Top 15 Startup Investors in Africa in January 2025
A list of 15 angel investors and VC (Venture Capital) funds that invest in Venture capital startups based in Africa. We rank investors based on the number of investments they made in Venture capital companies from Africa. We update this investor list every month.Top 15 Startup Investors in Africa in January 2025
Investor | Venture Capital Africa investments |
---|---|
GreenHouse Capital | 3 |
Ground Squirrel Ventures | 2 |
Phillip Sebole Masango | 2 |
Microtraction | 1 |
Sherpa Africa Partners | 1 |
ARCH Emerging Markets Partners | 1 |
Kalon Venture Partners | 1 |
Federico Pirzio-Biroli | 1 |
Zenith Bank | 1 |
Flying Doctors Nigeria | 1 |
Helena Riese Harstad | 1 |
Microsoft for Startups | 1 |
Stanbic IBTC Bank | 1 |
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati | 1 |
Jim Villanueva | 1 |
GreenHouse Capital’s Founding Partners took their own fintech company Venture Garden Group (VGG) from a 7 employee, ₦30 million revenue startup to a 200 employees, ₦2 billion power house in just 4 years and raised an attention grabbing Series A round from Convergence Partners of South Africa. The uniqueness of their position was not lost on thefounders who then cultivated Garden Institute of Business Entrepreneurs (GIBE) to identify, incubate, and invest in young and innovative tech startups solving global challenges in Emerging Markets. GIBE was created to build a world class talent management hub for young and passionate entrepreneurs while creating a pool of technology inclined businesses and innovation oriented leaders.
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Investment focus
- Financial Services, FinTech, Payments
- Seed, Pre-Seed, Funding Round
- Nigeria, Kenya, United States
Portfolio highlights
- Credpal — Buy now, pay later. Split in 6.
- Encore Pay — Encore Pay is a UAE-based FinTech and Payment solutions provider.
- MarketForce — MarketForce connects Africa’s informal retail outlets and consumers directly to suppliers of consumer goods and financial services by digitizing orders, delivery, and payments with the aim of solving the last mile distribution challenge.
Seed round investment in frontier markets and clean energy
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Investment focus
- Financial Services, FinTech, Finance
- Seed, Funding Round, Series A
- United States, Kenya, Zambia
Portfolio highlights
- Grapevine — Grapevine makes it possible for groups to invite members, collect and distribute donations, establish a community and connect with nonprofits.
- Untapped Global — Untapped connects global investors, and foreign capital to opportunities in emerging markets. Delivering competitive returns, and measurable impact for global investors.
- Necessary Ventures — Necessary Ventures focuses on investing in what the world needs. They work with the founders to build the most scalable solutions.
Phillip Sebole Masango is a Mentor at Allan Gray Orbis Foundation, the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Eclipde Hub and Black Silver Capital, a Strategic Intelligence Member of World Economic Forum, a Member of Norval Foundation, Heavy Chef, Startup Grind Stellenbosch, The Silicon Cape Initiative, DueDash, and SimplyBiz_SA, and an ExecutiveDirector and Founder of Aesthetic Prosthetic Bionics Co.
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Investment focus
- Information Technology, Robotics, Aerospace
- Series A, Seed, Private Equity
- South Africa
Portfolio highlights
- Black Silver Capital — 36 Followers, 31 Following, 1 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Black Silver Capital (@blacksilvercapital)
- Cyrrix Cybersecurity — At Cyrrix Cybersecurity, we understand the importance of protecting your business from online threats. Our team provides a full range of cybersecurity services to help safeguard your company's sensitive information and systems. We offer comprehensive risk assessments, penetration testing, and incident response planning to identify and addressvulnerabilities in your network. Our managed security services provide ongoing monitoring and threat detection to keep your business protected around the clock. With our help, you can rest easy knowing that your company's valuable assets are secure.
- Aesthetic Prosthetic Bionics — Biological Engineering, Bionics, Biomimetics, Hydraulics, Prosthetics, Neuroprosthetics, Exoskeleton Suits, Dynamics, Kinematics Robotics, Human-Robot Interaction, Artificial Organs, Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Computing, Knowledge Reasoning, Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, Computer Vision, Robotics, Artificial GeneralIntelligence, Deep Learning, Bayesian Networks, Evolutionary Algorithms, Computational Neuroscience, Neurocybernetics, Cybernetics, Cognitive Science, Source Coding, Channel Coding, Algorithmic Complexity Theory, Algorithmic Information Theory, Information-Theoretic Security, Grey System Theory & Biotechnology
We invest in Africa's most remarkable teams with technical founders at the earliest stage of their venture
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Investment focus
- Financial Services, FinTech, Software
- Pre-Seed, Seed, Angel
- Nigeria, United States, Ghana
Portfolio highlights
- Juicyway — Juice is a developer of a payment network platform for cross-border business payments for businesses and individuals. It facilitates financial transactions between parties regardless of location to allow enterprises to participate in international trade and the exchange of goods and services.
- Intron Health — Intron is the future of clinical documentation with real-time clinical speech-to-text for 200+ African accents, easing the transition to digitized care.
- PBR Life Sciences — A cloud-based real-world, non-observational pharmacy sell-out data
A venture fund for pre-seed startups in Africa, led by Startup Operators, backed by Startup Operators.
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Investment focus
- Financial Services, Emerging Markets, Credit
- Seed, Pre-Seed, Funding Round
- Togo, Kenya, South Africa
Portfolio highlights
- GetEquity — GetEquity is a NASDAQ for venture capital. We provide an exchange and liquidity for private companies, and an infrastructure for different cadres of venture capital around investing, founder liquidity, and shareholder management
- Sava — Sava is a multi-management platform that provides an unlimited number of virtual cards as well as automated accounting reconciliation.
- MIA Group — MIA Group is a consumer internet company in Francophone Africa. We are on a mission to make commerce easy through a digital ecosystem fulfilling the everyday needs of consumers online and offline.Our businesses include Miaplenou.com: The largest online retail platform operating in Togo, Benin, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. Launched 2012.Kiosk: online reselling App that enables anyone to start a business without investment. Launched 2021.MiaPay: QR code payment and lifestyle services
ARCH is a specialist emerging markets investment advisor with deep experience of emerging markets, private equity, asset management and legal and governance matters over many decades.
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Investment focus
- Solar, Finance, Consumer
- Series D, Debt Financing, Private Equity
- Kenya, South Africa, United States
Portfolio highlights
- CrossBoundary — CrossBoundary Energy's renewable energy solutions help decarbonize enterprise by providing cleaner, cheaper and more reliable power.
- Sun King — Sun King solar lanterns and home systems enables underserved communities to achieve more with inclusive distribution and flexible financing options.
- The Sun Exchange — Sun Exchange delivers risk-free commercial solar power with full financing, installation, and maintenance.
A growing number of South Africans are investing in venture capital companies that operate under Section 12J of the Income Tax Act. Contact us now.
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Investment focus
- Apps, Mobile Apps, Software
- Seed, Series A, Funding Round
- South Africa, Luxembourg, United States
Portfolio highlights
- Talk360 — Talk360 is an easy-to-use calling app that helps people make affordable international calls to any mobile and landline number. They believe that reliable communication and digital services must be affordable and accessible to everyone, regardless of someone's background. Especially people in emerging countries in Africa, who often need theseservices the most, do not always have the necessary banking possibilities. To bridge this distance, Talk360 will launch the world's first single checkout platform for Africa. This platform will combine all locally available payment methods and currencies across Africa, together with over 1.25 million cash points of sales, and will eventually be available to other companies as well. This means that 500 million Africans will be able to purchase digital services they never had access to before.
- Sendmarc — Stop cyber criminals from sending emails using your domain and protect your customers, suppliers and employees from cyber attacks with DMARC Security.
- visionAI — visionAI augments existing CCTV cameras with computer vision AI to drive improved operational outcomes in manufacturing.
Fede started out as an angel investor in 2010. His portfolio quickly grew, so he built a team around him and thus Playfair Capital was born. We have since gone on to become one of Europe’s most active and well-known early-stage VC funds. Before becoming a technology investor Fede worked for several NGOs in Africa, with a particular focus on aidtransparency. He recently renewed his focus on Africa by relocating to Kenya and becoming an angel investor in East Africa’s burgeoning startup ecosystem. He maintains an active role at Playfair and continues to lead our investment team.
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Investment focus
- Non Profit, Software, Venture Capital
- Seed, Angel, Pre-Seed
- United Kingdom, Kenya, Sweden
Portfolio highlights
- Bibblio — Conversion optimization, powered by AI. Increase user engagement, grow revenues and drive new audiences, for stronger site metrics and ROI.
- Brewbot — Brewbot is a multidisciplinary team of designers and developers based in Belfast, N. Ireland. They come from different backgrounds and experiences — music, design, code, and fine art — but they all share a common passion for brewing.
- Purple Elephant Ventures — We are Africa's first venture studio focusing on the travel & tourism sector. Our aim is to build businesses that will lead Africa's tourism industry to a greener future
from Dame Dr. Adaora Umeoji, OON, Group Managing Director/CEO, Zenith Bank PLC.
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Investment focus
- Energy, Incubators, Communities
- Seed, Debt Financing
- Nigeria
Portfolio highlights
- ANOH Gas Processing Company — ANOH Gas Processing Company is a midstream gas company committed to the processing of gas from OML 53 for distribution to the local market.
- Nigeria Health Innovation Markeplace (NHIM) — Nigeria Health Innovation Marketplace (NHIM) is the country's foremost healthcare innovation platform focusing on impact investing in broad scale innovations in health, spurring social entrepreneurship, and connecting actors in the innovation ecosystem with the intent to leapfrog constrains and accelerate improvement in Nigeria's healthoutcomes. It was initiated by Mr. Bill Gates, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Dr. Muhammad Ali Pate, Mr. Jim Ovia, Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, and Mrs. Sola David Borha.
Flying Doctors Nigeria is an ambulance service company that provides medical emergency services. The company also provides medical solutions such as air ambulance and medical evacuation and ground ambulance services. They offer rapid transfer and the highest standards of care to patients in acute medical need, serving both states and privatecompanies on a yearly retainer basis.Flying Doctors Nigeria operates stations manned by specially trained medical doctors across the country from where real-time responses are affected. It was founded in 2009 and is based in Lagos, Nigeria.
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Investment focus
- Health Care, Retail, Medical
- Seed, Pre-Seed, Series A
- Nigeria
Portfolio highlights
- GetEquity — GetEquity is a NASDAQ for venture capital. We provide an exchange and liquidity for private companies, and an infrastructure for different cadres of venture capital around investing, founder liquidity, and shareholder management
- Healthtracka — Healthtracka is a digital health platform that allows consumer direct access to lab tests bookings, at-home sample collection and digital results in 1-3days
- Helium Health — Helium Health empowers healthcare providers in Africa with digital tools, financing solutions, and data partnerships. Learn more about our innovative solutions.
Helena Riese Harstad is the Co-Founder and Chairman of Optimizer Foundation. She previously worked at SBAB Bank as a Project Specialist. Helena Riese attended Stockholm University.
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Investment focus
- Travel, Tourism, Venture Capital
- Pre-Seed
- Kenya
Portfolio highlights
- Purple Elephant Ventures — We are Africa's first venture studio focusing on the travel & tourism sector. Our aim is to build businesses that will lead Africa's tourism industry to a greener future
Microsoft for Startups is a global program designed to help startups scale with free access to Azure cloud and a streamlined path into selling alongside Microsoft and our vast partner ecosystem.
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Investment focus
- Software, Information Technology, SaaS
- Seed, Funding Round, Pre-Seed
- United States, India, Canada
Portfolio highlights
- VitVio — VitVio is a platform built around AI and computer vision with the goal of improving efficiency and quality of care in operating rooms.
- UniPay — UniPay is an eCommerce platform for infrastructure and industry-lacking regions that offers 5 products that enable trust, promote transparency, and enforce accountability.
- Emission Sentri — Drive emission management and reduction with insights
Bank the way you want to with Stanbic IBTC wide range of personal accounts to suit your needs. Contact us today for more information!
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Investment focus
- Energy, Mobile, Wireless
- Debt Financing, Seed, Post-IPO Debt
- Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa
Portfolio highlights
- M-KOPA — M-KOPA is the global leader for “pay-as-you-go” energy services for off-grid customers. M-KOPA was established in 2011. Following 2 years of piloting and development, M-KOPA began commercial sales in Kenya in October 2012. M-KOPA expanded to Uganda in 2013 and commences operations in Tanzania in late 2014. Their team includes over 500 staff andwe sell our product through more than 1000 retail agents and shops. The founders of the company are experienced mobile technology innovators who believe in the huge potential of transformative, affordable products designed for underserved consumers. While excellent technology is a pre-requisite, technology alone does not solve for customer needs. Success comes when smart technology is combined with a commitment to on-going, on-the-ground delivery. To that end, M-KOPA is beginning to license its technology to experienced and reputable third parties in markets outside of East Africa (licensing queries should be sent to licensing@m-kopa.com). M-KOPA has developed a proprietary, patented technology platform that combines embedded GSM + mobile payments to revolutionize asset financing in emerging markets. The M-KOPAnet platform has been designed and built from the ground up by our talented team of software engineers, who continue to innovate and improve the system every day. It offers the powerful combination of accounting + customer relationship management + inventory tracking in one complete system. Aside from enabling our business operations to scale at record speed, the M-KOPAnet™ platform captures and processes huge volumes of data, enabling us to improve our proposition, customer service, and security in real-time.
- onafriq — MFS Africa is the largest mobile money inter-operability hub in Africa, which connects mobile network operators across the continent through a single API. In addition to mobile remittance services, the MFS Africa API enables merchant payment, bulk payment, bank-to-wallet transfers, and an array of other cross border digital payments services.
- ANOH Gas Processing Company — ANOH Gas Processing Company is a midstream gas company committed to the processing of gas from OML 53 for distribution to the local market.
The premier provider of legal services to technology, life sciences, and growth enterprises worldwide
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Investment focus
- Software, Biotechnology, Health Care
- Seed, Series A, Series B
- United States, Kenya, Israel
Portfolio highlights
- Ducky — Ducky improves your team's efficiency with automation that helps customer support agents respond to tickets faster and more accurately.
- nChroma Bio — nChroma Bio's integrated product engine allows for safe, accurate, and targeted in vivo administration, addressing major shortcomings of current genetic medicine techniques.
- General Proximity — General Proximity is a pioneering future-oriented proximity medicine that envisions the future of medicine.
Jim Villanueva - Investment Director, Managing Director, Global Partnerships Social Venture Fund @ Global Partnerships
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Investment focus
- Agriculture, Energy, Travel
- Series A, Series B, Seed
- Kenya, Uganda, Zambia
Portfolio highlights
- Treasure8 — Through our commercial partnerships and USDA-patented dehydration technologies, Treasure8 transforms food streams and food waste into nutrient-dense elements that can be enhanced, shaped, shipped, and enjoyed almost anywhere and when needed most.
- Good Nature Agro — Their priority is to generate lasting income with small-scale farmers. They build local community leaders into qualified Private Extension Agents (PEAs) who oversee and train farmers throughout the growing season. They support PEAs to provide frequent trainings and personalized recommendations on how their growers can make their field healthier andmore productive. PEAs promote improved farm practices and deliver a farmer-friendly loan of seeds and additional inputs. At harvest, Good Nature is a guaranteed market for the certified legume seed that their growers produce. Choosing to produce these high-value crops over traditional cash crops - maize and cotton - more than doubles their income.
- Purple Elephant Ventures — We are Africa's first venture studio focusing on the travel & tourism sector. Our aim is to build businesses that will lead Africa's tourism industry to a greener future
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