South Africa’s 2023 startup ecosystem concluded on a high note, as the local venture capital (VC) sector defied the global downward trend in annual deals since 2020. The recent Southern African Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (SAVCA) Venture Capital Survey Launch 2024 revealed that total capital flow to startups exceeded R3 billion ($164 million) for the first time, demonstrating the sector&#8217;s remarkable resilience and potential.



The survey, launched by SAVCA, highlighted the significant increase in capital flow, with R10.73 billion ($586 million) invested across 1,106 active deals since the survey&#8217;s inception in 2010. While the number of deals slightly decreased in 2023 (184 deals compared to 195 in 2022), the activity remained higher than pre-Covid levels.



In line with global trends, the information and communication technology (ICT) sector dominated VC investments, nearly doubling its activity compared to 2022. The ICT sector, encompassing sub-sectors such as fintech, edtech, software, and eCommerce, accounted for 87.6% of investments. Fintech led by value (18.3%) and number (14.8%) of deals, followed by software at 9.8%.



Leading Industries Driving VC Investment



The ICT sector&#8217;s dominance in VC investments is not surprising, given the global shift towards a more digital and technologically driven economy. South Africa&#8217;s strategic position, well-established tech hubs, and a growing pool of tech-savvy entrepreneurs make it an attractive destination for VC funds. The country&#8217;s robust infrastructure, coupled with a supportive regulatory environment, further bolsters the appeal for investors.



Dawie Roodt, founder, Director, and Chief Economist of the Efficient Group, provides insights into this trend. He notes that the increasing digitization of business and the shift towards service-oriented economic activities are primary factors driving investments in the ICT sector.



&#8220;The nature of economic activity worldwide is changing rapidly, becoming more service-oriented and technologically driven. This shift supports the resilience of the VC sector, particularly in ICT,&#8221; Roodt explains in an interview with FORBES AFRICA.



Impact of Increased VC Investment



The infusion of VC funds into South Africa’s startup ecosystem has far-reaching implications for the economy, leading to job creation, innovation, and overall economic growth. As new technologies and business models emerge, they can drive productivity and competitiveness across various sectors. Furthermore, the rise in co-investment activities, involving both local and international investors, fosters a collaborative environment that can accelerate the growth of high-potential startups.



By backing innovative solutions, venture capitalists play a crucial role in addressing some of South Africa&#8217;s most pressing social challenges, such as unemployment and inadequate service delivery. The focus on sectors like fintech and edtech also indicates a potential for significant improvements in financial inclusion and education.



Potential Negative Impacts



However, the influx of VC money is not without potential drawbacks. One notable concern is the impact on the cost of living, particularly in tech hubs like Cape Town. As more startups receive funding and scale their operations, the demand for office space and housing could rise sharply, driving up rental and property prices. This could exacerbate the existing affordability issues for local residents.



Roodt emphasizes the need for balanced growth and highlights potential challenges. &#8220;South Africa is still a country and you need to be attractive in order to attract foreign investments. The downside, because of certain things, like, for example, the quality of our government and weak economic growth means that the returns that these investors require of are very high,&#8221; he noted.



Additional Insights



Moreover, the concentration of investment in specific sectors and regions might lead to economic imbalances. While the ICT sector thrives, other industries might not receive the same level of attention and funding, potentially widening the economic disparity between different sectors and regions.



Future Outlook



Despite the optimistic outlook, challenges remain. Roodt points out the impact of weak economic growth and the quality of governance on attracting foreign investment. &#8220;The downside, because of certain things like the quality of our government and weak economic growth, means that the returns these investors require are very high,&#8221; he cautioned.



The success of the VC sector will also depend on maintaining a positive investment image internationally. &#8220;With the new government of national unity, which is more of a coalition government, South Africa&#8217;s investment image is certainly improving,&#8221; Roodt observes.

Hands holding up columns of bar graph

New Survey: South Africa’s VC Sector On Positive Trajectory And What This Means

Ayana Parsons, cofounder of The Fearless Fund, took the stage at the ForbesBLK Summit. The Fund is in court defending its right to support Black women founders.



When Ayana Parsons, cofounder of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thefearless.foundation/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">The Fearless Fund</a>, took the stage today at the ForbesBLK Summit in Atlanta, it was an emotional moment. She was there alongside political leader Stacey Abrams and Dr. Sesha Joi Moon, chief diversity officer for the 117th and 118th Congresses. “Anytime you are surrounded by Black women, they are going to pour into you,’’ Parsons said. “So, when I walked on this stage, these eyes were watering because they understood the heavy burden that is on all of us in this country.’’



Part of the heavy burden on Parsons these days is a&nbsp;<a href="https://media.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/files/202313138.pdf" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">preliminary injunction</a>&nbsp;issued earlier this month by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit blocking the Fearless Fund from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/dariashunina/2024/06/04/court-blocks-fearless-funds-exclusive-grants-for-black-women/">awarding grants exclusively to Black women entrepreneurs</a>–it’s very purpose. The court determined that this practice likely violates Title 42 of the U.S. Code, which prohibits private parties from discriminating on the basis of race when making or enforcing contracts.



(Update: On June 26th, Parsons announced she has stepped down as general manager of the Fearless Fund,<a href="https://www.ajc.com/news/business/co-founder-of-fearless-fund-steps-down-amid-battle-with-conservative-group/CAD5WYN3BFCRTBIYWRY6ZEUTYM/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">&nbsp;but told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution&nbsp;</a>that the move was unrelated to the lawsuit.)



While<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/emilymason/2024/03/20/revenge-of-the-bootstrapped-startup/">&nbsp;less than 1% of start-ups with employees</a>&nbsp;receive venture capital investment to get rolling, VC dollars play a crucial role in the highest growth start-ups. Moreover, businesses who receive VC money enjoy related benefits, including alternative funding sources, valuable mentorship and industry connections, and increased representation in the business world. That can be particularly important for Black entrepreneurs who might not otherwise have access to those contacts.



At the ForbesBLK Summit, &#8220;access&#8221; and “bias” were consistently highlighted when discussing venture capital. It’s no mystery why: Startups run by Black women received just&nbsp;<a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/03/the-ebb-and-flow-of-vc-funding-how-to-support-black-women-in-business/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">0.34%</a>&nbsp;of U.S. venture capital dollars in 2022.



The Fearless Fund’s Parsons put it this way: “As Black people there are three things we need—love, money, and power. And as Black people we have a whole lot of love, but what we don&#8217;t have is a lot of money and we don&#8217;t have the power.”



Yelitsa Jean-Charles, founder and CEO of&nbsp;<a href="https://healthyrootsdolls.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Healthy Roots Dolls</a>, a toy company that empowers young girls and celebrates the beauty of diversity through its dolls and storybooks, has been a rare recipient of VC investment. “I was one of the first Black women to raise $1 million in venture capital, and that is a problem. There is always a start-up program and 5-week boot camp, but no one is cutting the check,” she said.



The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/03/the-ebb-and-flow-of-vc-funding-how-to-support-black-women-in-business/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">World Economic Forum</a>&nbsp;suggests that the death of George Floyd drew attention to Black startups–at least for a brief time. In 2020, VC funding of Black businesses surged to between $850 million and $1.2 billion. But by 2022, as overall VC funding fell, the money going to Black start-ups declined even more sharply–by 45%.



One panel at the ForbesBLK Summit explored ways to turn that around. Its title:&nbsp;Show Me the Money: Get the Attention of Investors to Raise Capital.&nbsp;Panelist Michael Pronam, a partner and managing director for Scrum Sports &amp; Entertainment, suggested that networking is the key to increasing the number of minority businesses that receive venture capital. “There is a direct correlation between underfunded and under-networked. One thing that you can actually own is your network. Even if that particular start-up doesn&#8217;t get funded they should leave the pitch meeting with connections.”



Stacey Abrams has been pioneering other ways to increase funding; she’s co-founder of the Now Account Network which provides working capital to small businesses by converting their trade receivables almost immediately into cash.



In closing, Abrams, a lawyer and author, gave the audience her take on how Black Americans can thrive economically. “We have to stand firm and hold our businesses accountable. We have to speak up. We have to tell our stories. We have to stay connected. There are organizations doing the work and investing in our future because we are winning and we cannot win if we give up.”

Business and Leadership Success

Black Founders Still Struggle For Their Share Of Venture Capital Funding

With its new fund, TLcom Capital plans to deploy additional capital into female-founded African tech startups, building on the firm’s June 2022 co-investment commitment of $2 million to FirstCheck Africa, a female-focused pre-seed fund.



TLcom Capital, the Africa-focused venture capital firm, has announced the final close of TIDE Africa Fund II, its second fund for technology in Africa, at $154 million.


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="alignleft size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="682" height="1024" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Maurizio-Caio-Founder-and-Managing-Partner-at-TLcom-Capital-image-supplied-682x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-61726" style="width:297px;height:auto" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Maurizio-Caio-Founder-and-Managing-Partner-at-TLcom-Capital-image-supplied-682x1024.jpg 682w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Maurizio-Caio-Founder-and-Managing-Partner-at-TLcom-Capital-image-supplied-200x300.jpg 200w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Maurizio-Caio-Founder-and-Managing-Partner-at-TLcom-Capital-image-supplied-768x1153.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Maurizio-Caio-Founder-and-Managing-Partner-at-TLcom-Capital-image-supplied-1023x1536.jpg 1023w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Maurizio-Caio-Founder-and-Managing-Partner-at-TLcom-Capital-image-supplied.jpg 1066w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 682px) 100vw, 682px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Maurizio Caio, Founder and Managing Partner at TLcom Capital; (image supplied)</figcaption></figure></div>


With participation from LPs like European Investment Bank (EIB), Allianz, DEG Impact’s AfricaGrow, Visa Foundation, and Bertelsmann, the TIDE Africa Fund II marks TLcom Capital, known as Africa’s largest Seed and Series A tech investor.



The fund will reportedly maintain its early-stage, multi-sector focus and expand into Egypt, making initial investments of $1 million to $3 million.



&#8220;Egypt is a very attractive large market in Africa capable of generating unicorns in the years ahead,&#8221; notes Maurizio Caio, Founder and Managing Partner at TLcom Capital, to FORBES AFRICA.



&#8220;Our investment strategy is the same in Egypt as anywhere else – partnering with entrepreneurs who create massive value by leveraging technology to serve significant African markets,&#8221; affirms Caio.



TLcom’s early-stage portfolio includes uLesson, Autochek, Pula, Fairmoney, and Andela, one of Africa’s six unicorn companies.



&#8220;We partner with founders who tackle massive opportunities with winning strategies,&#8221; says Caio.



&#8220;Ideally, each of our investments should classify as a fund returner, meaning they hold the potential to return the value of our entire fund from the proceeds of their exit.&#8221;

Casual businessman working late on a laptop computer

‘Massive Opportunities With Winning Strategies’: Venture Capital Firm Closes Africa’s Largest Early-Stage VC Fund At $154 Million

An in-depth look at investment in some of the continent’s most promising entertainment industries reveals areas of growth, challenges and what the future might hold.



Africa’s heartbeat is in rhythm with the passion, culture and creativity of its people. On a continent of 1.4 billion people according to estimates by the United Nations (UN), there are effectively 1.4 billion stories to tell, each one unique and brimming with potential.



The question is: what is the narrative, and who is telling the story? 



Africa’s prospects in creative industries like art, fashion, film and television, crafts and architecture, among others, are well-documented. An oft-quoted fact comes from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) 2021 report African Film: A Booming Industry. It illustrates the potential in the film and audio-visual industries, which could result in generated revenue of $20 billion per year.



Speaking on the outlook for entertainment and media in Africa over the next few years, Charles Stuart, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) South Africa’s Entertainment and Media Partner, says to FORBES AFRICA:



“We look at consumer spend in terms of what’s covered from a cinema perspective. [It] is growing; it’s just taking longer to recover to where it initially was. Is cinema dead? No, we are not seeing that.”



But where is investment for this forecasted to come from? With the growth of video-on-demand (VOD) and over-the-top (OTT) services, and a burgeoning appetite for authentically African media and content, venture capital (VC) is poised to be at the forefront of development on the continent, for film and television in particular.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-center" id="h-show-me-the-money-jerry-maguire-1996">“Show Me The Money” (Jerry Maguire, 1996)</h4>



The African Private Capital Association (AVCA) indicates that 58 private capital investments, with a total reported value of $346 million, were recorded in Africa’s creative industries over the last decade (2012-2022).



“Starting from a low base of only four investments in 2012, private capital investments in Africa’s creative industries more than tripled, reaching a total of 13 in 2022,” says AVCA.



Notably, VC investments attracted the largest share of these. They accounted for about 67% of the total number over the 2012-2022 period, followed by private equity investments at 33%.



<div class="wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile" style="grid-template-columns:36% auto"><figure class="wp-block-media-text__media"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="429" height="522" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/venture-capital-1.png" alt="" class="wp-image-59059 size-full" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/venture-capital-1.png 429w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/venture-capital-1-247x300.png 247w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 429px) 100vw, 429px" /></figure><div class="wp-block-media-text__content">
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
“WE LOOK AT CONSUMER SPEND IN TERMS OF WHAT’S COVERED FROM A CINEMA PERSPECTIVE. [IT] IS GROWING…
<cite>Charles Stuart, Entertainment and Media Partner, PwC South Africa</cite></blockquote>
</div></div>



“These investments spanned various sectors, including the development of online gaming platforms, music and video streaming developers, operators of music websites, live broadcasting, film streaming platforms, providers of advertising and marketing services, and clothing designers, among others,” says AVCA.



Jeff Schlapinski, Managing Director, Research, at non-profit, independent membership organization, Global Private Capital Association (GPCA), echoes these sentiments. 



“Africa’s VC investments in media and entertainment companies reached $31.2 million across six rounds in 2022, a new record in terms of deal value.”



However, Schlapinski notes that investments into this sector have, historically, represented a very small percentage of investment activity in Africa’s venture ecosystem (~1% of the $2.75 billion invested in VC in Africa in 2022, according to GPCA).



“The significant growth of the venture capital asset class in recent years, along with the increased allocation of capital towards technology or technology-enabled businesses, has contributed to the growth of investments in this sector as well,” says AVCA.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-center">Economies In The Spotlight</h4>



According to AVCA, the increase in the number of investments in Africa’s creative industries strongly indicates investors’ increasing interest and recognition of the sector’s potential. A handful of countries attracted the biggest chunk of that investment over the 10-year period (2012-2022).



“In terms of their geographic distribution, South Africa has attracted the largest share of private capital investments in Africa’s creative industries at 24%.” Following South Africa is Egypt, accounting for 14% of these investments. The country has also emerged as a significant technology hub on the continent in recent years.



“Nigeria and Kenya, two of Africa’s largest private capital markets, have each accounted for 10% of these investments,” says AVCA. Speaking on 2022, in particular, Schlapinski notes that the markets that led VC investments in media and entertainment – in terms of deal value – were South Africa with $22.5 million, Nigeria with $5.7 million and Egypt at $2 million.



They represent three of the four most active countries for overall VC investment with Kenya rounding off the top four.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-center">The Redefinition Of Main ‘Stream’</h4>



Regarding three of sub-Saharan Africa’s emerging economies, namely South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya, streaming service, Netflix, released its Socio-Economic Impact Report earlier this year, where it reveals its impact since entering the market.



Over the 2016–2022 period, it invested $175 million in content and in the overall creative environment in these countries specifically.



South Africa received the bulk of this investment, accounting for at least $125 million. In addition to that, over the same period, it invested in upwards of 425 licensed titles in these economies, further opening up the market to a host of proudly African films and television series.



Expanding on PwC’s outlook for Africa, Stuart says that success for OTTs necessitates an understanding of the type of content you put out there.



“You can have a wonderful distribution platform [but] if you’ve got nothing good to show – which is part of cinemas’ challenges over the last while; some of those big titles and also the lack of big titles has worn out in terms of what we’re seeing.”



He emphasizes the fact that content is always going to be king.



“Coming back to Africa, the culture and the richness and the heritage that we have, if you drive around, you’ve got Shaka [iLembe], there’s Rosemary’s Hitlist (both documentary series) advertised on billboards. You’re seeing the importance of local content to the success of your streaming platforms. Initially, when a Netflix entered Africa, it didn’t do really well. All it was doing is, ‘here’s the international content’. People were familiar with it but we like our African stories as well,” says Stuart.



With streaming platforms, the cost base is mostly fixed, so, in reality, he says that it’s the subscriber base that drives the growth.



“How do you really translate things into profit? It’s getting more people to subscribe to your service. What they were lacking a lot in the early days was this local content – that really resonated with it. What many of the streamers have learned is that it is about finding that balance between your international content, supplemented with your local content. When you look at a lot of the communication coming out of Apple, Netflix, Amazon, there’s continued communication around the fact that they are investing in local content.”



Stuart adds, “There’s still opportunity for your local players but it’s not an easy industry. For every bit of content that ends up on Netflix, there’s probably 10 pieces of content that doesn’t end up on Netflix.”



<h4 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-center">A Continent Up For The Challenge</h4>



The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) recently took an in-depth look at the continent’s Culture and Creative Industries (CCIs) in its African Trade Report 2022: Leveraging the Power of Culture and Creative Industries for Accelerated Structural Transformation in the AfCFTA Era.



It noted that some of the obstacles hindering the growth of CCIs include policy frameworks, finance, infrastructure, intellectual property rights, standards and norms in the area of cross-border trade, accurate data, language barriers, colonial legacy and an extroverted model.



Furthermore, it states that “a positive outcome of the pandemic has been the necessitated shift to digital solutions and online streaming, which has helped boost the performance and resilience of creative industries underpinned by digital models and platforms”.



While Africa does have its fair share of challenges, PwC’s Africa outlook for 2023-2027, which is expected to be released in September, sheds light on infrastructure investments, particularly in the telco space, which has a fundamental impact on streaming platforms, data consumption, and the growth of mobile gaming on the continent.



<div class="wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile" style="grid-template-columns:39% auto"><figure class="wp-block-media-text__media"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="333" height="420" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/venture-capital-2.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-59060 size-full" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/venture-capital-2.jpg 333w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/venture-capital-2-238x300.jpg 238w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 333px) 100vw, 333px" /></figure><div class="wp-block-media-text__content">
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
“AFRICA’S VC INVESTMENTS IN MEDIA AND ENTERTAINMENT COMPANIES REACHED $31.2 MILLION ACROSS SIX ROUNDS IN 2022, A NEW RECORD IN TERMS OF DEAL VALUE.”
<cite>—Jeff Schlapinski, Managing Director, Research, GPCA</cite></blockquote>
</div></div>



“For the first time, in this year’s entertainment and media outlook, there’s a telco outlook that has gone with it. One of the aspects that has been covered as part of that telco outlook this year is telco capex spend – how much are the telcos actually looking to spend from a capex perspective in the various markets,” says Stuart.



A glance at the numbers in the assurance, tax and advisory services provider’s Perspectives from the Global Entertainment &amp; Media Outlook 2023–2027: Resetting expectations, refocusing inward and recharging growth for the three aforementioned sub-Saharan African regions seems to indicate an appetite for investment. This includes the convergence of the creative and technology industries.



“When we look at capex spend – and there is some further breakdown in terms of broadband, mobile broadband – in Kenya in 2022, there was $470 million worth of spend in the capex space and that’s going to grow each year at around 2.2%. By 2027, telcos are forecast to be spending around $520 million on their capex infrastructure in Kenya. The vast majority of that – about 85% – is going to be in the mobile space. That probably comes as no surprise given the strong mobile- first characteristics that the market has.”



Stuart adds: “Nigeria is going to be spending more than three times that, so almost $2 billion by 2027. There is a lot of investment in Nigeria. You’ve got your big players – Glo, MTN – they’ve been spending in terms of upgrading the network. They’re already sitting at about



$1.8 billion and it’s going to be a bit above and below that over the forecast period; fairly consistent with that level. Again, the vast majority of that is sitting in the mobile space. South Africa is spending $1.6 billion and that’s actually going to drop a little bit over the forecast period. It makes sense in a way because a lot of the 5G stuff is already in progress. There’s a lot of spend happening at the moment but over time, that does mean it will slow down.”



Data consumption is expected to continue its increase, leaving telcos with solutions to find from an economic and infrastructure perspective. “The challenge that telcos and, particularly, the content providers have is the monetization of that because [it’s] very expensive to upgrade this. There’s obviously downward pressure on data prices but money needed to be spent to upgrade the infrastructure to cater for the increasingly data-heavy world that we live in.



About 80% of data consumption is sitting in the video space, and there are various other categories around communications, music etc. Does it mean that people are watching more than listening to music? Not necessarily. Video [is] just much more heavy from a data usage perspective,” says Stuart.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-center">African, Tech Savvy &amp; Proud</h4>



Another notable point in the report is the impact of the continent’s youth on the growth of the mobile gaming sector.



“The fastest growing segment of video games we’re seeing is in what we call casual and social gaming. That’s your Candy Crush, it’s mobile games that people either play on a free-to-play model or ‘freemium’ where it’s free to start but then you might start paying for things down the line. A lot of that is also funded potentially through advertising that appears in those games so that’s where a lot of that growth is coming from,” says Stuart.



These developments have also opened up an emerging avenue in the cinema space and he adds that this could create opportunities in emerging economies that are primarily tech and mobile-focused.



“Video games are seen as one of the access points to the youth. [They] engage in it and we’re seeing things expanding. During Covid, the Fortnite platform, which people access from a video games’ perspective was used to host music concerts – Travis [Scott], I think, was who appeared on the Fortnite platform and had thousands and thousands of people watching his show, whereas you previously wouldn’t have seen it. There’s a bit of multi- functionality within the video games space.



“What we are seeing in the cinema space is interesting. We’ve always had, traditionally, other sorts of areas like Lego, and then you’ve got Lego: The Movie. We are now starting to see video games that have movie titles and movie franchises attached to them. Why? Because you’ve got this audience that’s already engaged with your content in the video games space and how do you try and stay engaged with them but in a different media format? It could be a series on OTT or it could be an actual big screen film. Maybe that’s some sort of element of opportunity within Kenya and Nigeria – as video games continues to grow, that could help to spur some growth as that content is repackaged into the cinema space,” Stuart concludes.

singer on stage with crowd reaching for him

Where Does Venture Capital Feature In Africa’s Entertainment Sector?

AFRICAN STARTUPS ARE RAISING UNPRECEDENTED AMOUNTS AT RECORD SPEED. FOR NOW, THE CONTINENT IS THE ONLY REGION IN THE WORLD SEEING A RISE IN VENTURE CAPITAL FLOWS. PERSPECTIVES FROM WEST AFRICA.



AS FUNDING FOR STARTUPS FALLS ACROSS the globe, Africa it seems is undergoing a renaissance in this regard.



“We are seeing a time where funding for African startups rose to a massive $3.14 billion in the first six months of this year alone,” says Eric Idiahi, Co-Founder and Partner at Verod Capital, a leading West African private equity investor. “That is unprecedented and it really shows the interest in the continent!”



African entrepreneurs are raising money to solve pertinent socio-economic problems on the continent ranging from financial inclusion, providing access to healthcare for the underserved and vulnerable, and bridging the education gap.


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“Africa investment firms and angel networks have started putting money into African companies,” says Dr Akintoye Akindele, yet another West African entrepreneur, who is the Founder of investment vehicle Platform Capital in Nigeria.



“It took African entrepreneurs almost 10 months to raise $1 billion in 2019. It took the same group eight months to raise $1 billion in 2020. It took them four months to raise $1 billion in 2021 and it has taken them less than six weeks to raise $1 billion in 2022. That means capital is coming in faster into deals and last year for the first time in our history, African investors invested more than European investors. This is a major milestone.”



Akindele is himself focused on inviting investors “to see Africa the right way”.



“This is because we know the narrative that exists about Africa and the negative questions we get asked.”



The thesis of Platform Capital is that it deploys long-term capital to startups whose center of gravity is Africa.



“Africans need long-term, nurturing and patient capital. Four to five years is too short in Nigeria for a business to turn capital around and grow and deliver profit to capital providers. I believe from my experience that five to six years does not create enough alignment,” says Akindele.



Based on their extensive research and experience investing in over 100 portfolio companies with a valuation north of $1.5 billion, Platform Capital invests in businesses that will become top in their sectors in 15 years. Akindele also believes his investments should be sector-agnostic.



“I believe in Africa, we should not be choosing what we cannot invest in&#8230; whether it’s energy, telecom, agriculture, infrastructure or value-added services like gaming, I believe consumers need their basic needs met and then on the back of that we can evolve.”



Akindele’s primary focus is those sectors fundamental to the development of Africa.



“We invest in key areas that Africa needs to catch up on&#8230;so things like technology infrastructure, agriculture or food value chains. They form our anchor sectors and that represents about 60% of our portfolio. Then, when you have people who have electricity, food and water, they then go into the next sector like finance as well as education or healthcare&#8230;Then our final sector is robotics, artificial intelligence, such as one of our companies that do smell cyborgs,” says Akindele.



The company he is referring to is Koniku, a synthetic biotech company that creates ‘smell cyborgs’ that can detect a range of compounds in the air in real-time, and which recently partnered with Airbus to launch biotech solutions for aviation.



The company has so far reportedly raised $49.2 million in four rounds and is part of a long line of African startups bucking the trend of venture capital (VC) investment worldwide.



According to Yaa Agyare-Dwomoh, a consultant with growth strategy consulting and research firm Frost &amp; Sullivan, African VCs reached $1.8 billion, up 150% compared to $730 million in the same period in 2021 and was subsequently, also the only region in the world to record three-digit growth in the first quarter of 2022.



As the biggest catch-up market, Africa’s advantage lies in its need for innovative solutions to leapfrog years of underdevelopment. For some pioneers like Oshiorenoya Agabi, the Nigerian-born scientist based in Silicon Valley and Founder and CEO of Koniku, that need for innovation has brought the continent to the age of biotech solutions.



The company, which was founded in 2017, is using technology to combine traditional computer cells with living biological neurons.



“We are creating a device capable of thinking in the biological sense like a human by creating neurons that are sensitive to particles and are able detect smell. By this method, the solution can be used for particle detection for aviation, military or agricultural application,”says Agabi.



Apart from biotech, the figures show that it is fintech that attracted the largest funding by sector by far, mostly spurred by the need to extend banking and financial services to millions of unbanked and underbanked Africans across the continent. “Fintech is now the most popular sector for investments in Africa. In 2021, fintech funding broke the $1 billion funding barrier and continued to receive the largest amount of funding on the continent, representing 54% of all venture funding deals. In 2022, the fintech sector was responsible for the biggest deals securing two-thirds of the total funding for Africa’s technology firms,” says Dwomoh.



And this trend looks set to continue.



“Despite the global trend of tech companies struggling to raise money, African VCs are still raising money at record speed,” adds Akindele.



An unexpected side effect of the coronavirus pandemic has been the need for inclusive development in areas that fundamentally impacts society. This new trend known as impact investment has also consequently been on the rise in the African VC space.



Impact investing is based on the notion that when money is managed effectively, it has the added benefit of positively impacting the lives of people as well as creating a return on investment.



Africa is home to the youngest population in the world, with a median age of less than 20 years, and 70% of the population under the age of 30. According to the Global Impact Investing Network 2020 survey, almost half of global impact investment capital goes to the African continent.



Raised to appreciate poverty and wealth at the same time, Akindele is also a firm advocate of his investments positively making an impact on his portfolio companies. Platform Capital writes cheques anywhere from $10,000 to $10 million with most of the companies in the portfolio growing by 500% in terms of money raised, according to Akindele. As an African advocate, each investment the firm makes has to have an impact that



is transformational to the continent and its people and most importantly, makes a profit.



The new influx of money into Africa is just an attestation of everything entrepreneurs like him have consistently been working towards.

Tag: venture capital

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