TechCabal spoke to eight Africa-focused VCs—who have between them over 100 portfolio companies—to identify startups to watch in 2025. The list relies on expert opinions from investors to identify startups with high growth potential, significant market disruption, and a proven product-market fit.
We spoke to Hoaq, Madica Ventures, EchoVC, Ventures platform, Flourish Ventures, 54Collective, Sunny Side Ventures, and Verod-Kepple. In building this list, these VCs focused on startups with founders with demonstrated industry knowledge, a keen understanding of the market, and capacity for growth.
Here are the 25 startups that made the list:
1. Carbin Africa
Carbin Africa is a Nigerian digital marketplace for used cars. The company offers an AI-powered marketplace that provides real-time access to 1,800 unique car listings across all dealerships. The company serves car dealers and car agents who need a repository of cars and swift turnover.
Launched in 2023 by Fawaz Abdul and Femi Oriowo, Carbin Africa has raised over $300,000 over two rounds, including an undisclosed seed round from 54Collective. The company claims to have increased its monthly revenues by 8x in 2024.
Investor’s rationale for nomination: Investors spoke to TechCabal selected Carbin because of the founders’ industry expertise. Co-founders Femi and Fawaz bring complementary experience from leading automotive companies—Bolt and Cars45—combined with firsthand experience as auto dealers and agents.
2. Vallify
Founded by Omar Abdelwahed and Ibrahim Eid in 2018, Valify is an Egyptian RegTech that provides digital identity solutions to financial institutions, telecommunications companies, e-commerce platforms, and fintech companies.
Investor’s rationale for nomination: Valify stands out due to its founders’ complementing backgrounds and in-depth knowledge the regional financial ecosystem. Omar has a background in product development and Ibrahim is experienced in entrepreneurship and finance have created a resilient leadership team that deeply understands the challenges and opportunities in digital identity. Omar and Ibrahim also bring years of experience in building market-leading solutions.
Omar and Ibrahim years of experience in creating market-leading before founding Valify also comes to the fore as an advantage.
3. TUNL
Tunl is a South African parcel shipping platform that connects local merchants and manufacturers with US, UK, and Europe consumers. Tunl streamlines the complex export process by providing comprehensive end-to-end services including parcel aggregation, automated shipping, customs brokerage, and final mile delivery. Founded in 2021 by Matthew Davey and Craig Lowman, TUNL raised a $1 million pre-seed fund in 2023.
Investor’s rationale for nomination: TUNL’s founders have deep understanding of both e-commerce and international logistics. The founding team brings exceptional expertise: CEO Matthew’s experience in establishing European distribution networks for South African products, combined with COO Craig’s background as a global e-retailer, creates a blend of practical knowledge and strategic vision.
4. Pullus Africa
Pullus is a Nigerian agritech marketplace that connects smallholder farmers with commercial off-takers. Launched in 2022 by Opeoluwa Fayomi, Pullus empowers farmers through comprehensive agricultural extension services, ensuring their poultry meets industry standards while providing them with reliable market access. The platform’s integrated approach solves two critical challenges: it gives smallholder farmers a dependable distribution channel while providing off-takers with consistent, quality poultry supply. The startup raised a $150,000 pre-seed round in 2023 and an undisclosed seed in January 2024 round.
Investor’s rationale for nomination: Opeyemi’s deep understanding of the ecosystem gives a unique advantage for Pullus. Her background as a poultry aggregator gives her firsthand insight into the challenges faced by both farmers and off-takers.
5. Tanel Health
Only 14% of employees in Tunisia have health coverage. Tanel Health, a Senegalese digital insurance platform provides an integrated digital ecosystem that connects employers, employees, and healthcare providers. Founded by by Mouhamed Ndoye & Makhtar Diop in 2020, Tanel Health has raised $575,000 since its inception.
Investor’s rationale for nomination: Tanel offers a comprehensive solution to a complex problem. By digitising previously manual insurance processes, the company isn’t onlyt improving efficiency but also expanding healthcare access to underserved segments of the population.
Co-founders Mouhamed and Makhtar bring deep market understanding and proven execution capabilities to Tanel’s mission. Under their leadership, the company grew significantly in the total amount of insurance premiums it wrote in 2024, driven by strong adoption from both employers and employees.
6. Apollo
Launched in 2016 by Eli Pollak, Benjamin Njenga, and Earl St Sauver, Apollo helps farmers with modern farming in Kenya and the Gambia. The company uses agronomic machine learning, remote sensing, and mobile technology to access credit, quality farm inputs, and customized advice, enabling farmers to use advanced technologies for their farming methods and increase their profits. Apollo has raised over $88.5 million since its launch.
Investor’s rationale for nomination: African climate tech startups are pulling in more money than ever, overtaking fintech as the continent’s hottest investment sector. By September 2024, these startups had raised $413.9 million, making up a third of all startup funding in Africa. The shift shows investors are betting big on companies that tackle climate change while solving everyday problems, and Apollo is well-positioned to continue meaningful growth and impact in 2025.
7. Zone
Launched in 2022 by Obi Emetarom and Wale Onawunmi, Zone is a regulated blockchain network that enables payments and issuance of digital currencies. The company’s Layer-1 Blockchain network digitises fiat payments and enables the transition to digital currencies. Zone raised $8.5 million in March 2024.
Investor’s rationale for nomination: Zone’s decentralised approach has the potential to redefine how payment networks operate, not just in Nigeria, but globally.
8. Motherbeing
Motherbeing is an Egypt-based health tech startup that empowers Arab women through educational content, an Arabic AI chat assistant, and diagnostic services tailored to their needs. The platform offers culturally relevant, evidence-based sexual and reproductive health education to women across the MENA region. Motherbeing was launched by Nour Emam, Yousef Elsamaa, and Ahmed Abuo Hashem in 2022 and is raising a seed round.
Investor’s rationale for nomination: Motherbeing has a strong advantage due to the lack of similar solutions in this market. The platform’s rapid user growth, high engagement rates, and increasing paid subscriber base demonstrate strong demand, positioning the company for sustainable growth and long-term impact.
9. Vendy
Founded by Kayode Disu and Peter Ekunkoya in 2021, YC-backed Vendy helps merchants automate their inventory, orders, invoicing, in-app payments, and deliveries on WhatsApp in five minutes. Buyers can make inquiries, browse catalogues, place orders, and make payments all within WhatsApp, no app download or sign-up is required. Vendy raised undisclosed pre-seed in 2022 from investors like Ventures Platform, Voltron Capital, and Y Combinator.
Investor’s rationale for nomination: Vendy is an ecommerce platform that operates entirely on WhatsApp, equipping equipg merchants with automated tools for inventory, invoicing, and fulfillment. consolidates buying, selling, and payments on a single platform, creating a frictionless experience for millions. The company has partnered with Paystack to enable WhatsApp commerce and equipg merchants with automated tools for inventory, invoicing, and fulfillment.
10. Pixii Motors
Founded in 2021 by Anis Fekih and Wafa Difi, Pixii Motors is a Tunisia-based startup that addresses urban transportation and last-mile delivery challenges through electric scooters. The integrates of smart dashboards, personalised scooter designs, and a focus on software scalability. The startup is currently raising a seed round of $1.5 million.
Investor’s rationale for nomination: Pixii Motors’ business model demonstrates strong unit economics, achieving per-unit breakeven within 18 months through its subscription-based scooter model. The scooters’ low maintenance costs further enhance margins, making the business financially sustainable.
Moreover, Pixii Motors’ deployment of electric scooters provides significant environmental advantages, including reduced CO2 emissions and decreased dependence on fossil fuels. This environmentally conscious approach also strategically positions the company for market expansion, particularly into the European market, leveraging its African base as a competitive advantage.
11. Gobeba
Founded in 2019 by Peter Ndiang’ui and Lesley Mbogo, GoBeba is a Kenyan e-commerce startup that provides a digital retail platform for buying household essentials. The startup, which closed an undisclosed pre-seed round in 2024, uses a network of micro-warehouses to distribute to customers conveniently and efficiently.
Investor’s rationale for nomination: The company focuses on deepening partnerships to create a loyal base that drives repeat business. GoBeba blends operational excellence with customer-centric strategy, making making it a company to watch closely in the evolving e-commerce space.
12. Earthbond
Founded in 2023 by Chidalu Onyenso, EarthBond is a Nigerian clean energy marketplace that matches small and medium businesses (SMBs) with solar solutions based on their energy demand and credit options.
Investor’s rationale for nomination: Earthbound’s asset-light model positions it for rapid growth and widespread adoption. What makes Earthbond compelling from an investment perspective is its ability to unlock the potential of carbon offset credits. This strategic element not only introduces much-needed FX inflows for African SMEs but also strengthens the credit portfolios of financing institutions by mitigating risks through additional foreign currency streams.
13. Tagaddod
Tagaddod is an Egypt-based cleantech startup that purchases used cooking oil to create biodiesel for export to European markets. They collect used cooking oil from households, restaurants, and hotels with an Uber-like app. Then clean and process it, and export it to European markets as a feedstock for SAF (sustainable aviation fuel), earning the revenue in hard currencies. Launched in 2013 by Nour El-Assal and Mariam Afifi, the startup raised $1.3 million in funding including a $1 million pre-seed from Kepple Africa Ventures and LoftyInc Capital in 2021.
Investor’s rationale for nomination: Tagaddod offers a promising business model that connects the global fight against climate change with the management of waste within Africa. By integrating African waste into the global energy supply chain, this model creates a new export commodity, enabling African markets to generate income
14. Talstack
Founded by Seni Sulyman and Kayode Oyewole in 2023, Talstack is a Nigerian Edtech company that offers an integrated platform designed to identify skills gaps, recommend targeted microlearning content, and monitor the development of capabilities directly tied to career advancement. Talstack announced an $850K pre-seed round in 2023, led by Ventures Platform and with participation from TLcom, Voltron Capital, and Golden Palm Investments.
Investor’s rationale for nomination: Talstack is tackling one of Africa’ss most pressing challenges: the disconnect between skills acquisition and workforce demands. With a platform that combines skills gap analysis, tailored microlearning, and real-time performance tracking, Talstack empowers businesses to future-proof their teams and stay competitive. Its courses are crafted and delivered by African operators who bring local expertise and practical insights to the training process.
This approach ensures that the workforce is equipped with skills directly applicable to Africa’s unique business environments. As Africa’s workforce increasingly demands digital skills, Talstack is positioned to become a cornerstone of talent development across industries.
15. Lengo
Lengo, as a software-as-a-service platform, uses a hybrid approach of Lengo Eagles (field agents) and AI to connect retailers and FMCG companies with real-time performance data (inventory, pricing, and sales data from informal retailers across Africa on the sales of products. LengoAI was founded in 2022 by Max A. Smith, Roger-Xavia Macia, and Ismaila Seck.
Investor’s rationale for nomination: Lengo’s ability to provide FMCG companies and retailers with unparalleled insights, not only bridges the visibility gap in informal markets but also equips businesses with the tools to optimise operations and expand their reach. Lengo AI is positioned to unlock the next wave of growth in the African retail ecosystem. As companies double down on data-driven decisions, Lengo’s innovative platform will be indispensable for scaling impact and profitability.
16. Mira
Launched in 2024 by Ted Oladele, Mira is a point of sale and management system that helps restaurants and food businesses improve operations and increase sales. The startup raised $200,000 in a family and friends round in 2024 and is in the middle of a seed round.
Investor’s rationale for nomination: Mira’s founders bring a wealth of experience, having played key roles in the success of leading African payment companies like Paystack and Flutterwave.
17. GoLemon
Founded by four early Paystack employees—Yinka Adewuyi, Gbadegbo Gbade-Oyelakin, Abdulrahman Jogbojogbo, and Abiola Showemimo—GoLemon is a Nigerian startup that delivers groceries and household items to homes and businesses. GoLemon manages its inventory and fulfillment centres, directly sourcing its bulk products from farmers and FMCGs.
Investor’s rationale for nomination: Golemon has a solid and experienced founding team who have been able to validate their product market fit quickly. “Projections look promising as the market is demanding more convenience for everyday household items and is embracing solutions that can deliver this with better logistics, inventory, pricing, and scheduling,” said Yewande Odumosu, an Investor at HoaQ.
18. Borderless
Launched in 2023, Borderless is creating the infrastructure to power community-driven investments across multiple asset classes. Their offering provides simplified compliance, reporting, multi-currency movement, and more—so communities can focus on what matters: building together. The startup is currently raising a $500,000 pre-seed round.
Investor’s rationale for nomination: With many people moving both to and from Africa, there’s a strong connection between the continent and its diaspora. This creates great opportunities for collaboration, especially through joint investments. Borderless can help grow these opportunities by supporting businesses started by Africans worldwide. The startup has an excellent team including one of the co-founders of HoaQ, Africa’s biggest startup investment community of diaspora and African angel investors.
19. Scale
Scale is a South African fintech that provides fintechs with the essential tools to easily launch modern, efficient, and successful card programs that scale both locally and globally while adopting relevant local nuances. The startup utilises SOIL a payment infrastructure to connect fintechs to the ecosystem they need to launch and thrive. Scale guides fintechs through the complexities of launching, scaling, and commercialising payment products. Scale was launched in 2023 by Barbara Woollams and Miranda Perumal, a former director at Visa. The startup raised a $700,000 pre-seed fund in 2024.
Investor’s rationale for nomination: The importance of cards such as Visa and Mastercard is more significant in Africa. However, card penetration in Africa is still low partly because of the inefficient card-issuing process. Fintechs or businesses that issue cards go through a prolonged process, which could last even a year or more, dealing with various stakeholders like sponsor banks, issuer processors, card networks, regulators, etc. The founders of Scale—with multiple years of experience—have what it takes to make a difference in Africa’s card-issuing landscape
20. Credify
Credify is a trade financing and digital ocean freight forwarding startup that provides logistics and trade financing to African merchants to facilitate cross-border trade. The Ugandan startup was founded in 2022 by Daniel Kagame Ndahiro and raised an undisclosed pre-seed round in April 2024.
Investor’s rationale for nomination: Credify targets the Africa-China trade space, specifically disrupting the areas of trade finance and ocean freight forwarding. Africa-China trade is a tremendous opportunity that is yet to be digitally disrupted. Africa imports $170+ billion annually from China – a market opportunity that is nearly 2x of consumer remittances into Africa.
“The founder, Daniel, is an agile, hungry, and fast-moving founder and has been able to ramp up operations in Uganda and Guangzhou, and plans to begin expanding into other African countries this year. He has built an attractive business model in this challenging space, with minimal default risk, while minimizing FX volatility and generating high unit margins,” said Eghosa Omogui, General Partner at EchoVC.
21. Logidoo
Logidoo is a Morrocco-based logistics startup that provides cross-border services to e-commerce businesses. Logidoo specialises in cross-border end-to-end fifth-party logistics and provides logistics services and real-time parcel tracking through its online platform. Earlier in the year, the logistics startup raised $1.55 million in seed funding to expand its logistics solutions to Senegal, Ivory Coast, and Tunisia.
Investor’s rationale for nomination: Africa’s intra-regional trade portion is very low as compared to Europe or Asia. To unlock the potential of Africa’s economy, and also to enable AfCFTA (African Continental Free Trade Area), Logidoo is providing “Cross-border End-to-End 5PL logistics platform.” The company is operating in 8 countries in Africa and recently made its way to cover inter-regional logistics such as Europe-Africa and China-Africa.
22. Senga
Senga is a Kenyan logistics platform that helps to cut down delivery timelines for FMCG companies and other suppliers, using consolidation to deliver fragmented loads to large supermarkets across Kenya via continuous strings of trips. Through Senga, suppliers can send and receive inventory in a guaranteed time of less than 48 hours.
Investor’s rationale for nomination: “We are excited about Senga because we were intrigued by Senga’s differentiated approach toward an untapped space in African logistics: moving product from factories to formal supermarkets across an entire country, without the need for warehouses,” said Eghosa Omoghui, General Partner at Echo VC.
23. PharmacyMarts
PharmacyMarts is Egypt’s largest pharma market. Launched in 2021 by Ahmed Kadous, Ahmed Mazhar, Haitham El Ghotni, and Mahmoud Shousha, PharmacyMarts is a digital marketplace that connects pharmacies and medical suppliers in Egypt, allowing them to access medicine, medical supplies, and cosmetics at the best prices. The startup offers a search engine that allows customers to compare prices from different suppliers, bundled orders, and same-day delivery.
Investor’s rationale for nomination: Due to the low penetration of health insurance in Africa, pharmacies almost serve as the healthcare infrastructure. Egypt is the largest pharma market in Africa and Pharmacymarts is one of the leading players that digitize the supply chain between wholesalers and pharmacies to remove inefficiency and reduce the stockouts. The founder’s experience at big pharma such as Pfizer, Novartis, and Takeda coupled with more than 11,000 pharmacies onboarded shows a clear founder market fit and team’s strong capability.
24. Konnect
Konnect is a Tunisia-based online payment solution that offers features including payment links, plugins, and API integration. Founded by Amin Ben Abderrahman in 2021, the startup is licensed by the Central Bank of Tunisia and is PCI DSS compliant. Konnect offers a wide range of payment methods including instant payments, payments by QR codes, Card payments, etc.
VC rationale for nomination: North Africa, especially Magreb countries (Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria) still struggle with digital payments. Amin with more than 13 years of experience building finance solutions is poised to enable Konnect become the leading player of digital payments in Tunisia. The company was also part of the 1st cohort of the prestigious Visa Africa Fintech Accelerator, being the only startup selected from Tunisia. Konnect also has an excellent product which has helped the company grow organically without spending much on marketing.
25. Muda
Muda is an payment infrastructure company that builds FX OS and orchestration APIs, powered by stablecoins, for enterprises, banks and fintechs across Africa to solve the frictions of cross-border payments and treasury on the continent. Launched in Suleiman Murunga who previously co-founded Pegasus and scaled it to one of the largest fintechs in Uganda. The startup raised an undisclosed pre-seed in 2022.
Investor’s rationale for nomination: “We are excited about MUDA because: The founder, Suleiman, is a 2nd-time founder having previously co-founded one of the largest fintechs in Uganda, Pegasus. He is also building in a space that we are excited about,” said Eghosa Omogui, General Partner at EchoVC.
There you have it: Our top African startups to watch in 2025. Be sure to return frequently for in-depth analyses of each startup. How do you feel about their usability and utility right now? Email me at faith.omoniyi@bigcabal.com.
