Seedstars Africa announces $42m raise backed by AfDB and EIB

Seedstars Africa Ventures I, a venture capital fund making early-stage investments in highly scalable start-ups in Africa has closed a $42 million raise. The funding has participation from the African Development Bank, EIB Global and support from the European Union and Boost Africa among other global investors. 

Announcing this at the 2024 Africa Investment Forum Market Days currently underway in Rabat, Seedstars noted that the raise means it has secured $50 million in commitments towards its $80 million fundraising target.

Seedstars Africa Ventures is a member of LBO France Group, which played a pivotal role in seeding this initiative as part of their multi-asset class African strategy, alongside other initiatives.

The Fund was founded by Maxime Bouan, Tamim El Zein and Bruce Nsereko Lule. Both founders have over 45 years of experience investing and working across the continent.

According to the founders, it was designed to address gaps in early-stage financing across Africa through investments of up to $2 million in seed and series A rounds, with significant follow-on capacity of up to $5 million, thereby bridging available pools of capital. By leading successive investment rounds, the fund will catalyse co-investment while offering operational support to start-ups. 

The fund has already deployed over $10 million to five pioneering African startups in the climate, food systems, energy access, internet connectivity, financial inclusion, and payments infrastructure sectors.

These businesses serve over 60 million people, including by connecting 60,000 households to the Internet, supporting 50,000 farmers, and empowering 30,000 individuals with financial inclusion services across eight African countries. The portfolio is also fully 2X compliant, empowering women in startups and ecosystems.

Read also: 32 African startups raised $180m in November as 2024 venture funding hits $1.86bn

The five companies include:  

• Shamba Pride (Kenya): an operator of nearly 300 franchised shops that deliver products, insights, and training to farmers to address significant bottlenecks in the agricultural value chain.
• Beacon Power Services (Nigeria): one of Africa’s fastest-growing cleantech companies, which provides electricity access to millions of Africans.
• Poa! Internet (Kenya): which offers broadband internet for just $10 per month to over 60,000 households.
• Xeno (Uganda): provides disruptive financial products offering sustainable and attractive savings alternatives for Africans.
• Bizao (Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal, France): this addresses the demand for high-performing payment aggregation platforms from major corporates and fintech in Francophone Africa.

Speaking on the announcement, Robert Daussun, and Stéphanie Casciola, Chairman and CEO respectively of LBO France said:

“We are delighted by Seedstars Africa Ventures’ latest milestone, and proud to have been the initial supporter of the team. The portfolio the team has built with our support is innovative and transformative, already providing significant impact and value to the continent. LBO France appreciates the opportunity SAV provides for us and our partners to be part of Africa’s growth story.”

“The African Development Bank views Seedstars Africa Ventures as a strategic opportunity to provide innovative support to Africa’s venture capital industry. It serves as a conduit to improve access to finance for youth and women while also enhancing the availability of risk capital in Francophone Africa. This is an area that has traditionally faced limited access to risk capital,” said Ahmed  Attout, African Development Bank Group Director for Financial Sector Development. 

“We welcome the investment of the African Development Bank, our Boost Africa partners, in the Seedstars Africa Ventures fund,” said EIB Vice-President Ambroise Fayolle. “Accelerating digitalisation is a priority for the EIB, and we are committed to supporting African businesses as they drive innovation and prosperity on the continent.”