Partech Africa is a Senegal-based venture capital fund launched in 2017 to back tech-enabled companies across the continent. The fund operates actively today, deploying capital and support to founders building scalable solutions in large African markets. Its Africa strategy sits within Partech’s global platform and is delivered by a lean team of two to ten specialists.
Fund Overview
Partech Africa positions itself as sector agnostic within technology, investing from seed through Series C. Initial checks typically range from the equivalent of one million to fifteen million dollars, with flexibility to lead or co-lead rounds alongside regional and global investors. The mandate spans pan-African geographies, reflecting a thesis that category leaders can emerge from multiple hubs.
Investment Strategy and Criteria
The fund targets entrepreneurs who combine technology and operational excellence to address large, defensible opportunities. It concentrates on models in financial services, commerce, mobility, health, and digital infrastructure, without excluding adjacent categories that show strong fundamentals. Beyond capital, the team provides financial, strategic, and operational support and leverages Partech’s broader global networks.
Portfolio and Performance
Partech Africa’s portfolio includes Wave, Nawy, Yoco, Nomba, Reliance Health, and Freterium, among others, totaling roughly twenty to twenty-five active companies. The platform has recorded one notable exit with Sendwave, while Wave stands out as a confirmed unicorn in mobile money. Most holdings remain private and growth-stage, consistent with the fund’s multi-year value creation horizon.
Recent Developments
In February 2024, Partech Africa II reached a final close at €280 million, surpassing the equivalent of $300 million and becoming the largest VC fund dedicated to African tech. In January 2025, the team published its annual Africa Tech Venture Capital Report, reinforcing its role as both investor and ecosystem analyst. More recently, Partech joined AfricInvest and Polymorphic Capital in a $22 million Series A for Kredete, expanding exposure to credit infrastructure and cross-border payments for the African diaspora.
Team and Access
General Partners Tidjane Dème and Cyril Collon co-lead the Africa strategy, combining operating experience across the continent with decades of company-building and ecosystem work. Their backgrounds span entrepreneurship, major technology platforms, and telecom infrastructure, which informs a hands-on approach with founders. The Africa web hub details the focus areas and provides a direct contact for engagements.
What Founders Can Expect
Founders can expect a lead or co-lead investor capable of anchoring rounds, mobilizing top-tier syndicates, and supporting subsequent financings. Partech Africa’s annual ecosystem reporting offers data-driven context that can help portfolio companies benchmark performance and refine strategy. The team emphasizes on-the-ground presence and post-investment partnership to accelerate product, go-to-market, and governance.
Partech Africa has evolved into a leading institution in African venture, pairing substantial dry powder with a multi-stage, sector-agnostic lens. With a larger second fund, a growing portfolio that includes a unicorn, and fresh activity in digital finance infrastructure, the platform is positioned to back the next wave of category leaders. Its combination of capital, operational depth, and ecosystem intelligence gives founders a clear partner for scaling across Africa.