Flat6Labs launches new $95 million venture fund to invest in early-stage African tech startups

Flat6Labs, a Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region’s leading seed and early-stage venture capital firm, today announced the launch of a new $95 million venture capital fund to expand its footprint and impact in Africa. Flat6Labs said it will use the fund to nurture the growth and development of early-stage tech startups on the African continent.

Headquartered in Egypt, the Africa Seed Fund (ASF) will focus on three main investment territories in Africa: North Africa, West Africa, and East Africa. Flat6Labs will be extending its reach into several new territories including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, and Senegal, amongst others.

The Africa Seed Fund (ASF) was created by Flat6Labs, project (SAIS), with the support of the GIZ on behalf of the German Government and through the Egyptian Agricultural Innovation Project (AIP) and Scaling Digital Agricultural Innovations through Start-ups project (SAIS).

The ASF will be led by Ramez El-Serafy and Dina el-Shenoufy as General Partners for the fund. The fund will invest in more than 160 early-stage startups over the next five years that operate in the technology sector in Africa, with a focus on impactful sectors that accelerate digital inclusion through the use of information technologies and industries which contribute to addressing social and environmental challenges, such as HealthTech, FinTech, EdTech, GreenTech, AgriTech, ClimateTech, and other sectors.

Founded 12 years ago, Flat6Labs has a track record in carefully vetting out and investing in promising startups in North Africa since it was founded 12 years ago, with more than $16M invested in startups, and over $191M raised in follow-on funding while creating more than 2,500 direct jobs and 80,000 indirect jobs through its first two funds in Egypt and Tunisia.

The significant influx of capital from the ASF has the potential to create more than 14,000 jobs, provide support to more than 1,200 founders with 20% female participation, and generate revenue of more than US$700M.

Ramez El-Serafy, General Partner for ASF, says, “We are extremely excited about the launch of the Africa Seed Fund. Africa is one of the most exciting regions to invest in tech and innovation, with huge untapped potential and unique business opportunities. We will leverage our experience and knowledge to guide the startup founders to create truly scalable, investment-ready, Africa-based companies.”

The African tech ecosystem has continued to grow in 2022. According to Partech 2022 Africa Venture Capital Report, funding for the African sector increased to US$6.5B in 2022, up from US$6.0B in 2021. Clearly, the deep forces driving the growth of the African tech ecosystem have prevailed against the global headwinds.

With the Africa Seed Fund, Flat6Labs will be investing in 160 companies that are in Pre-Seed up to Pre-Series A stage, with tickets ranging from US$150K-US$500K through the Flat6Labs’ Africa Seed Program and will also be providing seed tickets to seasoned founders independently of the program. ASF will also be able to reinvest in portfolio companies in follow-on rounds.

Flat6Labs’ Africa Seed Program provides portfolio companies joining the program with seed funding, regional business support, access to a regional network of seasoned local mentors, as well as regulatory and logistical support to set up and grow their businesses. The program also adapts to be regional with a hybrid model allowing for physical on-the-ground interactions in local markets while combining virtual elements that allow for cohort interactions across the entire fund region. Two cohorts will be run annually, with an average of 10 to 15 startups per cohort. The first investments in the selected startups are planned to be made before the end of 2023.

Dina el-Shenoufy, General Partner for ASF, says, “The Africa Seed Fund is well-positioned to be a catalyst for driving long-term positive change that the youth of Africa really deserve, and to providing resources to the brightest of them while accelerating the future of the African continent. The program is designed to provide entrepreneurs with the resources that they need to be able to grow and to scale up their businesses to new heights.”

“We have observed that the entrepreneurial market has matured over the years with a new wave of founders that are more experienced. We will also cater for these founders and offer higher ticket sizes to support these companies and a different track to the program” el-Shenoufy added.