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
Adebayo Ogunlesi, the Nigerian-born business magnate, has joined OpenAI’s Board of Directors, adding his extensive expertise to the world-renowned artificial intelligence research organisation. Here are 10 key facts to know about Ogunlesi and why his appointment is significant: Adebayo Ogunlesi’s journey is a testament to the power of vision, education, and strategic thinking. His role…
Novastar Ventures has reinforced its commitment to renewable energy in Africa by investing in Sistema.bio, a Nairobi-based biogas technology company.
Despite efforts to boost funding for female founders, African female startup founders raised $48M in 2024, the lowest on record since 2019, while male founders raised over $2B.
Nigerian mental healthtech startup Truthshare, born from the co-founders’ personal experiences of loss and recovery, wants to provide a digital safe space for two million Nigerians to access mental healthcare by 2025 while expanding its reach to the diaspora.
Nigerian drone company Terrahaptix will begin exporting to South Africa to support mining activities in the mineral rich country. 21-year old Co-founder Nathan Nwanchuckwu also shared that the company has crossed its $1.6m revenue target
Equator Africa Fund has secured $5 million from Proparco to scale climate-focused startups across Africa. The funding targets renewable energy, green mobility, and sustainable agriculture solutions.
1Vault, born from Flashbike’s pivot, is a super app helping Nigerian MSMEs with business registration, bookkeeping, banking, and social media management. Over the next three years, it hopes to onboard nine million MSMEs in Nigeria.
Juicyway, an African fintech, has processed $1.3 billion in transactions using stablecoin technology. Emerging from stealth with $3M funding, it aims to transform Africa’s cross-border payments.
In 2021, Henry Nneji founded FoodCourt, a virtual restaurant service. Despite challenges like inflation and securing locations, it became profitable in 2024 and plans to expand to Abuja in 2025.
Eyone has secured $1 million, led by Sonatel’s VIF fund, to expand digital health services across West Africa.
Small retail businesses in Africa have a plethora of solutions to choose fro when it comes to digitising their operations. This is why Kenya’s tappi is focusing on service-based businesses and helping them earn trust online.
Nigerian edtech startup, AltSchool will expand into Europe on the back of its participation in the SuperCharger Ventures accelerator programme.
Focused on startups, Nigerian law firm, Edoigiawerie and Company, blends legal expertise with industry insights to help founders avoid mistakes, protect their ideas, and scale effectively.
In October 2024, art-tech platform Raknida revealed that it would launch an art-streaming platform that would allow people stream art like they stream music. This is part of the company’s mission to make art more accessible to people and give more underrepresented artists an avenue to be appreciated for their work. In October Anthony “Anth”…
ariika raises $3M in a Series A extension to drive regional expansion and growth in MENA’s $20B home décor market. With 3x YOY growth and a 90% CAGR, it’s targeting Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
Lingawa is advancing its mission to preserve African languages with a $1.1M investment, blending live lessons and tech to teach the diaspora Yoruba, Igbo, and more, while empowering local communities.
American software company Salesforce has hired Sandra Adesuwa Ebere has its Business Development Lead in Nigeria. The company says it’s serious about Nigeria and plans to set up a physical presence.
Google’s 2024 accelerator program backs 6 more African startups with tech solutions in fintech, logistics, and eCommerce.
Efreshli, an Egyptian startup which digitises the food supply chain, has secured a seed funding round led by Algebra Ventures to enhance efficiency and transparency in Egypt’s agricultural sector.
Beacon Power Services, a Nigerian energy startup, has raised undisclosed funds in a Series A financing round led by global VC firm Partech to expand its data-enabled and grid management solutions into East and Northern Africa.
