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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
- Revolut is expanding into South Africa and in discussions with Morocco’s central bank on entry rules as part of its $13 billion global growth plan.
- RecoMed, Remedial Health, and Reliance Health were named among TIME & Statista’s Top HealthTech Firms 2025, highlighting Africa’s global impact.
- Ilara Health cut jobs after delayed funding, refocusing on core services to sustain Kenyan clinics and patient care.
- The Bank of Ghana issued a directive for digital credit providers effective November 2025 to expand access, licensing, oversight, and protection.
- Kenya’s Bonto shut down eight months after a CBK license as FX margins, low fees, and compliance costs made remittance survival unsustainable.
💸 Top Funding Rounds
- ARC Ride raised $10 million from Mirova to scale e-motorcycle battery swapping in Kenya, providing clean, affordable transport for low-income riders.
- Bekya Pay won Egypt’s Youth Summit Pitch Competition, securing $20,687 to scale its waste-to-value platform for sustainability and inclusion.
- Vambo AI, PropelMapper, Radease, TeenApp, and Easy Read Africa won $20,000 Llama Impact Grants from Meta and Data Science Africa.
- Aqua Development raised funding from Rasmal Ventures to expand its AI-driven, chemical-free shrimp farming across the GCC for food security.
- Vanhu Vamwe and The Rad Black Kids got funding via Afreximbank’s CANEX, backed by Silverbacks Holdings and ImpactHER.
🏦 About Investors
- Acumen raised $246.5 million for its Hardest-to-Reach Initiative and launched Angels Climate Tech Africa to expand clean energy and scale African climate tech.
- PayPal launched a $100 million fund via PayPal Ventures to back fintech startups in Africa and the Middle East.
- Nedbank committed $28 million to Airnergize Capital Fund I, boosting Africa’s cleantech investments and infrastructure projects.
- Avanz Capital Egypt joined Algebra Ventures Fund II as a Limited Partner via a secondary LP deal, strengthening Egypt’s tech ecosystem.
- Orange Corners Innovation Fund launched in Tunisia, offering seed funding, training, and mentorship to early-stage MENA startups.
📋️ Curated Lists
Morocco’s EdTech sector is rapidly evolving in 2025, with startups driving digital transformation in learning and school management. Key players include Bewize, which gamifies primary school learning, Education Media Company, offering educational websites with over 10 million visitors, Kezakoo, Morocco’s largest e-learning platform, KoolSkools, providing all-in-one school management tools, and Smartprof, connecting students with university and business graduates for personalized tutoring, each backed by notable funding rounds supporting regional expansion and innovation. Dive into the full article to explore how these startups are reshaping education, improving accessibility, and creating new opportunities for students and schools across Morocco.
🚀Startup of the Week
Introducing our Startup of the Week 🏆
Chowdeck
Founded in 2021 in Lagos, Nigeria, Chowdeck has quickly evolved from a local on-demand food delivery service into a full-stack foodtech powerhouse. Co-founded by Femi Aluko (CEO), Olumide Ojo (CTO), and Lanre Yusuf (COO), the startup now spans multiple Nigerian cities and recently launched in Ghana, hitting 1,000 daily orders in Accra within three months. Chowdeck combines consumer convenience with enterprise-grade tools for restaurants, including inventory, payments, and kitchen operations, amplified by its recent acquisition of Mira. Backed by investors including Y Combinator, Goodwater Capital, and Novastar Ventures, Chowdeck leverages tech-driven logistics and deep vendor integration to streamline Africa’s food ecosystem, empowering restaurants and shaping the continent’s delivery landscape.
💼 Investor of the Week
Introducing our Investor of the Week 🏆
Outlierz Ventures
Since its 2017 launch inCasablanca, Morocco, Outlierz Ventures has emerged as a leading seed-stage VC focused on digitizing Africa’s core industries. The firm deploys checks from $50,000 to $1 million across Pre-Seed, Seed,and Pre-Series A rounds, targeting startups in logistics, fintech, agritech, healthtech, and insurtech, with a presence spanning Morocco, Egypt, Nigeria, Kenya, and diaspora founders globally. Led by founder and Managing Partner Kenza Lahlou, alongside investment manager Diego Arias Garcia, Outlierz has built a 16-company portfolio that includes PayTic, Socium, and Freterium, blending capital with hands-on support and cross-regional connectivity. By bridging North and Sub-Saharan Africa and backing foundational tech, the firm is shaping Africa’s next generation of category-defining ventures.
🤑Opportunity Radar
Call for Applications: Advance 2026
Advance 2026 is now open for applications, offering a global program for innovators in Accessibility, Assistive, and Inclusive Technologies, with a cohort starting January 2026. Participants gain mentorship, business growth support, networking, and access to UK innovation ecosystems while scaling customer-validated products internationally. Early-stage founders and entrepreneurs with operational prototypes can apply before 1 October 2025 at 12pm BST to join seven months of training, mentoring, and a UK residential program. Apply now to accelerate your innovation, strengthen your team, and expand your global impact.
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