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Welcome to another edition of 🔍 Startup Researcher - Africa, your essential digest delivering the latest news and premium insights on startups and venture capital across the region 🌍
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📰 Important News
- A wave of founding CEO exits is reshaping Africa’s startup scene, with Yoco’s Katlego Maphai, Wasoko’s Daniel Yu, and mPharma’s Gregory Rockson stepping aside as new leaders take charge.
- Six African startups won a total of $400,000 in the 2025 FINCA Ventures Prize to scale impact in climate-smart agriculture and financial inclusion.
- A wave of regulatory wins is reshaping African fintech, with PeyaPay licensed as Côte d’Ivoire’s fourth e-money issuer, Propartners gaining dual SEC approval in Ghana for crowdfunding, and Anchor securing IMTO and MSB registrations in Nigeria and Canada to power cross-border services.
- Four African innovators, including Kenya’s BuuPass, have joined Morgan Stanley’s 2025 MSISV cohort to scale transport, energy, and healthcare.
- ENAKL has been selected to lead a smart mobility pilot in Casablanca-Settat to deploy digital shared transport solutions for underserved areas.
💸 Top Funding Rounds
- Kredete raised a $22 million Series A round led by AfricInvest to expand stablecoin-backed credit tools, cross-border payments, and API infrastructure.
- Contactable secured $13.5 million in funding to scale its digital identity platform, enabling verification, fraud prevention, and financial inclusion.
- DONE closed a $2.1 million Seed round fully backed by Moroccan investors to build Morocco’s first super-app expanding beyond delivery.
- MazaoHub raised $2 million in a Pre-seed round led by Catalyst Fund to scale its hybrid “Tech & Touch” model.
- Mohamed Nagaty joined Tactful AI as an investor and advisor, to boost its regional and global expansion with AI-powered customer experience solutions.
💰️ Notable Exits
- Duaya acquired EXMGO and rebranded the merged product as Duaya Go to digitize pharmacy operations in Egypt.
- Rekindle Learning acquired EpiTek to build Rekindle EpiTek, a fully QCTO-compliant corporate training platform in South Africa.
- Street Wallet acquired Digitip to enter KwaZulu-Natal and tailor fintech services for informal traders in South Africa.
🏦 About Investors
- Circle Ventures has backed CV VC’s $20 million African Blockchain Fund to invest in 100 early-stage startups.
- ANAVA committed $4 million to Rasmal Innovation Fund I in a bid to channel global VC capital into Tunisia’s startup ecosystem.
- Visa Foundation granted $2 million to the AGF to scale the AFAWA program supporting women-led SMEs across more than 27 African countries.
- Kenyan venture studio Pyramidia Ventures raised $1.5 million from Triple Jump to build climate-resilient agrifood startups across Africa.
- 4DX Ventures has expanded its third fund by $6.1 million, bringing total commitments to over $55 million with a goal of $80 million.
📋️ Curated Lists
Morocco’s HRTech sector in 2025 is undergoing rapid change as startups digitize hiring, payroll, training, and benefits to meet the needs of a younger, distributed workforce. Companies such as Geteam, Invirtus, Jobzyn, Kwiks, Menbita, PayLik, and Palm.ai are building AI-driven recruitment tools, diaspora talent pipelines, on-demand pay platforms, and integrated people analytics, supported by investors like Janngo Capital, Azur Innovation Management, UM6P Ventures, and CDG Invest. Dive into the full article to explore how these teams are shaping Morocco’s HR future and what signals employers and founders should watch.
🚀Startup of the Week
Introducing our Startup of the Week 🏆
YoLa Fresh
YoLa Fresh, founded in Casablanca in 2023 by Larbi Alaoui Belghiti and Youssef Mamou, has quickly grown from a bold idea into one of Morocco’s most promising agritech ventures. Originally set up to link smallholder farmers directly with retailers, the company now operates a data-driven farm-to-retail platform powered by AI forecasting, RFID-enabled logistics, and next-morning delivery. Backed by $9 million from investors, including Al Mada Ventures, Algebra Ventures, and FMO, the startup recently partnered with Freterium to enhance its logistics. With Belghiti and Mamou as Co-CEOs, YoLa Fresh is redefining fresh produce supply chains, aiming to build a fairer, tech-enabled food system across Africa.
💼 Investor of the Week
Introducing our Investor of the Week 🏆
EmergingTech Ventures
Founded in Casablanca in 2018, EmergingTech Ventures as grown into a leading early-stage venture capital firm across Morocco, Tunisia, and Francophone Africa, with roots in SEAF’s Morocco activities. Specializing in seed to Series A rounds, the firm writes tickets from $500,000 to $3 million, combining capital with hands-on operational support, and today manages over $70 million in assets with a second $60 million fund underway. Its portfolio spans healthtech, fintech, agritech, biotech, and digital services, featuring companies like Spore Bio, SOWIT, Mazma, and Unissey, with one exit already achieved. Led by Managing Partner Meriem Zairi Tlemçani alongside partners Sidi Mohamed Zakraoui and Abdelouahid Benlamlih, the lean team leverages deep sector expertise and cross-border reach to back visionary founders building scalable, tech-enabled models. Positioned as one of Francophone Africa’s most disciplined VCs, Emtech aims to shape a new generation of startups with both regional impact and global relevance.
🤑Opportunity Radar
Call for Applications: Y Combinator Winter 2026 Batch
Y Combinator is now accepting applications for its Winter 2026 Batch, which runs from January to March in San Francisco. The deadline to apply on time is November 10 at 8pm PT, with decisions for early applicants shared by December 10. Selected founders gain access to funding upon acceptance, weekly mentorship with YC partners, and networking with one of the world’s strongest startup communities, alongside exposure to top investors. This program is designed for early-stage founders aiming to scale globally—apply now to secure your place.
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