Startup Researcher Africa

Startup Researcher - Africa: Week 37, 2025

This week in African startups and venture capital, we track a wave of policy, product, and capital moves shaping the continent’s tech markets. Morocco signed an agreement with Mistral AI to build local talent, support startups, and embed responsible adoption across public and private sectors. In West Africa, Djamo became the first fintech licensed by the Central Bank of West African States to offer regulated savings and loans, a milestone for compliant digital finance at scale. Flutterwave partnered with Clear Junction to speed up and secure cross-border payments between Africa, the UK, and the EU. In Nigeria, Luno launched tokenized U.S. stocks, giving naira users access to more than sixty equities and ETFs with low entry points and near-continuous trading. At POESAM 2025, DeepLeaf in Morocco and ProVerdy in Tunisia took first-place honors, spotlighting climate, sustainability, and women-led innovation. Funding momentum remained steady. SunCulture raised five million dollars to expand solar irrigation for smallholder farmers. Nucleon Security secured three and a half million to scale its AI cybersecurity platform. Float in South Africa collected two point six million to grow its installment payments solution. Jobzyn closed pre-seed funding from Janngo Capital for its AI recruitment platform, and PowerLabs received backing from Catalyst Fund for Pai, an energy optimization tool. On the deals front, South Africa’s TaxTim was acquired by a consortium led by Twofold Capital with Octoco, aiming to modernize and expand AI-driven tax services while co-founder Evan Robinson continues as Head of Product. Investor activity included Acumen’s ninety million dollar KawiSafi Fund II for clean energy and Accion’s sixty-one million dollar vehicle for inclusive fintech. In Tunisia, 216 Capital launched an accelerator with Plug and Play. Launch Africa Ventures appointed Natnael Asmerom in Dubai to deepen Middle East partnerships, and First Circle Capital added Samantha Ghiotti and Andi Dervishi to strengthen portfolio strategy. Spotlights this week feature Moniepoint and 216 Capital Ventures. Moniepoint, founded in Lagos in 2015 by Tosin Eniolorunda and Felix Ike and now headquartered in London, serves over ten million users and processes around seventeen billion dollars monthly across payments, loans, and remittances, with backing from Google, Visa, and Development Partners International. 216 Capital Ventures, founded in 2021 in Tunis and led by Dhekra Khelifi and Hassen Arfaoui, manages a nine point six million dollar fund with one to two hundred fifty thousand dollar tickets in HRTech, LegalTech, TravelTech, and more, backing companies such as Addvocate, Talenteo, Juridoc, and Arcube. Finally, the Sustainable Aero Lab Accelerator is open until September 18 for zero-emission aviation technologies, including sustainable fuels, hydrogen, electrification, aircraft design, and efficient propulsion, with mentorship and investor access for selected startups.

Startup Researcher - Africa: Week 36, 2025

This week on Startup Researcher Africa, we cut through the noise and recap the moves shaping the continent’s startup and VC landscape. Regulators took center stage as the Bank of Ghana suspended five remittance operators for one month over guideline breaches, while Egypt’s central bank rolled out new governance rules for payment institutions with a one-year compliance window. In South Africa, TymeBank partnered with the Department of Home Affairs to launch Smart ID and passport services via 1,450 kiosks, a clear play to embed financial services into everyday citizen touchpoints. Elsewhere, Raise Africa shut down after seven years, migrating customers to Carta, and TradeHub closed after missing product-market fit, returning funds to investors. Funding stayed active across priority verticals. Egypt’s Intella secured 12.5 million dollars led by Prosus to scale Arabic AI speech technology. The Invigilator raised 11 million dollars from Kaltroco to expand remote proctoring across education and workforce testing. Nigeria’s Babban Gona landed 7.5 million dollars in debt from British International Investment to back smallholder farmers. MOPO drew 6.7 million dollars from Norfund for solar battery rentals that extend off-grid access, and Justyol raised 1 million dollars to streamline cross-border e-commerce. On exits and M&A, Ora Technologies moved to acquire Cathedis in Morocco, tying digital payments to last-mile logistics pending regulatory approval. On the ecosystem front, Oxford Saïd convened more than forty VC managers in its Africa Venture Finance Programme to drive inclusion and access. Tanzania’s Startup Association signed a three-year pact with Africapital to widen flexible financing and incubation support. Our Startup of the Week is PalmPay, the Lagos-founded fintech scaling a multi-product platform with more than a thousand employees. Backed by 140 million dollars from Transsion, AfricInvest, and GIC, PalmPay is profitable, eyeing a 50 to 100 million dollar Series B, and partnering with AfriGo to issue five million cards. Investor of the Week is Afrimobility, the Akwa Group–backed VC writing 100 to 500 thousand dollar checks across Africa, Europe, and North America, with portfolio bets including Quantum Dice, Chari, CloudFret, and Cathedis. We close with a call to founders in South Africa: applications are open for Google for Startups Accelerator South Africa Cohort 2025, an equity-free program running September to December with mentorship, global networks, and 57,300 dollars in support. Subscribe and follow for sharp, verified coverage of Africa’s startup economy.

Startup Researcher - Africa: Week 35, 2025

This week on Startup Researcher Africa, we bring you a comprehensive roundup of the latest startup and venture capital developments shaping Africa’s innovation landscape. We begin with key regulatory changes across the continent. In Kenya, the Central Bank is reforming lending practices by tying rates to the KESONIA benchmark to improve transparency and policy effectiveness. Nigeria’s Data Protection Commission has launched probes into fintech insurers and pension firms, ensuring compliance with data privacy rules. Ghana has officially classified digital credit services as non-bank financial institutions, tightening oversight in the sector. Meanwhile, the London Stock Exchange is rolling out new rules to attract African firms, as it competes with Nasdaq and the NYSE. Also in Kenya, mobility startup eBee Africa has downsized its team and scaled back e-bike operations amid weak demand and rising costs. On the funding front, Poowa Internet secured $4 million in debt financing from Finnfund with backing from Nokia, aiming to expand affordable broadband and close Kenya’s digital divide. In Egypt, fintech startup Munify joined Y Combinator’s Summer 2025 batch and raised $3 million in seed funding to simplify global remittances. Additionally, TRANSFORM—an initiative by Unilever, the UK Government, and EY—awarded $663,000 to five East African enterprises advancing circular economy solutions and supporting local livelihoods. In M&A news, AfriCar Group acquired Côte d’Ivoire’s Koto.ci, reinforcing its pan-African auto ecosystem that now reaches over 15 million users, while also pushing forward electric vehicle adoption across the region. Our Startup of the Week is Nile, a B2B agritech marketplace founded in 2021. Backed by AfricInvest, Naspers Foundry, and FMO, Nile has raised $17 million, including $11.3 million in July 2025, to streamline trading, logistics, and financing for farmers across Africa. Our Investor of the Week spotlight is on The Baobab Network, a Nairobi-based accelerator launched in 2016. The firm invests $100,000 for 12.5% equity and has supported over 65 startups, including Terminal Africa, Lemonade Payments, and Vove ID. We close with an opportunity highlight: the Water Innovation Challenge 2025 by RootCamp and K+S, open for applications until September 7. The program targets startups working on water management, brine treatment, and salt valorization, with final pitches scheduled for October and November. Tune in for insights that matter across Africa’s startup and VC scene.

Startup Researcher - Africa: Week 34, 2025

This week on Startup Researcher Africa, we dive into the latest developments shaping the continent’s startup and venture capital ecosystem, from policy shifts and funding milestones to groundbreaking ventures and investor moves. In Nigeria, Lagos State rolled out a $20 million Innovation Bill to strengthen the country’s technology ecosystem by funding startups, research, and hubs through a dedicated R&D&I fund. Meanwhile, Algeria introduced its first regulatory framework for digital wallets, requiring transactions in dinars, setting tiered limits, and enhancing consumer safeguards—marking a key step in fintech governance. On the blockchain front, Nigerian exchange Roqqu partnered with SiBAN to enhance asset credibility and financial inclusion, while YC alum Oluwatomi Ayorinde launched Timon, a travel-fintech platform providing global cards to Africans abroad, tackling persistent issues with cross-border banking and fraud. In Egypt, ITIDA’s Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centre selected eight startups for its 47th Start IT incubation round, providing funding and mentorship to early-stage founders. Funding activity was also strong this week. Hewatele raised $10.5 million to build East Africa’s first large-scale liquid oxygen facility using advanced air separation technology, addressing medical oxygen shortages and strengthening healthcare systems. On the investor side, Uncovered Fund and Monex Ventures launched a $20 million fund for early-stage African startups, particularly in fintech and mobility, while Impact Fund Denmark and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs unveiled a $54.6 million Africa facility to boost sustainable investment flows into the region. Our Startup of the Week is Moove, founded in 2020, which has raised over $400 million and is expanding globally with its innovative drive-to-own vehicle financing model. The Investor of the Week is Silverbacks Holdings, a Mauritius-based permanent capital investor managing a $10 billion portfolio with major names like Flutterwave, Wave, and Moove, and successful exits such as Lemfay and Omniretail. Finally, don’t miss the NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator 2025, now open for applications, offering mentorship, exposure, and up to $50,000 in support for early-stage startups in sports and the creative industries. Tune in to stay ahead of Africa’s fast-moving startup and VC landscape—where innovation meets investment, and the future of entrepreneurship is being built today.

Startup Researcher - Africa: Week 33, 2025

This week on Startup Researcher Africa, we cut through the noise with a fast, data-rich sweep of African startup and VC activity. Regional policy shifts lead the show: Nigeria launches Build with AI with Google and GOMYCODE to train 1,000 generative AI developers, TymeBank challenges South Africa’s ID verification fee hikes, Nigeria’s FCCPC rolls out new lending rules that tie fines to turnover in a 2.1 billion dollar market, Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange onboards Thunder as the GCC’s first remote retail trading member, and Nigeria’s FIRS certifies 16 firms for e-invoicing with more than 1,000 companies already onboarded ahead of a November deadline. Funding highlights span fintech, commerce infrastructure, and AI. Chowdeck secures 9 million dollars to scale ultra-fast delivery in Nigeria and Ghana, HoneyCoin raises 4.9 million dollars for a fiat-to-blockchain payments gateway, Street Wallet closes 350,000 dollars for QR payments that work without smartphones, Yamify picks up 100,000 dollars to build local AI infrastructure and GPU clusters with domestic billing, and Hypeo AI wins backing from Renew Capital to expand influencer marketing across Africa and the Middle East. Consolidation is heating up. Nedbank acquires iKhokha for 92.4 million dollars to deepen SME digital payments, while customer experience players Ajua and Rate My Service merge, serving 45 clients and eyeing a Nigeria return with a broader product suite. On the investor front, Redimension Capital debuts a 13.8 million dollar proptech and sustainability fund in South Africa, TLcom Capital’s 5 million dollar TAPSI pre-seed fund hits 50 percent deployment feeding into its 154 million dollar TIDE Africa Fund, and 500 Global launches the Nairobi Sustainable Innovation Program with support from Shell Foundation and UK partners. Country focus spotlights Morocco’s agritech wave, featuring Agri 4.0, DeepLeaf, Jodoor, PCS Agri, Sand to Green, SOWIT, and YoLa Fresh modernizing farming with precision tools, AI diagnostics, hydroponics, regenerative models, and tech-enabled supply chains. Startup of the Week is Nawy, founded in 2016, now at 80 million dollars raised and expanding into the GCC via SmartCrowd. Investor of the Week is A15, a Cairo firm backing 40 plus startups across 20 plus MENA markets with eight exits. Opportunities close with EDP Energy Starter 2025 Track 2, offering funded pilots, 28-market access, and a Lisbon bootcamp in November.