Cascador Opens Applications for ScaleUp Program for African Founders

STARTUP VENTURE CAPITALApril 8, 2026 at 9:41 AM UTC

TLDR

Cascador's 2026 ScaleUp program targets growth-stage founders across Africa, providing 12 weeks of training and one-on-one support.
The program emphasizes leadership development and strategy for expansion, culminating in a pitch event for founders to present their businesses.
Cascador's focus on growth-stage companies fills a gap in support, offering mentorship, investor access, and follow-on funding through the Catalytic Fund for more mature companies.

Cascador has opened applications for its 2026 ScaleUp program, targeting growth-stage founders building businesses across the continent.

The program will select 12 founders leading companies with proven traction. Participants will receive 12 weeks of training, including one-on-one support from investors, industry experts, and strategic partners.

Cascador said the initiative focuses on leadership development and strategy, helping founders prepare for expansion. The program ends with a pitch event where founders present their businesses to investors and partners.

Since 2019, Cascador has supported 70 founders who have raised more than 125 million dollars. These companies created about 67,000 jobs in 2025, according to the organization.

Selected founders will also be eligible for follow-on funding through Cascador’s Catalytic Fund, which deploys between 2 million and 5 million dollars each year.

Key Takeaways

Cascador’s ScaleUp program reflects a shift in African startup support toward growth-stage companies rather than early-stage ventures. While much of the ecosystem has focused on seed funding and incubation, there is a gap in support for companies that have product-market fit but need capital, governance, and strategic clarity to scale. Programs like ScaleUp address this gap by combining mentorship, investor access, and leadership training. The focus on small cohorts allows for more targeted support, which can be more effective than large accelerator programs. The availability of follow-on funding through the Catalytic Fund adds a capital layer that many programs lack, improving the chances of execution after the program ends. For investors, this creates a pipeline of more mature companies with reduced early-stage risk. For founders, it provides access to networks and expertise that are often difficult to build independently. As African markets evolve, such platforms may play a larger role in shaping companies that can scale across multiple countries and sectors.

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