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Founder's Story · ALEC 2026
The Win That Changed Everything
In September 2025, in Algiers, Algeria, at the Intra-African Trade Fair — one of the continent's most prestigious platforms for African enterprise — Anthonia "Sasha P" Alabi stepped onto the stage, stood in front of some of the most influential economic decision-makers in Africa, and made her case.
Her pitch was called "From Barriers to Bridges: Building Africa's Creative Backbone." She was representing her company, Purplefire Entertainment, and she was arguing for something that the continent's creative sector has needed for a long time: structured, funded, pan-African infrastructure for live entertainment. When the judges delivered their verdict, Sasha P walked away with the CANEX SME Pitch Grant Prize — and a $10,000 cheque made out to "Anthonia Alabi — ALEC."
"You are all a reminder of my father's unapologetic protectiveness of my dreams." — Sasha P, on winning the IATF CANEX Prize
What the Prize Represents
The CANEX SME Pitch Grant is awarded by the Creative Africa Nexus initiative, a programme run by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) specifically to fund entrepreneurs building Africa's creative industries. To win it, you have to convince people who understand African trade, investment, and economic development that your idea has real, scalable, transformative potential.
Sasha P convinced them. And in doing so, she placed ALEC — and the case for a dedicated live entertainment conference on the continent — squarely on the radar of the institutions that fund Africa's future. This wasn't just a prize. It was validation from the highest level that the problem ALEC is solving is real, urgent, and worthy of serious investment.
From Pitch to Platform
The cheque was the beginning, not the end. Within months of the IATF win, ALEC confirmed its inaugural edition in Johannesburg, with five of Africa's most respected industry leaders secured to its advisory board, speakers engaged, and a full three-day programme taking shape. The conference that Sasha P had described in Algiers as a blueprint was becoming a reality.
There is a direct line between the argument she made on that stage in Algiers — that Africa's creative industry needs systems, not just talent; infrastructure, not just inspiration — and everything ALEC is now building. The pitch win gave the conference its first moment of continental legitimacy. Everything since has been about living up to that moment.
Why This Story Matters to You
If you are an artist, promoter, agent, venue operator, investor, or creative entrepreneur, this story is about more than one woman's win. It is about what becomes possible when the case for Africa's entertainment industry is made clearly, boldly, and on the right stage. ALEC is the next stage. And this time, the audience is you.
Final Thought
