Stay ahead of Africa’s fast-evolving startup and venture capital scene with this week’s episode of Startup Researcher Africa. We cover the most important funding rounds, acquisitions, and market moves shaping the continent’s innovation landscape.
In this edition, we spotlight major fintech milestones as Moniepoint, Flutterwave, and Tyme Group land on Time magazine’s 2025 list of the world’s most influential companies. Discover how these African fintech leaders are transforming payments, financial inclusion, and cross-border transactions. We also break down new regulations from the Bank of Ghana targeting virtual-asset service providers and what this means for crypto startups.
Funding activity remains strong: South African fintech Pay me now has raised $22.4 million from Standard Bank to expand earned-wage access solutions across low-income markets. AI infrastructure innovator Cerebrium secured $8.5 million to scale lean GPU platforms for language models and video processing. Meanwhile, Bfree, a Nigerian ethical debt-recovery platform, obtained $3 million to buy distressed loan portfolios and support borrower rehabilitation.
On the M&A front, Egyptian proptech firm Nawy acquired UAE-based SmartCrowd to enter the Gulf’s fractional real estate market, while Stitch in South Africa purchased Efficacy Payments to enhance its card-acquiring capabilities and reduce merchant costs. Nigerian crypto exchange Roqqu has acquired Kenya’s Flitaa, leveraging M-PESA integration and local licensing to accelerate East African growth.
We also feature the SECO Startup Fund as Investor of the Week. Backed by Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, SECO has committed $6.3 million in fresh debt financing to back high-impact African ventures focused on inclusive growth and climate-smart solutions.
Our Startup of the Week is Pay me now, founded by Bryan Habana and Deon Nobrega, providing early wage access across Southern Africa.
Finally, don’t miss this week’s opportunity spotlight: the XTC AI Energy Innovation Startup Showcase. Founders developing energy-efficient AI hardware or data centre technologies can apply by July 30, 2025, for a chance to pitch in Palo Alto.
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