Let's Go 5X

Raising this year? Road to ATS breaks down what investors expect before you pitch.

Author

PLTFM Technologies
January 11, 2026

Hello,

At our first team meeting this year, we asked ourselves what real progress looks like for Borderless in 2025?

For most people, a new year means “more ideas” or “new experiments” but we want to tighten our loose ends and build solid.

This year, our commitment is simply to go 5X deeper into what we’ve already been building.

That means:

  • A platform that works 5X better

  • A community that does 5X more together

  • Impact and growth that compound far beyond last year

This is daring, but one thing we understand at Borderless is that comfort has never built wealth, ownership or lasting impact.

Investing is a risk. Investing in Africa is perceived as an even bigger one.

But it’s the right risk, especially for people willing to play the long game. That’s who we’re building Borderless for this year: people who care about ownership and building impact long term.

At its core, Borderless exists to help you move up the ladder. This belief shaped one of our most important launches last year: Raise by Borderless.

Raise was built for early-stage founders who already have a community but need structure for their fundraise:

With Raise, African founders can:

  • Raise $10K–$100K from their community.

  • Get onboarding, compliance and fund collection support across 10+ currencies.

  • Pool investors into a single cap table entry.

  • Clarify and tell their story in a way investors understand and trust.

If you’re planning to raise this year, we encourage you to learn more about Raise and see how if it’s a fit for you. You can learn more here

Our support doesn’t stop at tools. It also means helping you prepare for opportunities, and that’s why we’ve taken things a step further by partnering with Africa Tech Summit (ATS) to host a 4-part live series: “Road to ATS: Fundraising Readiness.”

We’re bringing together founders, operators, and investors to share real stories, practical lessons, and actionable insights you can use immediately. Speakers include Peace Itimi, Solomon King, Tamara Posibi, so you’ll learn from people who’ve been in the trenches and know what it takes to attract investment.

You can expect:

  • Practical fundraising insights you can apply immediately

  • Honest conversations about what investors actually look for

  • Guidance to help you show up prepared, confident and credible

Whether or not you’re attending ATS in person, this series is for anyone serious about raising capital this year.

Africa Tech Summit is happening 11th-12th February in Nairobi, Kenya, and it remains one of the most important gatherings for tech founders, investors and operators globally.

As part of the Borderless community, you also get exclusive discounted access to attend ATS, another way we’re supporting you better this year.

If you’re serious about building in this ecosystem, it’s a room worth showing up to.

Use the discount code: BORDERLESS

Quick Product Update

We’re always looking for ways to make Borderless work better for you. One small but helpful update: you can now add your address directly on your profile.

Just go to Settings → Address to update it. Keeping your profile complete helps us support you and your community more efficiently.

Stay connected.

This year, we’ll be sharing more educational content across our social channels; breaking down how Borderless works, how to use Raise effectively and how to think more strategically about collective investing and fundraising.

Follow us on social media to stay close to the conversation.

And if you ever need support, we’re reachable:

Finally, if you want a deeper look at what we’ve achieved so far and where we’re headed in 2026, I encourage you to read our 2025 Report.

Cheers,

Joe Kinvi

CEO & Founder, Borderless