Stay ahead of Africa’s dynamic startup and venture capital landscape with this week’s Startup Researcher Africa podcast — your essential roundup of the continent’s biggest innovation and investment moves.
Key Moments:
00:22 Important News
01:18 Top Funding Rounds
02:02 Notable Exits
02:21 About Investors
02:35 Startup of the Week
03:14 Investor of the Week
03:42 Opportunity Radar
In policy shifts, Kenya is set to regulate all non-deposit lenders, enforcing Central Bank licensing for greater fairness and consumer protection. Cameroon’s fintech scene heats up as Wave enters the mobile money market with a Commercial Bank of Cameroon licence, challenging MTN and Orange with low fees and $136M in funding. OpenWay is pushing deeper into Francophone Africa via a Moroccan banking partnership, while Shiga Digital launches Tether-backed stablecoin solutions for cross-border inclusion. Plus, Visa welcomes 22 African startups into its fintech accelerator for 12 weeks of funding and partnership opportunities. On the funding front, Flood secures $2.5M to scale its no-code SuperApp-as-a-Service across emerging markets. Egypt’s Suplyd raises $2M to transform HORECA procurement, TurnStay closes $2M to cut cross-border tourism costs with stablecoins, and Wuilt lands $2M to expand its free e-commerce platform across MENA. Meanwhile, Fusepay picks up $350K to digitise payments in island economies. Exits this week include ViFi Labs acquiring OneRamp to merge FX protocols with stablecoin payments for Africa and Latin America’s $540B market, and SYSPRO buying DATASCOPE to integrate ERP and warehouse management for industrial clients. On the investor side, F6 Group emerges from the merger of Flat6Labs and F6 Ventures, managing $90M for early-stage startups across the Middle East and Africa. Spotlights: Startup of the Week is Morocco’s ORA Technologies, founded by Omar Alami, offering Kooul — a culturally tuned food delivery app — and ORA Cash, a low-cost mobile payments service, with $11.9M in total funding. Investor of the Week is Addis Ababa-based Renew Capital, backing over 50 African startups with capital, mentorship, and operational support. Plus, applications are open for QUBIC Labs Accelerator Cohort 2, a 12-week hybrid programme for Blockchain, Web3, Fintech, and AI startups, offering $100K+ in benefits and investor access in Boston. Follow us on YouTube for your weekly guide to the trends, deals, and opportunities shaping Africa’s innovation economy.