Your questions, answered.

WAI is a relationship-based community of women investors working to build pathways for capital to reach women investors and entrepreneurs across Africa. We do this by integrating women’s priorities into investment systems.

The WAI Group network seeks to change the norms, narratives and mindsets that have historically limited capital flows to women investment leaders and women-owned businesses.

WAI drives this change by cultivating a trusted community of women who share insights, data, knowledge and career opportunities. Deeper collaborations between members help change fund design, policies and regulations to reflect women’s priorities.

We are intentionally relationship-first and systems-oriented, rather than transactional or deal-driven. We prioritise trust, reciprocity, and collective intelligence as the foundation for meaningful collaboration and lasting change.

By coming together, we amplify our collective voice to influence fund design, industry norms, policies, and decision-making structures. Systems change, for us, is a continuous and collective practice: relationships build resilience and collaboration creates momentum.

Our members’ participation helps shape a more adaptive, supportive, and impactful network: one that shifts capital and mindsets in ways individual actors cannot. This is what makes WAI distinct.

Being part of WAI means belonging to a community where connection and contribution matter more than constant activity. We engage through shared digital spaces, local and virtual gatherings, and collaborative initiatives that support learning and relationship-building.

Participation is guided by personal capacity, with an emphasis on reciprocity, care, and long-term relationships that strengthen the network over time.

Find out more about Membership fit here.

WAI is a good fit for women who are aligned with the network’s purpose and meet most of the eligibility criteria. It is especially suited to those seeking a community where participation is relational, meaningful, and grounded in shared purpose rather than transaction or visibility.

While involvement is expected, how and when you engage can flex with your personal bandwidth and capacity. If you value connection, collaboration, and contributing to long-term systems change within the African investment ecosystem, WAI is likely to be the right community for you.

Yes. WAI is intentionally created for women investors and ecosystem builders. This reflects our focus on cultivating a trusted community where women can safely share insights, knowledge, and lived experience to influence investment systems.

Referrals are not required, though existing member connections are welcomed - as with any relationship within the network.

If you work primarily as a transaction advisor, consultant, or lawyer - without decision-making responsibility for capital - WAI may not be the right fit for you at this time.

In some cases, consideration may be given to women who are in the process of building their first fund, investment vehicle, or angel network, and who may currently be consulting or employed full- or part-time alongside that work.

WAI is designed for experienced professionals, generally with 10+ years of engagement in investing or adjacent fields. Members are expected to bring insight, lived experience, and a willingness to both offer and request support.

This helps sustain a peer-based community where learning flows in multiple directions and relationships deepen over time.

WAI’s work focuses on the African investment ecosystem. Members are typically based in Africa or are deeply engaged in Africa-focused investment, capital allocation, or ecosystem development.

This diversity of geographies strengthens our collective intelligence while maintaining a shared commitment to shifting systems across the continent.

Find out more about the application process here.

The application takes approximately 5–7 minutes and is designed to understand your role, experience, and alignment with WAI’s purpose and values. You can save your progress and return later, and you’ll receive confirmation once your application is submitted.

After submission, you will receive an application decision by email. This will either be an acceptance (including a payment link), a regret notification, or - in some cases - a request for additional information before a final decision is made.

Once your application has been accepted and payment is completed, you’ll receive a welcome email designed to help you settle into the WAI community with clarity and ease. This includes a secure, one-time link to join the WAI Group WhatsApp Community, along with a short welcome video from Elizabeth introducing the network and its purpose.

You’ll also be guided on setting up Grace by WAI, our WhatsApp Chatbot, which supports you through onboarding, answers questions, and (once you’ve completed your onboarding) helps facilitate personalised connections with other members based on shared interests.

Your welcome information also includes access to the WAI Network Charter, the WhatsApp Community Guidelines, and clear communication expectations across WhatsApp and WAI broadcasts.

Together, these will help you feel connected, part of the network and ready to get involved from the very start.

WAI membership is intentionally curated for senior women with decision-making influence over capital and system-level outcomes. Applications may be declined if an applicant is currently in a primarily advisory role (such as consulting, legal, or transaction support), or in a junior investment role (for example, Analyst or Associate with fewer than 10 years’ experience).

You may find it helpful to review the Eligibility FAQs for more information on eligibility requirements.

A declined application does not prevent reapplying in the future. You are welcome to apply again if your role, experience, or engagement within the African investment ecosystem changes.

Annual membership fees help sustain the technology and network infrastructure that supports member connections and collaboration.

This includes the website, WhatsApp Community, Member Portal and the Grace by WAI WhatsApp Chatbot. Fees also contribute to operating costs including company administration, fundraising and donor relations.

WAI is not a traditional organisation with a permanent team or CEO. It is a network supported by its founder and sponsor. Periodic support from philanthropic organisations enables further actions in systems change.

WAI is a relationship-based community where members shape the network through how they connect, participate, and collaborate with one another.

Your membership supports a broader ecosystem, not just personal access. It enables trusted spaces for peer learning, collective sense-making, and collaboration that influence investment practices, fund design, and industry narratives.

By joining, you are contributing to a shared platform for systems change - one that amplifies women’s voices and priorities across the African investment landscape.

At this time, no sponsorship option is available.

At this time, fees are paid exclusively through card payment using Stripe.

Because membership fees support shared community costs and infrastructure, they are generally non-refundable. If exceptional circumstances arise, these are considered with care and on a case-by-case basis.

This approach reflects WAI’s values of fairness, transparency, and mutual respect.

The Network Charter is WAI’s foundational guide. It sets out our shared purpose, core principles, and ways of participating as a relationship-first community working toward systems change in the African investment ecosystem.

Rather than rules, the Charter offers a set of agreed values: connection, reciprocity, humility, care, and collaborative learning, that help hold the community together as it grows and evolves.

WAI supports members to host two main types of events that advance our shared purpose: strengthening connections across the network and creating space for meaningful collaboration and learning.

WAI City Circles are member-led, in-person gatherings that take place in cities where members live, travel to, or convene, often alongside conferences. They are designed to build relationships and connection in relaxed, welcoming settings.

WAI At The Edges are member-led, (mostly) virtual conversations that provide a safe space to explore lived experiences, emerging questions, and topics that sit at the edges of the investment ecosystem. These dialogues deepen collective learning and can inform future collaboration and systems-level action.

Both event types can be private (for WAI members only) or public, in which case they are listed on the WAI website and can be shared more broadly with the ecosystem.

Find out more about current, and past, public WAI events here.