Pan-African seed-stage venture capital firm Ventures Platform has announced the first close of its VP Pan-African Fund II at $64 million, targeting a final close of $75 million. The fund aims to strengthen early-stage investments, drive Series A growth, and expand the firm’s reach across Africa to power the continent’s next technology wave.
Founded in 2016, Ventures Platform invests in companies that remove access barriers, lower delivery costs, and unlock new markets. Its portfolio includes Paystack, PiggyVest, Moniepoint, ThriveAgric, Fez Delivery, Raenest, LemFi, Remedial Health, SunFi, OmniRetail, and Verto.
A New Chapter in African Venture Capital
The new fund underscores Ventures Platform’s commitment to advancing innovation that tackles Africa’s toughest challenges. The first close attracted a strong lineup of global and regional investors, including:
- Standard Bank
- International Finance Corporation (IFC)
- British International Investment (BII)
- Proparco with FISEA
- AfricaGrow
- A to Z Impact
- Alder Tree Investment
- Y Combinator founder Michael Seibel
This diverse investor base signals growing confidence in Africa’s startup potential and its capacity to deliver outsized impact.
Expanding Scope and Strategy
The VP Pan-African Fund II goes beyond seed funding. It is designed to:
- Lead and catalyze Series A investments across the continent.
- Support high-potential ventures to achieve scale and sustainability.
- Strengthen operations in Nigeria and expand into North and Francophone Africa.
- Back startups developing “painkiller” solutions that address non-consumption.
The fund will focus on sectors driving real impact, including fintech, agri-tech, ed-tech, e-health, and artificial intelligence.
Driving Market-Creating Innovations
Kola Aina, Founding Partner at Ventures Platform, highlighted that this fund marks a major step in advancing Africa’s innovation landscape. He said the strong backing from institutional investors validates Africa’s potential as a leading source of non-consensus alpha and transformative impact.
He emphasized the firm’s vision to invest in bold entrepreneurs who are solving chronic infrastructure and access challenges. By providing contextual capital and hands-on post-investment support, Ventures Platform aims to help these companies grow sustainably and shape Africa’s digital future.
Aina concluded, “Africa’s challenges are its greatest opportunities. Our mission is to back resilient founders who are creating solutions for the next billion.”