Pan-African Early-Stage VC Firm, Ventures Platform, Raises $46 Million in Latest Fund

Pan -African VC firm, Ventures Platform, has announced the final close of its early-stage and intercontinental fund at $46 million.

The fund was over-subscribed and surpassed an initial $40M target bringing in a wide array of new investors. The investors include top-tier commercial banks, corporates, DFIs, global institutional investors, and HNIs, including:

• Standard Bank
• International Finance Corporation
• British International Investment
• A-to-Z Impact
• Proparco

Ventures Platform plans to use the fund to double down on some of its investments in ‘category-leading’ companies and will also allow for follow-on investments for portfolio companies, up to Series A, the firm said.

In addition, the firm has established an innovative ‘platform and networks’ practice intended to provide scalable and world-class post-investment support and value creation to its portfolio companies.

Ventures Platform has over 60 investments in companies across the continent, mainly in Nigeria.

Some of the firm’s investees include:

• Remedial Health
• Moni
• Notto
• Marketforce
• Mono
• Piggyvest, and
• Chargel

To further consolidate its pan-African reach, Ventures Platform is actively seeking opportunities in regions such as Kenya, Egypt, and French-speaking West Africa. The firm has invested in companies across various verticals and lists healthcare, financial services, agriculture, education, big data, and Internet Infrastructure as key areas.

If you are a mission-driven founder, building a capital-efficient business that democratizes prosperity, plugs infrastructural gaps, connects under-represented communities, creates efficiencies, solves for non-consumption, and improves livelihoods, we would love to talk to you.” – Ventures Platform

Ventures Platform’s portfolio companies have to date gone on to raise more than $1B in follow-on funding, with the firm’s founder and general partner, Kola Aina, positive about more investment opportunities in spite of a challenging economic environment.

“We are also acutely aware that with our investment thesis, which is centered on market-creating innovations that thrive when value chains and markets are restructured, there continue to be incredible opportunities across the market,” Aina said.

Interested parties can apply to the fund here.