Our Journey So Far: A Community Update.
This year, our ecosystem has seen a record number of top African tech talent break out with new and exciting ventures. It’s also been an unbelievable year in terms of startup funding, with the total funding raised this year on track to surpass the funding raised in 2019 and 2020 combined.
When we officially launched Voltron Capital, we set out with one goal in mind — to back extraordinary entrepreneurs out of Africa, solving important problems in large markets.
Since then, we’ve had the incredible privilege to interact with some of the most exciting startup founders from across Africa. These founders are intelligent, skilled, tenacious, and carry a vision of a transformed Africa.
Today, we’re excited to announce that between the months of August to October 2021, we have backed 17 outstanding African startups reimagining the future and already making a difference across the continent.
Activity Highlights
- 94% of our investments were at the preseed stage, while 6% came in at the seed stage.
- We invested in startups tackling significant issues in the following industries: Auto, Financial Services, Fintech, Healthcare, Legal, Logistics, Food, Customer service, Crypto and Entertainment.
- Eight of our portfolio companies got accepted into YC, one company got into the Village Global startup accelerator program, and another got into Techstars. 🎉🎉🎉
Mecho
Mecho is giving Nigerian automobile owners access to affordable, verified automobile technicians & auto parts. They have built a robust and fully interactive technology platform that delivers seamless vehicle maintenance, inspection, and repair services.
Founders: Olusegun Owoade, Ayoola Akinkunmi and Zenith Wogwogwu.
Website: https://www.mechoautotech.com/
Earnipay
Earnipay is enabling Nigerian employers to offer their employees access to their earned salaries at any time without making changes to their existing payment process. Think Wagestream in the UK or Minu in Latin America.
Founders: Nonso Onwuzulike, Busayo Oyetunji and Joshua Ajayi
Website: https://earnipay.com/
Traction Apps
Traction Apps is an ecosystem for African SMEs to accept payments, run their businesses and access capital for growth. They are building a suite of connected tools which will be the operating system for SMEs in Africa.
Founders: Mayowa Alli and Dolapo Adejuyigbe
Website: https://tractionapps.co/
Norebase
Norebase is enabling anyone, launch and expand a business across Africa using technology. Imagine a marriage between Stripe Atlas and Turbo Tax for Africa.
Founders: Tola Onayemi, Tope Obanla, Karen Onigbinde and Linda Arifayan
Website: https://norebase.com/
Metacare
Metacare is providing scalable customer service for startups across Africa. Using their proprietary AI service automation tool, support architect roles and services, Metacare is helping African startups create great customer experiences.
Founders: Yinka Amurawaiye and Adeoye Amurawaiye
Website: https://metacare.app/
Raptures
Raptures is a global digital storytelling platform & studio network creating Comics of Black American, African & Arab Origin. They offer bite-sized content through mobile apps and web platforms.
Founder: Jason Njoku
Website: https://raptures.io/
Plumter
Plumter is building multicurrency accounts/infrastructure to help African individuals and businesses make foreign payments with local cards, convert money between currencies and accept international payments.
Founders: Yinka Elujoba, Joshua Eni and Ategbese Gabriel
Website: https://plumter.com/
Remedial Health
Remedial is improving the quality of life in Africa by providing e-procurement & CRM tools to pharmacies & patent medicine stores (PPMVs). They also offer pharmacies & PPMVs access to credit.
Founders: Samuel Okwuada and Victor Benjamin
Website: https://remedial.health/
Moni
Moni is financing Africa’s mobile money market using their community-driven model based on social trust to ensure repayment from mobile money agents.
Founders: Femi Iromini and Dapo Sobaayo
Website: https://moni.africa/
Payday
Payday is making it possible for international companies to make efficient and reliable cross border payroll payments to Africa’s talent and seamless P2P remittance.
Founders: Favour Ori
Website: https://mypayday.africa/
Capsa
Capsa is meeting the financial needs of Nigerian MSMEs by helping them turn their unpaid invoices into working capital. Capsa has built an online invoice marketplace to make it possible to access needed capital within 48hours.
Founders: Mustapha Suberu, Chuka Nwagbara and Segun Dada
Website: https://www.getcapsa.com/
BFree
BFree enables efficient credit collection across emerging markets, starting with Nigeria and Kenya. Their digital-first credit collection processes include a self-service platform for customers, AI collection, and human collection.
Founders: Julian Flosbach, Moses Nmor and Chuks Enyi
Website: https://bfree.africa/
HeyFood
HeyFood enables African restaurants, hotels, QSRs, and food vendors to set up and manage their food ordering and delivery businesses using connected digital products.
Founders: Akinropo Taiwo and Demilade Odetara
Website: https://www.heyfood.africa/
Nestcoin
Nestcoin is democratizing access to economic opportunities within the crypto space in Africa. They’re building crypto-native products that use non-custodial decentralize finance and social engagement to go beyond trading and investments and drive crypto adoption across Africa.
Founders: Taiwo Orilogbon and Yele Bademosi
Website: https://nestcoin.com/
Bill Easy
Bill Easy is building an alternative payments infrastructure that enables African merchants to collect payments from customers using only phone numbers. Their unique Request to Pay solution means merchants can now preempt the collection of payments via USSD or mobile app.
Founders: Kayode Disu, Peter Ekunkoya and Michael Ikenga
Sendme
Sendme is using social commerce and artificial intelligence to meet the animal protein demands of Nigerian households and businesses at excellent prices.
Founders: Daniel Afolayan
Website: https://sendme.ng/
Payourse
Payourse is on a mission to build the crypto infrastructure for Africa. With products like Coinprofile and Simpa, Payrouse makes it easy to move crypto through the continent and start a crypto exchange.
Founders: Bashir Aminu and John Anisere
Website: https://payourse.com/
