Arya Marketplace
Uzoma Ekwebelem · Founder & CEO
A B2B marketplace connecting African wholesalers, manufacturers and distributors with buyers, backed by escrow, verification, financing and logistics.
Q1 2027 Cohort · Apply by Monday 19 October 2026 · Starts 26 October 2026 · Demo Day 10 February 2027 · Q1 2027 Cohort · Apply by 19 October · Apply for Q1 2027 →
The DGC network of investors and partners: angel networks, syndicates, accelerators and ecosystem organisations
3Demo Days a year in front of investors
12weeks from application to investor pitch
10resident advisors, from fundraising to finance
16investors and partners in the network, from angel groups to accelerators
Why founders come to DGC
Serious investors back evidence. Most founders arrive without it.
A strong idea, early customers and traction get you in the room. What keeps investors there is proof: a business you can explain, numbers you can defend and documents they can check.
CLARITY
Business clarity
Can you explain the problem, the customer, the value proposition and the size of the opportunity the way an investor expects?
EXECUTION
Execution
Can you show measurable progress week after week, not a plan that lives in your head?
ECONOMICS
Business economics
Do you know how the business makes money, what drives margin and how the numbers hold under scrutiny?
READINESS
Investment readiness
Can you substantiate the opportunity with evidence an investor can verify?
The gap between founders and capital is rarely ambition. It is evidence.
What DGC is
A network of investors and partners, open to founders who do the work.
Founders don't become investable by filling in a checklist. They become investable by proving the business works: testing assumptions, tightening execution, taking expert advice and showing real progress. DGC puts all of that into one verified system that investors recognise.
06Demo Day
DGC · 12 weeks
05Verified readiness
04Evidence in a Data Room
03Execution & traction
02Business clarity
01Promising venture
We don't just prepare the founder. We prepare the startup for investor scrutiny.
DGC is independent. The angel networks, syndicates, accelerators and funds in our network rely on DGC verification before committing time and capital, so founders who come through DGC arrive already taken seriously.
How we think →How it works
From application to investor conversations, in four stages.
Every cohort follows the same path. Founders build first, prove second, then pitch to investors.
01
Source
Founders apply directly or are referred by partner angel networks, syndicates and accelerators. Each is assessed on stage, fit and starting point.
Ongoing · with partners02
Build
Eight weeks building the business on the POEM Framework®, the model investors use to judge a startup: weekly accountability, expert advisory and AI support, all feeding a Digital Data Room.
Weeks 1–803
Verify & pitch
DGC verifies the Data Room and the evidence behind it. Founders who meet the bar pitch at Demo Day to the DGC network of investors and partners.
Weeks 9–12 · Demo Day04
Investor conversations
When an investor expresses interest, DGC makes the introduction, opens the Data Room on the founder's consent and stays through due diligence.
After Demo DayQ3 2026 Cohort · Demo Day, 23 September 2026
The first DGC cohort, as presented to investors.
Six verified businesses in trade, food, logistics and property infrastructure, each pitched to investors with a verified Data Room behind it.
Join the DGC network · accelerators, angel networks, syndicates & funds
Verified deal flow before it reaches your investment committee.
DGC is your verification layer. Founders arrive with a verified Data Room, consistent metrics and a standardised readiness signal, so your team spends less time screening and more time deciding.
Verified founders
A verified Data Room and organised evidence before your first meeting.
Less screening & diligence
Standardised readiness data replaces hours of basic vetting.
Standardised signals
Assess every founder's preparedness on the same scale.
Recurring access
Three cohorts and three Demo Days a year of verified founders.