Launch Africa Ventures is a venture capital firm established in 2020 and headquartered in Ebene, Mauritius. The firm focuses on addressing the substantial funding gap in the seed and pre-Series A investment landscape across the African continent. By targeting early-stage companies, Launch Africa Ventures aims to support and enhance the growth of startups operating in various sectors throughout Africa, contributing to the development of the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Partner, Board Member and Member of the Investment Committee
Janade Plessis Ph.D
Co-Founder and Managing Partner
Past deals in Africa
Periculum
Venture Round in 2024
Periculum develops data analytic software utilizing artificial intelligence and machine learning to enhance credit assessment for organizations in underserved markets. The company's platform focuses on alternative data to provide comprehensive credit evaluations for lenders and financial institutions in Africa. By empowering clients with advanced data analytics and credit assessment services, Periculum aims to accelerate economic empowerment and improve access to financial resources for those in need.
Meditect
Venture Round in 2024
Meditect is a social enterprise focused on digitizing the medicine supply chain in Africa, with operations in Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, and Cameroon, and plans for expansion across sub-Saharan Africa. The company develops AI and blockchain-based software designed to track falsified medicines and enhance the integrity of drug distribution. By providing innovative solutions, Meditect aims to combat the sale of counterfeit medications and ensure the authenticity of medicines through a system that allows pharmacists to verify their products. This initiative addresses the critical challenge of access to quality medicines in the context of Africa's rapidly growing population, leveraging digital technology to improve healthcare delivery in developing countries.
The Daily Sale Shop
Pre Seed Round in 2023
The Daily Sale Shop is an online marketplace that provides a diverse selection of products to customers in Zimbabwe. The platform emphasizes convenience by offering free delivery across the nation, allowing individuals to shop from the comfort of their homes. With a focus on customer satisfaction, The Daily Sale Shop also ensures reliable customer support and a seamless checkout experience, making it easier for customers to receive their orders efficiently.
Termii
Seed Round in 2023
Termii is an online platform based in Lagos, Nigeria, that assists African businesses in engaging with their customers through personalized communication via SMS, email, voice, and instant messaging channels. Founded in 2014, Termii offers a comprehensive suite of business applications that cater to various needs including digital branding, sales, marketing, customer relationship management, eCommerce, accounting, inventory, and project management. By providing these tools, Termii aims to enhance customer retention and improve business operations, making it easier for companies to secure repeat customers and foster effective communication.
Peach Payments
Series A in 2023
Peach Payments provides payment solutions to online and mobile businesses enabling them to easily accept payments from consumers across the globe and especially from those in the emerging markets. Our specific focus is on Africa and the BRIC countries where the local infrastructure requires a unique and tailored approach to online payments.
Workpay
Seed Round in 2023
Workpay is a software company that specializes in payroll, benefits, and compliance solutions for businesses operating in Africa. It provides a cloud-based platform that enables companies to manage employee payments efficiently, including time tracking and human resource management. Workpay's services facilitate timely salary disbursements directly to employees' bank accounts or mobile wallets, simplifying the payroll process. By allowing organizations to hire both local and remote teams without the need for establishing local entities, Workpay ensures compliance with regional regulations while helping businesses attract and retain talent across the continent.
Kredibank
Seed Round in 2022
Kredi is a neo bank building Africa's one-stop shop for digital financial services. Kredi is a platform that eliminates all the challenges of using multiple applications and allows users to manage all aspects of their financial lives. We are fully licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria. We provide access to digital financial services such as savings, credit, payment, investments, and insurance to all consumers in Nigeria in one place.
Kashat
Convertible Note in 2022
Kashat is a mobile financial services company in Egypt that focuses on meeting the financial needs of the unbanked and underbanked populations. It offers instant, small loans through a user-friendly mobile app, allowing customers to access microloans conveniently. By utilizing alternative cellular data for underwriting, Kashat serves individuals who have never had access to credit, helping them establish a financial identity and build a credit history. Once approved for a loan, customers can withdraw funds via mobile wallets and other digital payment methods. Kashat's operations are fully digital and are regulated by the Financial Regulatory Authority in Egypt, ensuring compliance and security in its financial services.
Bitmama
Pre Seed Round in 2022
Bitmama is a cryptocurrency trading platform that facilitates the buying and selling of digital assets such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Celo in Africa. The platform offers an exchange service and API, allowing users to create their own wallets and conduct transactions through various payment methods, including bank accounts, credit or debit cards, and mobile money. Bitmama's software provides a secure environment for trading and managing cryptocurrencies, making it convenient for users to engage in the digital asset market.
Edves
Venture Round in 2022
Edves Limited is a company based in Lagos, Nigeria, that specializes in designing and developing school management software aimed at automating various administrative and educational processes. Founded in 2016, Edves's platform serves over 1,700 K-12 schools across 11 African countries, streamlining enrollment, school fees payment, result processing, and online learning. The software offers features such as e-books, video tutorials, and virtual classrooms, facilitating a comprehensive digital learning environment. Additionally, it provides tools for school owners to manage fee defaulters and set reminders, while educators can generate annual reports to track student performance. By enhancing digital infrastructure for educational institutions, Edves aims to improve learning outcomes and optimize school operations.
Workpay
Seed Round in 2022
Workpay is a software company that specializes in payroll, benefits, and compliance solutions for businesses operating in Africa. It provides a cloud-based platform that enables companies to manage employee payments efficiently, including time tracking and human resource management. Workpay's services facilitate timely salary disbursements directly to employees' bank accounts or mobile wallets, simplifying the payroll process. By allowing organizations to hire both local and remote teams without the need for establishing local entities, Workpay ensures compliance with regional regulations while helping businesses attract and retain talent across the continent.
Pharmacy Mart
Seed Round in 2022
Pharmacy Mart is an online business-to-business marketplace established in 2021 and based in Cairo, Egypt. The platform facilitates pharmacists in obtaining daily prescriptions and medications from various suppliers, allowing them to access a wide range of pharmacy supplies efficiently. By integrating fintech and logistics, Pharmacy Mart provides a user-friendly interface where medical suppliers can list their products, enabling pharmacists to find suitable offers for their daily supply needs. The service also includes discounts and eliminates delivery charges, making it a cost-effective solution for pharmacy operations.
Zuri Health
Pre Seed Round in 2022
Zuri Health is a telemedicine company based in Nairobi, Kenya, established in 2020. It offers affordable and accessible healthcare solutions through a mobile app, website, and SMS services, catering to patients without smartphones and those in rural areas. Users can schedule lab and diagnostic tests, consult with doctors, purchase medications from pharmacies, and arrange home visits with qualified medical professionals. The platform also features an artificial intelligence-powered chatbot to enhance user experience and provide first-level medical consultations. Zuri Health aims to create a universally accessible healthcare experience for all individuals, regardless of their location or resources.
DigsConnect.com
Seed Round in 2022
DigsConnect is the largest student accommodation marketplace ion the African continent, with dual headquarters in Cape Town and London. They list 1.3 million beds worldwide and have connected more than 88 000 landlords and students since launching in January 2018. Their vision is to create a self sustaining community of people listing and finding safe accommodation options close to places of learning, and a place where lifelong friendships are made.
GoMyCode
Venture Round in 2022
GoMyCode operates an educational platform that focuses on teaching digital skills and connecting students with technology opportunities globally. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Tunis, Tunisia, with additional locations in Algeria, France, and Morocco, the company offers programs in various fields, including artificial intelligence, web development, deep learning, DevOps, UX design, and digital marketing. GoMyCode employs a blended learning approach that combines online and offline instruction, enhancing the learning experience through data-driven assessments and matching. By providing comprehensive training in data, development, design, and digital marketing, GoMyCode aims to prepare students for the future job market and empower them with the necessary skills to thrive in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Bloom
Pre Seed Round in 2022
Bloom is a financial technology company that operates a digital banking platform aimed at providing regulated banking services to consumers. Its application allows users to open bank accounts online, access fee-free bank accounts in both Sudanese and US dollars, and obtain free USD Mastercards. The platform facilitates free transfers within Sudan and offers complimentary international remittance services from various countries. By focusing on innovative and inclusive financial products, Bloom seeks to enhance the financial well-being of its customers.
cARscan
Venture Round in 2022
cARscan is a South Africa-based company that specializes in developing an augmented reality mobile application aimed at tracking the visual condition of vehicles throughout their life cycle. The app utilizes embedded visual recognition AI to create a traceable digital record of each car, facilitating a more transparent automotive ecosystem. cARscan's technology enables users to document the condition of their vehicles and receive real-time quotes and validation from industry experts. This innovative approach not only enhances the buying, selling, renting, servicing, insuring, financing, and auctioning of cars but also helps to mitigate fraud and reduce risks within the automotive industry.
Amitruck
Seed Round in 2022
Amitruck is a logistics platform based in Nairobi, Kenya, that connects cargo owners with trucking professionals through a mobile and web application. Founded in 2018, the platform allows customers to easily book deliveries and access a network of available trucks. It features a driver application that facilitates communication between clients and transporters, ensuring timely updates on shipments. Amitruck's user-friendly interface enables clients to receive instant quotes and track their deliveries in real-time, offering complete visibility throughout the delivery process.
Orcas
Seed Round in 2022
Orcas is a hybrid tutoring platform with tailored learning plans for K-12 students in MENAP (Egypt, KSA, and Pakistan).
Numida
Seed Round in 2022
Numida Technologies is a digital financial institution based in Kampala, Uganda, focused on serving micro, small, and medium enterprises in East Africa. Founded in 2015, Numida provides an application software that enables small businesses to maintain accurate digital financial records, allowing them to monitor their performance effectively. The company specializes in offering unsecured growth and working capital loans, leveraging a proprietary credit scoring system to assess borrowers' creditworthiness. By improving access to financing, Numida aims to foster a thriving small business sector that can create secure employment, enhance tax revenues for local governments, and uplift the living standards of entrepreneurs and their communities. Its platform not only helps businesses make informed financial decisions but also assists lending institutions in reducing risk and costs, ultimately leading to better lending terms for borrowers.
Kwara
Seed Round in 2021
Kwara GmbH is a Berlin-based company that specializes in providing a digital banking platform specifically designed for savings and credit co-operative societies (SACCOs). Founded in 2018, Kwara's cloud-based platform facilitates loan application servicing and approval for members, along with offering integration services, customer support, real-time financial tracking, and compliance services. The company also features Kwara Pronto, a tool for loans management. With a presence in Nairobi, Kenya, Kwara has successfully transformed over 200 SACCOs into modern digital financial institutions across Kenya, South Africa, and the Philippines, enhancing their operational efficiency and financial inclusion through its advanced core banking system and mobile banking experience.
Docspert Health
Seed Round in 2021
Docspert Health is a telemedicine platform that facilitates connections between patients in the Middle East and Africa and international medical experts via video consultations. The platform aims to provide inclusive and accessible healthcare by offering a variety of services, which include appointments with healthcare professionals, online video consultations, telehealth services, and access to medical equipment. By leveraging technology, Docspert Health enables patients to initiate treatment promptly, thereby enhancing the chances of successful health outcomes.
Yobante Express
Seed Round in 2021
Yobanté Express is a logistics technology startup focused on transforming cross-border and last-mile parcel delivery in key African markets. The company utilizes a fully digitized platform that ensures full traceability and exceptional customer support, minimizing merchandise loss and damage. By leveraging an asset-light model, Yobanté Express operates a cost-efficient network of relay points and independent carriers, facilitating fast and affordable delivery across cities and borders. Its platform connects local carriers with commerce, enabling efficient same-day delivery services, particularly in Senegal. This proven success has positioned Yobanté Express for expansion into other high-growth African markets.
Edves
Seed Round in 2021
Edves Limited is a company based in Lagos, Nigeria, that specializes in designing and developing school management software aimed at automating various administrative and educational processes. Founded in 2016, Edves's platform serves over 1,700 K-12 schools across 11 African countries, streamlining enrollment, school fees payment, result processing, and online learning. The software offers features such as e-books, video tutorials, and virtual classrooms, facilitating a comprehensive digital learning environment. Additionally, it provides tools for school owners to manage fee defaulters and set reminders, while educators can generate annual reports to track student performance. By enhancing digital infrastructure for educational institutions, Edves aims to improve learning outcomes and optimize school operations.
Kashat
Convertible Note in 2021
Kashat is a mobile financial services company in Egypt that focuses on meeting the financial needs of the unbanked and underbanked populations. It offers instant, small loans through a user-friendly mobile app, allowing customers to access microloans conveniently. By utilizing alternative cellular data for underwriting, Kashat serves individuals who have never had access to credit, helping them establish a financial identity and build a credit history. Once approved for a loan, customers can withdraw funds via mobile wallets and other digital payment methods. Kashat's operations are fully digital and are regulated by the Financial Regulatory Authority in Egypt, ensuring compliance and security in its financial services.
Elmetr inc. (500 startups portfolio company)
Venture Round in 2021
Elmetr aspires to become the biggest lead-generation hub for all lawyers in Egypt, and the Middle-East. Its positive impact on the legal community shall be foreseen in better transparency of legal case handling, positive client reviews, more specialization and sub specialization, clear lawyer profiles, better reach for law offices and higher quality service.
Omnibiz
Seed Round in 2021
Omnibiz is a B2B e-commerce platform based in Lagos, Nigeria, that focuses on fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) manufacturers, distributors, and retailers. Founded in 2019, the company aims to support local businesses by digitizing the supply chain and enhancing operational efficiency. Its unified distribution platform offers tools that improve reliability, visibility, and financial capabilities for businesses. Key features include order tracking and integrated payment options, all designed to facilitate a seamless supply chain experience. By providing these resources, Omnibiz helps local enterprises navigate the complexities of the modern market and achieve their business objectives effectively.
Orcas
Venture Round in 2021
Orcas is a hybrid tutoring platform with tailored learning plans for K-12 students in MENAP (Egypt, KSA, and Pakistan).
Rivy
Pre Seed Round in 2021
Rivy is making it easier to finance small and medium sized businesses in Africa. There is a need for financing of $158 bn for SMEs in Nigeria alone. To start, Rivy o helps SMEs access and spend lender capital effectively. During their first full operational year in 2020, the Rivy o co--founders leveraged their domain expertise and founding experience to beat their 2020 goal by 50%.
Pawame
Venture Round in 2021
Pawame Limited is a company that develops off-grid solar home systems aimed at electrifying households in sub-Saharan Africa. Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, Pawame produces solar kits that include solar panels, LED lights, wall switches, flashlights, radios, and phone chargers. The company employs a pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) model, allowing customers to make affordable monthly payments through a mobile money platform. This model not only provides access to reliable electricity but also enables the company to gather data that supports the offering of additional products and services, including electrical appliances, micro-insurance, education loans, and remote health services. Pawame's mission is to enhance the quality of life for off-grid communities by providing energy access, which serves as a gateway to financial empowerment and opportunities, contributing to the alleviation of poverty in the region.
Bypa-ss
Convertible Note in 2021
Bypa-ss is a health-tech startup based in Egypt focused on digitizing health information exchange to improve the quality of care for patients and healthcare providers. Its primary product, HealthTag, serves as a comprehensive platform for individuals, physicians, pharmacies, laboratories, and radiology centers. By facilitating the sharing of healthcare experiences, feedback, and knowledge, the platform empowers patients to make informed decisions about their medical care. Through this innovative approach, Bypa-ss aims to enhance communication and collaboration within the healthcare ecosystem, ultimately leading to better health outcomes.
Alpha Direct
Seed Round in 2021
Alpha Direct is a Botswana-based insurtech company focused on providing affordable and accessible insurance products to Africa's underserved consumer market. The company leverages cloud technology, big data, and artificial intelligence to develop innovative insurance solutions. In less than five years, Alpha Direct has become the fifth largest short-term insurance underwriter in Botswana and is now pursuing regional expansion across Africa, including plans to enter the long-term insurance sector. Its product offerings encompass a range of insurance types, such as car, business, bus, workers, and travel insurance, aimed particularly at low-income groups. The company has gained recognition for its innovative "insurance in a box" product, which is sold through retail outlets and features a cloud-based activation and policy management platform. This has enabled Alpha Direct to rapidly acquire thousands of customers. Over the next five years, the company intends to expand its offerings to include long-term insurance and extend its reach into South Africa, Kenya, Egypt, and Nigeria, as well as license its products and technology in ten additional African countries.
Kidato
Seed Round in 2021
Kidato is an online school catering to K-12 students in Africa, aiming to provide high-quality and affordable education to the continent's growing middle class. The platform features a favorable student-to-teacher ratio of 1:5, which facilitates personalized learning experiences. In addition to core academic subjects, Kidato incorporates extracurricular activities such as coding, chess, art, music, sports, and languages, promoting holistic development and socialization among students. The curriculum is aligned with international standards, ensuring that students receive a rigorous education comparable to that of traditional private schools.
Trove
Seed Round in 2021
Trove Technologies Limited operates an online platform designed to facilitate investment in a range of securities, including stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and cryptocurrencies. Based in Lekki, Nigeria, Trove aims to simplify the investment process for beginners by providing an accessible application that allows users to easily find and select investment opportunities. The platform features a user-friendly KYC process, brokerage services, and a personalized news feed related to the assets traded. Trove enables investors to participate in both local and international markets, offering access to Nigerian stocks, government bonds, and a selection of cryptocurrency assets. Through its seamless approach to micro-investing, Trove empowers users to engage with the financial markets with ease.
Ramani
Seed Round in 2021
Ramani is a Tanzanian company founded in 2020, specializing in software development for sales operations. The company's application enables salespeople to effectively track inventory, register customers, and record sales transactions in real time. By providing a financial infrastructure platform, Ramani helps organizations capture essential supply chain data, enhancing sales visibility and supporting resellers in accessing financial services. This functionality allows clients to improve their revenue and expand their market share. Based in Dar es Salaam, Ramani aims to streamline sales processes for businesses across various sectors.
Wella Health
Venture Round in 2021
Wellahealth is a startup that has developed a digital triage bot that provides guidance based on Nigeria Centre for Disease Control guidelines and logs responses for follow up by public health as needed.
Cassbana
Pre Seed Round in 2021
Cassbana is a financial lending platform focused on creating financial identities for underserved communities in Egypt. The company employs artificial intelligence and machine learning to develop a behavior-based credit scoring system that assesses individuals and businesses' access to credit. By analyzing behavior patterns, Cassbana enables financial institutions to provide low-risk investment opportunities while facilitating access to monetary payments and micro-lending options. This approach assists small businesses and individuals in obtaining short-term financing more easily, thereby contributing to financial inclusion within the region.
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