Africa’s start-up ecosystem showed its resilience this week, with ventures across fintech, agriculture, mobility and climate solutions collectively raising more than $200m. From AI-driven soil intelligence in Tanzania to digital identity in South Africa and cross-border credit solutions in Nigeria, entrepreneurs are pushing boundaries while investors demonstrate continued confidence in the continent’s growth story.
Funding Highlights
MazaoHub (Tanzania) closed a $2m pre-seed round led by Catalyst Fund, Nordic Impact Fund and Mercy Corps Ventures, among others. Founded in 2023 by Geophrey Tenganamba, the agri-tech start-up operates AI-driven “Farmer Excellence Centers” (Kliniki za Kilimo), where smallholders access low-cost soil sensors, diagnostic kits and offline AI platforms. The aim is to improve soil health management, reduce fertiliser dependency by up to 30 per cent, and encourage climate-smart practices. The capital will expand operations, scale soil kit production and build out CropSupply.com, a marketplace linking farmers directly to buyers. A partnership with CRDB Bank Foundation will also open financial access to farmers, using agronomic data rather than traditional collateral.
Contactable (South Africa) secured $13.5m from Venture Capitalworks, Fireball Capital and others. Founded in 2012 by Shaun Strydom, the firm offers secure onboarding and identity verification across financial services, telecoms and retail. Its platform integrates eKYC, ownership verification and payments to combat fraud and strengthen compliance. With this raise, Contactable plans to expand into new African markets and partnerships with Regula and ID Secure to reinforce fraud protection.
Kredete (Nigeria) raised a $22m Series A led by AfricInvest, Partech and Polymorphic Capital. Founded by Adeola Adedewe in 2023, Kredete provides credit infrastructure for African immigrants in North America and Europe. By linking remittance flows to credit bureau reporting and offering stablecoin-backed products, the platform helps “thin-file” immigrants access affordable finance. With this capital, Kredete is targeting Canada, the UK and Europe while rolling out new products, including a credit-linked savings plan and a stablecoin-powered credit card.
In Morocco, DONE closed a $2.1m seed round to accelerate its transition into the country’s first homegrown super app. Established in 2024 by Mohamed El Ghaissani, the platform began as a delivery service and now integrates quick commerce, mobility, e-commerce and BNPL. With operations in eight regions, 90 staff and 500 couriers, DONE plans expansion into North and West Africa, creating jobs while strengthening digital inclusion.
Rulebase, a compliance automation start-up founded in 2024 by Gideon Ebose and Chidi Williams, raised $2.1m pre-seed from Y Combinator, Bowery Capital, and others. Operating between Lagos and London, Rulebase deploys AI “co-workers” to automate regulatory workflows. Clients already include African fintechs such as Interswitch and even a Fortune 50 bank. The funding will expand its engineering teams and add fraud and audit features.
Kenya’s ARC Ride secured $10m in senior secured debt from Mirova’s Gigaton Fund. Founded in 2018 by Joseph Hurst-Croft, the company operates an electric mobility platform with a focus on two-wheelers and battery swapping. With 25,000 batteries and 600 cabinets set to be deployed, ARC Ride expects to cut emissions and lower operating costs for gig workers in Nairobi while aligning with global climate finance goals.
Other notable raises included Hinckley Group ($1.5m, Nigeria) to expand e-waste recycling capacity, Zanifu (Kenya) receiving undisclosed support from Yango Ventures to strengthen SME lending and Watu Credit (Uganda), which secured new capital from Metier to expand digital asset financing across eight African countries.
Acquisitions
Edtech activity gained momentum as Rekindle Learning, led by Sally Nhlanhla, acquired EpiTek to create a more integrated digital learning pathway for African students and professionals. In Egypt, healthtech start-up Duaya purchased SaaS platform EXMGO to digitise pharmacy operations, rebranding it as Duaya Go.
Investor Moves
The investment landscape also witnessed significant fund commitments:
- Pyramidia Ventures (Kenya) raised $1.5m from Triple Jump to expand its agritech venture studio model.
- AGF and Visa Foundation announced a $2m grant for women-led SMEs under the AFAWA Guarantee for Growth programme.
- 4DX Ventures secured a $10.5m IFC commitment for its Fund III, targeting fintech, e-commerce and climate tech across 22 African countries.
- Kessner Capital launched a private credit fund to address Africa’s $331bn SME financing gap.
- ANAVA committed $4m to Tunisia’s Rasmal Innovation Fund, while Circle Ventures backed CV VC’s $20m African blockchain fund.
- Japan’s JICA invested $10m in Novastar Ventures’ Africa People + Planet Fund III, reinforcing development-focused climate and inclusion initiatives.
- In Egypt, Raya IT secured an EGP 1.13bn ($23.5m) facility from IDB to strengthen fintech and cybersecurity capacity.
A Continent in Motion
The flurry of funding, acquisitions and institutional commitments underscores a broader truth: Africa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem is diversifying, international capital is deepening and the continent’s start-ups are solving problems that resonate far beyond their borders.
From Tanzanian farmers gaining new financial access through AI-powered soil intelligence, to Nigerian immigrants building credit histories abroad, the week’s activity illustrates how African entrepreneurs are not just following global trends but shaping them.
Africa’s start-up ecosystem is not in catch-up mode anymore. It is setting new standards for how technology can address everyday problems in scalable, sustainable ways.
