI Investments
  • Unlock Africa’s Innovation Potential
  • Build Global VC Connections
  • Access Exclusive Dealflow
  • Connect with LPs

Main Sponsors & Partners:

sponsor-orange

✦ 7th Edition

What is VC-BootCamp?

VC-BootCamp (VC-BC) is a well-established symposium held annually in Silicon Valley each March. This innovation-centric event takes place at prestigious venues such as Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB), UC Berkeley, and Skydeck.

The mission of VC-BC is to connect venture capitalists, institutional investors, and entrepreneurs from over 60 countries, fostering collaboration and building bridges across ecosystems. The focus for the 2025 edition will be Africa—aiming to unlock its untapped potential and create cross-border collaboration opportunities.

For the past 7 years, the VC-Bootcamp has welcomed over 1000 participants that have engaged in the following:

30+

keynote speakers

who have addressed the opportunities emerging from building bridges between global innovation ecosystems

RECEPTIONS

where corporate executives, leaders, and investors can exchange on strategy, investments and talent attraction

PITCH Competition

for Start-Ups and Scale-Ups

VISITS

to SKYDECK (Plug & Play Incubator), Stanford University, and UC Berkeley

Build Global VC Connections

Collaborate with top VCs from Silicon Valley, Europe, and Africa. Forge partnerships that unlock cross-border opportunities and de-risk emerging market investments.

Access Exclusive Dealflow

Through partnerships with Stanford LISA and SkyDeck, gain access to curated startups ready to scale globally.

Connect with LPs

Meet institutional investors, family offices, and fund-of-funds exploring innovative theses and new regions.

✦ VC-Bootcamp 2025

Africa Focus

Connecting North American Innovation Ecosystems with Africa

Be part of the movement driving investment into Africa and beyond.

Main topics include:

  • Unlock Africa’s Innovation Potential
  • Build Global VC Connections
  • Access Exclusive Dealflow
  • Connect with LPs

The True Size of Africa

  • Africa is the world leader in Mobile Money.
  • Manufacturing output will double by 2025.
  • 122 million users of mobile financial services.
  • Unmet demand creates huge opportunity to innovate and scale.
  • 54 countries expected to create the world’s largest free trade area.
  • Extraordinary Growth and Profitability, if you have the right strategy.

    credit: Kai Krause

Schedule

Monday, March 10, 2025

at Stanford

All Day

ME2WE GENERAL EVENTS

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

at Stanford

12:45 pm - 1:30 pm

LUNCH

Arbuckle Dining Pavilion (GsB)

1:30 pm - 2:45 pm

NETWORKING

Meet with the VCs and Executives.

Arbuckle Dining Pavilion (GsB)

3:00 - 3:50 pm

VC-University: A Different Perspective

Adam Sterling
Associate Dean at Stanford Law School

3:55 - 4:05 pm

COMMUNITY OPEN MIC

You have 30sec to pitch ANYTHING to the VCs and audIence – Just raise your hand!

4:10 - 4:40 pm

Perspectives from Different Ecosystems

Cindy Zhong
Country Customer Engineering Leader, Canada Startups @ Google Cloud

Roger Luo

AI Builder Turned Investor, Embedding VC

4:40 - 5:00 pm

Perspectives From the Next Generation of VCs

Yuri Curumthaully
African Entrepreneurship Thought Leader

Paul Yung
Venture capital analyst at Monte Carlo Capital

Nadia Knouz
Public/Private Investment Africa

Anuj Totapudi
Managing Partner, N2 Ventures

5:00 - 5:05 pm

COMMUNITY OPEN MIC

You have 30sec to pitch ANYTHING to the VCs and audIence – Just raise your hand!

7:00 - 9:00 pm

Exclusive dinner with venture capitalists, limited partners, and industry leaders

Macarthur Park 
27 University Avenue, Palo Alto

AI Adoption: A Linkedin Perspective

Sharat Raghavan
Director of Data Science & Research at LinkedIn; PhD and lecturer at Berkeley

How Can You Influence Your Innovation Ecosystem

Mahendra Ramsinghani
Managing Director, Secure Octane Investment

8:00 - 8:05 pm

COMMUNITY OPEN MIC

You have 30sec to pitch ANYTHING to the VCs and audIence – Just raise your hand!

9:00 pm

NETWORKING with the VCs and Executives

Wednesday, March 12, 2025

in Berkeley

9:00am- 12:00pm

VISITS: SKYDECK (UC BERKELEY ACCELERATOR)

 

Gregory LaBlanc
Professor at UC Berkeley

George Panagiotakopoulos
Head of Europe & Global Expansion

Global Innovation & Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Development

12:00pm - 2:00pm

Lunch at Standford GsB

Keynote Speakers

Gregory LaBlanc

International speaker, Investor; Distinguished Teaching Fellow, Berkeley Haas; Academic fellow at Berkeley’s School of Engineering

Hoss - Hosni Zaouali

Co-Founder of Me2We at Stanford University; CEO of ConnectED-Labs, AI Avatars for Education

Sharat Raghavan

Director Data Science & Research @ LinkedIn | PhD & Berkeley Lecturer

George Panagiotakopoulos

Berkeley SkyDeck, Head of Europe & Global Expansion - Global Innovation & Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Development

Mahendra Ramsinghani

Managing Director, Secure Octane Investments

Roger Luo

AI Builder turned Investor, Embedding VC

Adam Sterling

Associate Dean, Stanford Law School

Cindy Zhong

Country Customer Engineering Leader, Canada Startups, Google Cloud

Maximizing Your Return on Attendance

Explore Africa’s potential - VC Bootcamp connects you with trusted partners and insights to mitigate risks and unlock opportunities.

De-Risking Emerging Market Investments

Collaborate with Local Experts African agencies and enablers provide critical insights into regulatory landscapes, market dynamics, and scaling strategies. Partner with Seasoned VCs & Executives Work with European and African VCs and development agencies already investing in frontier markets to share knowledge and reduce risks. Learn Proven Strategies Gain actionable insights from case studies and panels on navigating cross-border investments and scaling globally."

Connecting with Institutional LPs

Find the right partners to fund your boldest investment theses. LPs Looking for Innovation Meet fund-of-funds, family offices, and institutional investors interested in Africa-focused or cross-border strategies. Raise Capital for Bold Theses Build relationships with LPs exploring high-growth opportunities in Africa or co-investment in global startups. Expand Your Network Engage with LPs eager to connect with forward-thinking US VCs.

Practical Takeaways

Walk away with actionable insights and connections to drive your success. Access to Curated Dealflow Participate in exclusive pitch competitions and startup showcases from Stanford LISA and SkyDeck pipelines. Personalized Matchmaking Opportunities Introductions to LPs, VCs, and African innovation enablers tailored to your interests.

Sponsorship Opportunities

Main Sponsors & Partners:

sponsor-orange
20,000
Audience views
5,000
Executives from
68
countries

Discover how you can get involved by downloading the 2025 VC-Bootcamp Brochure today!

Attending VC-Bootcamp 2025

Registration

StanfordLEAD participants

General Registration

$290 USD

Includes event, dinner, pitch competition, meet the LPs, and executives

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