Africafocused

In the midst of a funding downtime last year, and with conditions getting tougher for fund managers raising capital as backers (limited partners) enhanced their focus on strategy and track record, some new African and Africa-focused funds still emerged, with several of the existing ones receiving fresh backing. Among the notable VC funds that came up last year include the $300 million Partech Africa II, the largest Africa-focused fund to date, and Africa People + Planet fund by Novastar Ventures, an over $200 million…

Access to funding and lack of support systems are some of the greatest challenges faced by startup founders in sub-Saharan Africa. And while venture capital and founder support programs within the continent are growing, a lot still remains to be done to meet the financing, technology and social capital needs of the especially marginalized groups like women founders. It is these gaps that continue to inspire the development of new programs like Madica by US-based venture capital firm Flourish…