GPCA covers the latest fund, investment and industry news across our markets in two newsletters: NewsWatch is a weekly round-up of key transactions across asset classes; the Global Tech Brief is a bi-weekly review of tech transactions and innovations with cross-border applications. Subscribe in the left-hand sidebar.
Access past editions of NewsWatch here.
Accion Venture Lab Leads USD2m Seed Round for Tanzania’s Kuunda
Accion Venture Lab led a USD2m seed round for Kuunda, a Tanzania-based fintech lender, with participation from Finca Ventures, Launch Africa, Seedstars, Mercy Corps Ventures, Greenhouse Capital, Kepple Africa Ventures, Future Africa, The Magic Fund and other fintech angel investors. Read More
Fortissimo Capital Leads USD30m Series A for Ghana’s Fido
Fortissimo Capital led a USD30m equity Series A for Ghana-based fintech Fido, with participation from Yard Ventures, a VC fund by Harvard alumni, and an additional undisclosed amount in debt funding. Read More
Sequoia Capital India Leads USD37m Series A for UAE’s Huspy
Sequoia Capital India led a USD37m Series A for UAE-based proptech Huspy, with participation from Founders Fund and Fifth Wall, and follow-on from Breyer Capital, VentureFriends, COTU, BY Venture Partners and VentureSouq. Read More
Admaius Leads USD100m Series C+ for MFS Africa
Admaius Capital Partners led a USD100m debt and equity Series C extension for Ghana-based digital payments network MFS Africa, with participation from Vitruvian Partners and AXA IM Alts and follow-on from AfricInvest FIVE and CommerzVentures. Stanbic IBTC Bank Nigeria and Symbiotic provided the debt financing.The new funding brings the total capital raised through the Series C to USD200m. Read more… Read More
Beyond Capital Ventures Leads USD2m Round for Uganda’s XENO
Beyond Capital Ventures led a USD2m seed round for XENO, a Uganda-based investment management platform. Read More
Uncorrelated Ventures, Abstract Ventures and Fasanara Capital Lead USD70m Series C for Singapore’s Stashfin
Stashfin, a Singapore-based neobank serving customers in India, raised a USD70m Series C with an additional USD200m in debt financing. Uncorrelated Ventures, Abstract Ventures and Fasanara Capital led, with follow-on from Tencent, Altara Ventures, Kravis Investment Partners and Snow Leopard. Read More
WestBridge Capital Leads USD153m Series C for India’s LeadSquared
WestBridge Capital led a USD153m Series C for LeadSquared, an India-based SaaS CRM platform, with follow-on from Gaja Capital and other investors, at a reported USD1b valuation. Read more here and h Read More
Accel Reaches USD4b Final Close for Late-stage Global Fund
Accel reached a USD4b final close for its latest global late-stage VC fund. This will provide expansion capital to promising companies within their own portfolio worldwide, as well as to aspiring companies that are new to the Accel family. Read More
Harith To Launch USD300m Pan-African Renewable Energy Fund
Harith General Partners announced the launch of a USD300m Pan-African Renewable Energy Fund to invest in renewable energy projects throughout Africa. Energy provider Anergi Group will partner to provide project development expertise and resources. Read More
ARCH EM, Bank of America and Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund Commit USD25m To Africa’s CrossBoundary Energy Access
ARCH Emerging Markets Partners, Bank of America and Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund committed USD25m to CrossBoundary Energy Access (CBEA), an Africa-based solar powered mini-grid project financing facility. CBEA also received an additional USD25m debt commitment. Read More
Sofina Leads ~USD230.4m Series D for Czech Republic’s Rohlik
Sofina led a ~USD230.4m (EUR220m) Series D for Czech Republic-based e-grocer Rohlik, with follow-on from Index Ventures and Tomáš Čupr (Rohlik founder). Read More
Agency for Innovation and Digital Development and Pasha Holding Commit ~USD2.9m To Launch ~USD6.6m Azerbaijan VC Fund
Agency for Innovation and Digital Development and Pasha Holding committed~USD2.9m (AZN5m) to launch a ~USD6.6m (AZN11.3m) Azerbaijan-focused venture capital fund. Individual investors also contributed ~USD764k (AZN1.3m). Read More