VC firms, angels, accelerators, DFIs, and corporate venture arms backing African founders.
Saviu Ventures
Venture Capital
Saviu Ventures invests in early-stage African tech startups. They focus on sectors like logistics, fintech, and cleantech, providing funding and support for expansion and operational improvements. Saviu Ventures aims to help startups scale their solutions across the African continent.
Sawari Ventures
Sawari Ventures is an Egyptian venture capital firm that invests in early-stage companies. They participated in a $12.5 million seed round for Blnk, a digital lending platform in Egypt. They also joined MoneyFellows' $31 million Series B round, a fintech platform digitizing money circles, to accelerate growth and expand across Africa and Asia.
Sawary Ventures
Sawary Ventures invests in early-stage companies, as evidenced by their participation in the seed round of Pearl Semiconductor. They focus on technology companies, as demonstrated by their investment in a semiconductor manufacturer. The firm appears to be active in the Egyptian tech ecosystem.
Schmidt Family Foundation
The Schmidt Family Foundation invests in renewable energy companies. They participated in Nuru's $40 million Series B round to expand operating assets in the Democratic Republic of Congo by developing mini-grids in Goma, Kindu, and Bunia. Nuru focuses on addressing the energy gap in the DRC through utility-scale solar metrogrids, providing reliable and renewable energy to urban communities.
Schmidt Futures
Schmidt Futures invests in various sectors, including technology and science, with a focus on impact and innovation. They support early-stage companies and initiatives that address global challenges and promote long-term societal benefits. They participated in a seed round for Cloudline, a South African aerospace technology company.
Secha Capital
Secha Capital invests in early-stage companies in Southern Africa, particularly those focused on solving critical problems and demonstrating strong growth potential. They target sectors like agriculture and technology, providing capital and support to help businesses scale and improve their operations. They focus on companies that can create significant impact and value within their respective industries.
Seed9
Seed9 invests in African tech startups. They participated in Jetstream Africa's $13 million pre-Series A funding round, which included debt and equity. Jetstream is a logistics platform based in Ghana that enables businesses to book and monitor logistics, financing, insurance, and other trade support services online.
SeedFi
SeedFi invests in early-stage startups in Africa. They participated in the pre-seed round of Renda, a Nigerian logistics startup that optimizes order fulfillment through inventory management, storage monitoring, and delivery management for retailers.
Seedstars
Seedstars is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in high-growth startups in emerging markets, including Africa. They focus on sectors such as fintech, e-commerce, and technology solutions that address local challenges. Seedstars typically provides seed funding and supports startups through acceleration programs, leveraging their global network to help companies scale and expand across the continent.
Seedstars International Ventures
Seedstars International Ventures invests in early-stage startups in Africa and emerging markets. They focus on innovative companies leveraging technology to address local challenges and create scalable solutions. The firm provides capital and mentorship to help startups grow and expand their reach across the continent.
Sequence Ventures
Review pending
Sequoia Capital
Sequoia Capital invests in companies across various stages and sectors globally. They participated in the seed round of Telda, an Egyptian fintech company, indicating an interest in early-stage investments in the African tech space, particularly in fintech. Their investment in Telda suggests a focus on companies with innovative solutions addressing financial inclusion and peer-to-peer payments.
Sequoia Capital China
Sequoia Capital China co-led a $10 million Series A funding round in Afriex, a Nigerian fintech company that facilitates global money transfers. This investment indicates an interest in the African fintech space, specifically companies involved in cross-border payments.
Serena Ventures
Serena Ventures invests in companies that demonstrate leadership and offer diverse perspectives, investing across various sectors and stages. They focus on early-stage companies and aim to support founders building innovative solutions.
Seventure
Seventure is an investor that participated in the Freshworks for Startups VC Connect EMEA event, which provides startups with access to products, VC and investor connections, mentorship, resources, startup showcase, and co-marketing.
ShEquity
ShEquity invests in African female-led businesses with impactful and scalable solutions in agribusiness, healthcare, tech-enabled solutions (fintech, clean-tech), renewable energies, mobility, and FMCGs. They provide venture building and technical support to de-risk businesses and equip founders with skills to grow and scale.
Shaolin Investments Limited
Shark Tank
Shark Tank invested in Potcast Productions, an Egyptian podcasting company that creates informative content for various demographics. The funding will be used to expand into regional markets, starting with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, to reinforce its position as a leading podcasting entity in the region.
SheEquity
SheEquity invests in African tech startups. They participated in a $4 million funding round for Shuttlers, a Nigerian mobility startup that provides a bus-sharing platform for individuals and corporate passengers in Lagos and Abuja.
Shecluded
Shecluded partners with organizations to provide female entrepreneurs across Africa with training, mentorship, and access to resources. They focus on supporting women-led businesses through accelerator programs and community initiatives, aiming to bridge the gender financing gap and drive economic growth.
Shell
Shell invests in companies that provide energy solutions and technologies. They focus on renewable energy, energy storage, and digital solutions for the energy sector. Shell invests in companies that align with their goals of providing more and cleaner energy solutions.
Shell Foundation
Shell Foundation invests in ventures that provide access to energy and other essential services to underserved populations in Africa and Asia. They focus on sustainable solutions that can scale and create lasting impact, often partnering with other investors and organizations to support their portfolio companies. They support ventures that address challenges related to energy access, mobility, and circular economy.
Shell’s All On
All On, backed by Shell, invests in clean energy solutions and projects, particularly those that enable local solar energy vendors and businesses to access funding. They focus on supporting Africa's clean energy transition, deepening their presence in Nigeria and exploring expansion into new markets.
Sherpa Ventures
Sherwani Capital
Shima Capital
Shima Capital invests in early-stage companies, including those in the Web3 space. They participated in the $30M Series A round of Jambo, a Congolese startup building a Web 3 user acquisition platform, and the $2.1 million pre-seed round of Afropolitan, a startup creating a Digital Nation to enable all Africans to build abundant lives.
Shorooq Partners
Shorooq Partners invests in early-stage tech startups across various sectors, including fintech, proptech, and energy-tech, with a focus on the Middle East, North Africa, and Pakistan. They look for companies with strong value propositions and regional scalability, providing capital to boost AI capabilities, expand merchant networks, and drive regional growth.
Silent Ventures
Silent Ventures is an active investor in the African tech space, as evidenced by their participation in the funding round of MAX, a vehicle financing and fleet services company operating across West and Central Africa. MAX provides access to vehicles through payment plans bundled with support services, and is expanding into electric vehicles and charging infrastructure.
Silicon Badia
Silicon Badia is a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage technology companies, including those in the African tech ecosystem. They focus on sectors like AI, e-commerce, and fintech, providing funding and support to startups looking to scale their operations and expand their market presence across the MENA region and Africa. They participate in seed and Series A rounds.
Silicon Badia’s Badia Impact Squared Fund (BIF2)
Silver Box
Silver Lake
Silver Lake is not explicitly mentioned in the provided articles. Therefore, it is impossible to determine their investment thesis, HQ country, or fund size based on the given information. The articles primarily discuss funding rounds for various African tech startups, with different investors leading or participating in these rounds.
Silverbacks Holdings
Simply Exponential Consult Limited
Simply Exponential Consult Limited, through its Exponential Hub, supports SMEs and startups by providing resources and training in innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship. They offer programs like the "Ace Your Pitch" meetup to help startups improve their investment pitching skills and raise funding.
SkyNet Worldwide Express
SkyNet Worldwide Express is investing in African tech startups. They led a Series A funding round in Droppa, a South African logistics startup that provides a mobile app for parcel, goods, and furniture transportation.
Slauson & Co.
Slauson & Co. invests in early-stage companies, as evidenced by their participation in the seed funding round of Folklore, a B2B e-commerce platform connecting African fashion designers with global markets. They co-invest alongside other VCs and accelerators.
Small Foundation
Philips Foundation Impact Investments invests in companies that improve access to healthcare in underserved communities. They focus on innovative solutions that are scalable and sustainable, with the potential to create significant social impact.
Smart Capital
Smart Zone Startups Studio
Smart Zone Startups Studio is an accelerator that invests in early-stage startups. They provide resources and mentorship to help startups grow and scale their businesses. They focus on startups in various sectors, providing them with the support needed to develop their products and services.
Société Générale
Société Générale invests in African tech startups. They participated in the Series B funding round of nextProtein, a Tunisian company producing sustainable insect-based ingredients for animal feed. They also provided debt financing to Spiro, a Benin-based sustainable transportation provider offering electric motorcycles.
Sofico Investments
Sofico Investments is an Egyptian venture capital firm that participated in a seed funding round for CardoO, an Egyptian manufacturer of IoT devices. The investment will allow CardoO to improve its products and enable local manufacturers to produce consumer electronics with IoT under the CardoO brand.
Solidaridad
Solidaridad invests in companies that provide digital agriculture systems combining IoT sensors, data analytics, and renewable energy solutions for smallholder farmers. They support farmers with tools that improve crop quality and market value, addressing gaps in Africa’s agricultural value chain while supporting climate adaptation.
Soma Cap
Soma Capital
Soma Capital is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in technology companies. They have invested in several African startups across various sectors, including fintech, e-commerce, and logistics. Their investments range from pre-seed to seed stages, with a focus on companies demonstrating strong growth potential and innovative solutions for the African market.
Sonatel Group
Sonatel Group invests in African tech startups, as evidenced by their investment in Eyone, a Senegalese digital health platform connecting patients with healthcare providers. The investment supports Eyone's expansion plans, allowing the company to increase its digital health offerings and widen its reach across Africa.
Sony Innovation Fund
Sony Innovation Fund invests in Carry1st, an Africa-focused game publisher and digital commerce platform operating at the intersection of gaming, web3, and fintech. The investment aims to elevate Carry1st’s presence in the gaming industry and contribute to the expansion of Africa’s entertainment landscape.
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment is a corporate venture capital arm. While the provided text does not explicitly detail Sony's investment thesis or focus areas within African tech, the broader context highlights investments in diverse sectors such as biotechnology, renewable energy, and digital platforms. The investments are primarily in early to growth stage companies.
Sorenson Foundation
Sorenson Foundation invests in companies like Copia Global, which operates a B2C e-commerce and fintech platform serving mid and low-income consumers in rural areas. They focus on expanding profitability in Kenya.
