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Welcome to another edition of 🔍 Startup Researcher - Asia, your essential digest delivering the latest news and premium insights on startups and venture capital across the region 🌏️
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📰 Important News
- Mistral AI and Morocco have forged a strategic AI partnership, establishing an R&D lab in Rabat to develop sovereign AI capabilities and models.
- Nigeria's SEC has significantly raised minimum capital requirements for all capital market operators, including fintechs and crypto firms.
- NALA and Noah launched a stablecoin network to speed dollar flows into emerging markets, cutting cross-border costs, delays, and liquidity gaps.
- Spacecoin expanded its decentralized satellite network to Africa and Asia through strategic partnerships and pilot programs.
- Flend and Khazenly partnered to offer digital financing up to $170,000 for e-commerce SMEs in Egypt.
💸 Top Funding Rounds
- Terra Industries secured $11.75 million in funding led by 8VC to deploy autonomous defense systems protecting critical infrastructure across Africa.
- ReparTrust raised $750,000 in pre-seed funding to digitize post-accident auto repairs in emerging markets.
- Paycrest, a Nigerian-rooted fintech, landed $404,000 in pre-seed funding from Hashed Emergent, StarkWare, and Microtraction.
- Mamy Eyewear secured an investment from Japan’s IVS to expand affordable vision care across East Africa using AI-powered eye tests.
💰️ IPO and M&A Watch
- Stripe-owned Paystack acquired Ladder Microfinance Bank to launch Paystack MFB, offering lending and deposit services to Nigerian businesses and leveraging transactional data for credit assessment.
🏦 About Investors
- Alta Semper Capital raised $57.5 million from the EIB Group and IFC for its Growth Fund II, targeting $150 million to invest in healthcare.
- Inside Capital Partners secured $55 million in its first close for Inside Equity Fund II, later reaching $72.2 million to invest in SMEs across Southeastern Africa.
- DEG invested $35 million in the Africa Go Green Fund, managed by Cygnum Capital, to boost energy-efficient and climate-friendly solutions.
- Impact Fund Denmark committed $15 million to the Verdant Capital Hybrid Fund, boosting financial access for African MSMEs.
📋️ Curated Lists
In 2026, Morocco’s startup ecosystem enters a mature phase, scaling fintech, healthtech, logistics, and consumer platforms into a regional innovation hub. Chari expands B2B commerce with licensed embedded finance, DeepEcho delivers FDA-cleared AI prenatal diagnostics, Freterium optimizes global logistics, ORA Technologies builds a super-app with Kooul and ORA Cash, Inyad exports merchant software across MENA, and PayLik scales on-demand pay backed by institutional capital. Dive intothefull article to understand where opportunity concentrates and how to engage.
🚀 Startup of the Week
Introducing our Startup of the Week 🏆
Terra Industries
Terra Industries, founded in 2024 in Abuja, by Nathan Nwachuku and Maxwell Maduka, is emerging as a leading African defense technology company focused on securing critical infrastructure. The startup builds autonomous drones, sentry towers, ground vehicles, and maritime systems unified under its ArtemisOS platform to protect assets across land, air, and sea. Terra recently raised $11.75 million led by 8VC, with backing from Valor Equity Partners, Lux Capital, and SV Angel, and added Alex Moore to its board. After operating in stealth, the company is expanding deployments across Africa and moving into border security and counterterrorism, aiming to deliver locally built, sovereign defense technology at scale.
💼 Investor of the Week
Introducing our Investor of the Week 🏆
Alta Semper Capital
Alta Semper Capital, founded in 2015 and based in London, is a mission-driven private equity firm focused on scaling healthcare and consumer businesses across emerging markets. The firm invests growth capital with an emphasis on primary care, diagnostics, medical devices, digital health, and consumer wellness, positioning itself at the intersection of impact and returns. In 2026, Alta Semper secured $57.5 million for Growth Fund II, backed by the EIB Group and IFC, and has already invested in MYDAWA and Allmed Group. Led by Afsane Jetha, Managing Partner and CEO, the firm differentiates through deep sector expertise and strong institutional partnerships, aiming to build resilient health ecosystems while delivering sustainable financial performance.
🤑 Opportunities Expiring Soon
Kernel Camp 2025
- 📢 Organizer: Propeller
- 🗂️ Category: Training & Learning
- 🪜 Target Stages: Pre-seed
- 🏭 Focus Sectors: Sector Agnostic
- 📅 Application Deadline: January 19, 2026
E3 Accelerator – Riyadh Cycle
- 📢 Organizer: E3.Ventures
- 🗂️ Category: Funding, Accelerator
- 🪜 Target Stages: Pre-Seed, Seed
- 🏭 Focus Sectors: AI & Data, Finance & Insurance
- 📅 Application Deadline: January 20, 2026
Spring 2026 Cooperative Business Incubator
- 📢 Organizer: Start.coop
- 🗂️ Category: Incubator
- 🪜 Target Stages: Ideation, Pre-Seed
- 🏭 Focus Sectors: Sector Agnostic
- 📅 Application Deadline: January 21, 2026
Ghana Social Entrepreneurs in Healthcare Program
- 📢 Organizer: Bridge for Billions
- 🗂️ Category: Training & Learning, Incubator
- 🪜 Target Stages: Pre-Seed
- 🏭 Focus Sectors: Health & Life Sciences
- 📅 Application Deadline: January 23, 2026
Bioindustries Funding Call 2026
- 📢 Organizer: The Innovation Hub Management Company (TIHMC)
- 🗂️ Category: Funding, Incubator
- 🪜 Target Stages: Pre-Seed, Seed
- 🏭 Focus Sectors: Agriculture & Food, Energy & Environment, Health & Life Sciences, DeepTech
- 📅 Application Deadline: January 23, 2026
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