Ivoire Tech Forum 2026: get your website ready

12 min

Since Wednesday, Ivoire Tech Forum 2026 has been bringing together startups, businesses and investors in Abidjan, and it runs until Friday 13 November (Linfodrome). You may have pitched your project to a fund in three minutes, exchanged business cards with a large group looking for partners, or left your number with an incubator. That same evening, or next Monday, most of these people will do the same thing: type your company name into their phone.

What they find will shape what happens next. Here is a checklist to work through over one week, one item per day, so that your website continues the conversation you started at the forum instead of cutting it short.

What Ivoire Tech Forum 2026 changes for your website

This is the forum’s second edition (Digital Business Africa). When he launched it on 22 September, the Minister of Digital Transition and Technological Innovation, Djibril Ouattara, said he wanted to make it a leading regional platform connecting startups, investors, businesses and international partners (AIP). The programme focuses on emerging technologies (Linfodrome).

So the people you meet this week have come to spot opportunities. They see a lot of them. They will remember the ones they can understand and verify quickly.

An investor leaving a trade show does not call back straight away. They sort. And your website is often the first thing they look at: without you, without your pitch, on a small screen, between two meetings.

Day 1: a clear message on the first screen

Open your website on your phone. Without scrolling, read what is displayed. A stranger should understand within a few seconds what you do, who it is for and what sets you apart.

“Innovative solutions for tomorrow’s Africa” says nothing. “Point-of-sale software for pharmacies in Abidjan, usable offline” says it all. Rewrite your main headline until it passes this test, then have it read by someone who does not know your line of business.

Below this headline, one main button. Not five. For a visitor coming from the forum, this button can lead straight to the page described in Day 2.

Day 2: an “investors and partners” page

This is the page your contacts will look for. It does not need to be long. It must answer the questions they ask themselves before agreeing to a second meeting:

the problem you solve, and for whom;
your traction, meaning proof that the market is following you: active customers, revenue, growth, signed contracts;
your business model, in two sentences;
the team: photo, name, role, a one-line background, link to their LinkedIn profile;
what you are looking for: an amount, a type of partner, a market to open up.

This last point is the one most often forgotten. A partner who does not know what you expect from them will not make the first move.

You do not have to publish your accounts. Give orders of magnitude you are willing to make public, and keep the details for the pack sent on request. A simple rule: every figure you publish must be something you can back up the day someone asks.

Day 3: proof that can be checked

An investor believes what they can verify. Gather what already exists:

the logos of clients who have given you permission to mention them;
two or three real testimonials, with the person's name and job title;
the incubation programmes, awards or competitions you have taken part in;
press articles about you, with the link.

Get written approval before displaying a logo. A client who finds themselves on your website without being told is a damaged relationship.

And don't inflate anything. If talks move forward, due diligence will follow: the stage where the investor checks everything you have claimed, point by point. One figure rounded up too generously on the home page can cost you the credibility of your entire proposal.

Day 4: a fast mobile website

The contacts you met at the forum will read your site on their phones, often over a mobile connection. Test your home page with PageSpeed Insights, Google's free tool that measures how fast a page loads and lists what slows it down.

The most common fixes are simple: compress oversized images, remove videos that play automatically, delete unnecessary plugins. These causes are covered in detail in the article on loading times that drive visitors away.

Use this opportunity to go over the whole site. Check that:

the padlock appears next to the site address;
buttons are easy to tap with a thumb;
no "under construction" pages or broken links are left lying around.

Each of these details raises doubts in the mind of a first-time visitor.

Day 5: a working form and a downloadable deck

Keep the contact form short: name, e-mail address, message. Add your WhatsApp number if that is how you work. Then send yourself a test message from another address. A form that never reaches any inbox is an investor lost without you even knowing it. To go further, see our tips on calls to action.

Next, add your presentation deck (the "pitch deck") as a lightweight, up-to-date PDF. Two options:

free to download, so nobody is held back;
in exchange for an e-mail address, so you know who is interested.

For people you met at the forum, the simplest approach is still to send them the link directly in your follow-up message.

Finally, check for consistency. The figures on your website, in your deck and on your LinkedIn profile must match. Two different versions of your client count are enough to raise doubts.

Days 6 and 7: track visits after the forum

One week after the event, you should be able to answer one question: did your forum contacts visit, and what did they look at?

Check that your analytics tool (Google Analytics or an equivalent) is properly installed and recording visits.
Create a dedicated link for the forum by adding a small tag (a UTM parameter) to your page address that shows where the visitor came from.
Use this link everywhere in your follow-up: follow-up e-mails, LinkedIn posts, the QR code on your presentation materials.
Check every week how many visits this link has brought in, which pages were read, and whether the deck was downloaded.

These figures tell you who to follow up with first. A fund that spent time on your team page and downloaded your deck deserves a call. If you collect e-mail addresses, state clearly what you will do with them, in line with your country's personal data protection rules.

If you only have one day

Not everyone has a week ahead of them. In that case, focus on three things: a clear home page headline, a tested contact form and up-to-date contact details. The rest can follow the next week.

And if you didn't attend the forum, this checklist still applies. Investors and key accounts also find companies through referrals, on LinkedIn or in the press. All of them end up visiting your website.

Your first step tonight

Tonight, open your website on your phone and look at it through the eyes of the investor you met at the forum. Note the items on this list that are not yet sorted, then tackle one a day for seven days.

If you would rather have support, the DiGit Summit team in Abidjan builds fast, mobile-first websites, including dedicated investor pages. You can tell us what you need via our contact page.

Frequently asked questions

Should you publish your financial figures on your website to attract investors?

No. Show orders of magnitude you are willing to make public, such as the number of active clients or contracts signed. Keep the financial details for the deck sent on request, after an initial conversation.

Does an investor page make sense for an SME that is not raising funds?

Yes, though it is better to call it "Partners". Large corporations, distributors and funders met at a forum look for the same information: what you do, your references, your team and what you expect from them.

Is it better to offer the pitch deck freely or in exchange for an e-mail address?

Free access holds nobody back; a form tells you who is interested in you. For contacts you have already met, the simplest option is to send the link directly in your follow-up e-mail.

How can I tell whether contacts from the forum have visited my website?

Create a forum-specific link by adding a UTM parameter to your page address, then use it in your follow-ups and QR codes. Your analytics tool, such as Google Analytics, will then show you the visits that came from this link and the pages viewed.

I only have one day. Where should I start?

Rewrite your homepage headline so that a stranger can understand what you do within a few seconds. Test your contact form by sending yourself a message. Check that your phone number, e-mail address and postal address are up to date.

Sources

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Ivoire Tech Forum 2026: get your website ready for investors