Venture Capital
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Akofresh secures $100,000 OPEC Fund Youth Entrepreneurship Award for tacking post-harvest losses.
AkoFresh, the Ghana-based agtech has been named the winner of the 2026 OPEC Fund Youth Entrepreneurship Award, for helping smallholder farmers reduce post-harvest losses. The OPEC Fund Development Forum celebrates young entrepreneurs whose innovations are delivering measurable development impact. Along with the recognition, AkoFresh receives $100,000 to support the growth of its work. Founded by…
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How a new evergreen technical assistance funding model aims to fix the SME funding pipeline.
This article draws on an original piece by John Scicchitano of Pangea Africa and Rob Mills of Social Finance International. In 2023, Mariseth Farms, a Ghanaian agribusiness founded by Marian Ofori Twumasi, had reached a familiar ceiling. The business had grown steadily by working with smallholder farmers and aggregating produce for market, but further expansion…
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Traditional VCs overlooks 70% of African businesses: Peter Wamburu on financing the missing middle.
In this edition of the Innovator Spotlight Series, we sit down with Peter Wamburu, Prinicipal at Vested World. Vested World is an early-stage investment firm redefining startup funding by prioritizing societal impact, commercial viability, and gender equity. In this interview, Wamburu shares insights on operating in the “missing middle” of investment, dismantling biases in due…
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African VC ecosystem does not actually exist: Sewu-Steve Tawia on the brutal realities of funding African startups
Venture capital is often presented as a straightforward formula: raise funding, scale quickly, and build the next breakout company. The reality, according to Sewu-Steve Tawia one of Ghana’s most active angel investor and Partner at Jaza Rift Ventures and Asime Partner, is considerably messier. In a wide-ranging conversation on the Innovator Spotlight series, Tawia drew…
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Origen Private Debt Fund joins Prime Meridian Docks’ $137 million financing round.
Origen Private Debt Fund one of Ghana’s emerging private credit platforms has joined the consortium backing Prime Meridian Docks’ $137 million “Project Shiprite,” a landmark floating dry dock and ship repair facility under development at the Port of Takoradi in Ghana. Origen’s commitment GHS 23 million forms part of a broader blended financing package supporting…
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VDL Fulfilment and Rivia Clinics raise $350,000 to expand healthcare and logistics operations.
Two Ghanaian startups, VDL Fulfilment and Rivia Clinics, have secured new funding from Village Capital through the Africa Ecosystem Catalysts Facility, a fund supporting early-stage businesses in African markets. The combined investment totals $350,000, with Rivia Clinics receiving $200,000 and VDL Fulfilment securing $150,000 through a mix of convertible note and milestone-linked debt. The investments…
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Uniik Foods secures funding from Mirepa to expand manufacturing capacity.
Uniik Foods, the manufacturer of shelf-stable African food products has raised an undisclosed sum of funding from Mirepa Investment Advisors. The company will use the funds to modernize its facilities with automated equipment to scaleup production and provide working capital to streamline supply chain operations. Furthermore, the funding will accelerate the brand’s footprint in international…
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Cocoa Potash grabs $50,000 to upcycle high emissions agricultural waste into industrial inputs.
Agricultural waste is becoming a source of high purity industrial chemicals. That is the core idea behind Cocoa Potash, the Ghana US-based startup that recently secured $50,000 in funding after winning Penn State University’s Land Grant Startup Launch Competition. The competition organised by Penn State’s Smeal College of Business and the College of Agricultural Sciences…
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Growth Investment Partners secures $20 million from Axis and Norfund to back SMEs.
For years, the pitch to Ghanaian pension funds has been simple: stop parking all your cash in government bonds and start investing in the local factories that actually drive the economy. This week, one of the country’s biggest players doubled down on its mission to invest in the real economy. Growth Investment Partners (GIP), the…
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Phundit raises funding to help Africans navigate personal financial emergencies.
For years, the narrative of African fintech has been dominated by one word: Credit. From Nairobi to Lagos, rapid-approval loan apps have proliferated, promising to bridge the liquidity gap. But for many users, these apps have become a “debt trap” rather than a safety net. Phundit, the Ghanaian fintech startup, has just closed an undisclosed…