Startups
In nearly a decade, hundreds of entrepreneurs have emerged with innovative startups across the African continent. We provide insights on their experiences and highlight the activities of investors who fund them.
Top stories
By integrating job distribution, digital commerce, and research tools into one ecosystem, the startup is bridging the gap in Africa’s talent ecosystem.
Madica has invested $600,000 in funding to three African startups, while also unveiling a new fundraising guide aimed at helping early-stage founders navigate pre-seed capital.
The South East Development Commission is betting on startups, infrastructure, and private capital to grow the region into a $200 billion economy. However, execution, not ambition, will decide if it succeeds.
Paga has appointed a new acting CEO for its Nigeria business as founder Tayo Oviosu steps back after 17 years. The move signals a shift toward global expansion, AI, and cross-border payments.
After Xara went viral, its Nigerian founder caught the attention of Elon Musk’s xAI. Built as a WhatsApp banking assistant, the startup now has 45,000 users and ₦8 billion ($5,000,000) in transactions.
Cascador is accepting applications for its 2026 ScaleUp Programme, offering growth-stage Nigerian founders tailored support, mentorship, and access to alternative funding options beyond venture capital.
Novastar closes its $147 million third fund with backing from Japanese and global investors, doubling down on climate-focused startups and expanding its reach beyond East and West Africa.
Fixr employs 400 technicians, runs its own logistics, and has processed nearly ₦5bn in solar financing, all without VC funding. Here’s how it’s scaling a contractor-led model across Nigeria and beyond.
As Nigeria’s waste crisis deepens, Ecobarter is betting that paying people to recycle and digitising informal collectors can succeed where public systems have struggled.
After leaving Google, Ibrahima Sylla returned to Côte d’Ivoire to build for the African market. With Yelen, he’s turning WhatsApp and Instagram conversations into structured storefronts, helping social sellers manage payments, customers, and operations from one platform.
Startups are using AI agents to scale without hiring dev teams, but success depends on oversight, costs, and choosing the right workflows.
Sampson Ovuoba believes building UI should not be code-heavy, so he built Windframe for developers to build visually. Today, engineers from a16z use the platform for prototyping.
Moniepoint’s acquisition of Orda signals a deeper push into restaurant operations, embedding payments into daily workflows and setting up stronger competition with Chowdeck in Nigeria’s growing food tech space.
Nigeria startup funding drops as Kenya attracts more VC, with policy stability, venture debt, and investor confidence reshaping Africa’s capital flows.
Chowdeck retail logistics expands beyond food, using POS and delivery infrastructure to unlock higher margins and control Nigeria’s retail flow.
Africa startup acquisitions surge as firms buy growth, cutting time, risk, and cost while scaling faster in a tighter funding environment.
Founders shift to venture debt over equity, using non-dilutive capital to scale faster, extend runway, and protect ownership in a tighter market.
Africa’s EV energy race heats up as Spiro and MAX scale battery swap networks, turning infrastructure into power, profit, and long-term control.
As criticism of POS agents grows, Nigeria risks overlooking their deeper value. Built for an informal economy, these networks could power access to finance, commerce, and essential services.
