Led · Seed · Jun 2026

AethexAI develops compact, low-latency voice AI models and an orchestration layer designed for the dialects, code-switching, and telephony realities of Africa and the Middle East. The company built the Kora series of models (300 million to 1.7 billion parameters) and its own orchestration stack to reduce jitter and latency versus using large models hosted outside target regions. It sources training data from anonymized call-center recordings, shipped hard drives to radio stations across Africa for more audio, and uses a network of university students to annotate data and pronounce local names. AethexAI has launched an enterprise platform and offers APIs and SDKs for developers, and reports handling more than 17,000 calls per day. Its primary enterprise use cases include debt collection, customer activation, and KYC, and it deploys forward‑deployed engineers on contract while building telecom channel partnerships. The company was founded last year by CEO Mariama Diallo and CTO Ayooluwa Odemuyiwa.

Participated · Seed · Feb 2026

Founded in 2022 by Radhika Bhachu and Rogito Nyageri, Ndovu operates a fully regulated “DeFi bridge” that connects fragmented African capital markets to global investment opportunities. Through its mobile and web platform, users can start investing with as little as US$50 across global stocks, ETFs, pan-African products and tokenised crypto assets. The company combines advanced blockchain rails with AI-driven portfolio tools while maintaining CMA and fund-management licences in Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda and a no-objection letter for a Virtual Asset Providers Licence. Ndovu’s business model mixes AUM-linked fees, transaction & FX fees, and subscriptions, charging a 2–4.5% fee that has proven more trusted than earlier low-fee experiments. The service has attracted a community of 200,000 investors in 43 countries, amassing US$10.5 million in AUM and US$21 million in cumulative deposits. Near-term plans include securing additional fund-management licences in Zambia, DRC, Ethiopia and Angola to deepen its pan-African reach. The company believes its blend of high-tech infrastructure and human relationship managers will keep driving growth across volatile market cycles.

Participated · Series C · Feb 2026

Founded in 2017, Breadfast began as a fresh bread delivery service and has evolved into a full-stack online grocery platform offering groceries, ready meals, pharmaceuticals, and even fintech services such as prepaid and payment solutions. The company controls the entire value chain—from sourcing and production to fulfillment and last-mile delivery—allowing it to protect margins and maintain consistent service quality. Roughly 40% of grocery sales come from its private-label products, underscoring a strategy to boost profitability. Breadfast aims to capture up to 3% of Egypt’s USD 100 billion grocery market within three years while targeting young, urban consumers who value speed and convenience. Management is also studying expansion into North and West Africa to replicate its model in similar demographic markets. Looking ahead, Breadfast plans a larger Series C in 1H 2026 and ultimately a global IPO. The new funding strengthens its infrastructure and operational capacity needed for this regional push and long-term listing ambition.

Participated · Equity · Dec 2025

Aether Biomachines combines purpose-built artificial intelligence with high-throughput robotics to create proteins that function as molecular assemblers for manufacturing and environmental applications. The company’s proprietary Protein Function Model, trained on in-house experimental data, has already generated seven new protein classes capable of extracting rare earth metals, recycling plastics, capturing CO₂, degrading PFAS, and enabling complex pharmaceutical synthesis. Its first commercial materials, RapidPrint and Ultra, are polymer additives that allow 3D-printed parts to be produced up to 10× faster and with 2× the strength of current industry benchmarks, a key advantage for defense and aerospace customers. Aether plans to scale these materials products while expanding its protein-design platform to address additional industrial challenges. The firm positions itself as a catalyst for a new industrial revolution by replacing large, costly chemical plants with nanoscale protein machinery that works more efficiently and sustainably. Total capital raised now stands at $64 million, providing resources to accelerate product commercialization and deepen partnerships across manufacturing, sustainability, and national security sectors.

Participated · Seed · Aug 2025

HoneyCoin provides stablecoin-powered payment infrastructure that connects directly to banks, mobile-money networks, and global payment partners to settle transactions in hours instead of days. Its stack includes a proprietary AI Matching Engine and a global colocation network of strategic banks to net flows and speed same-day settlements. The company processes about $150 million in monthly transactions, serves 350 enterprise clients and 326,000 direct consumers, and reports being profitable for the past two years. HoneyCoin says B2B volumes are growing 16% month-on-month while consumer activity via its Peer app grows 5% monthly, with roughly 60% of transactions domestic B2B. Founded in 2020 and operating in 15 African countries plus the US, parts of Europe and other emerging markets, it holds multiple licences (MSB/PSSP in Canada, VASP in Europe, MSB approval in the US) and regulatory Letters of No Objection in Nigeria, Kenya, and Tanzania. The company plans product and market expansion — including a stablecoin-backed Visa debit card, a cross-border liquidity solution with Interswitch, BaaS in Ghana/Malawi/Tanzania, and a software POS for East Africa — and will hire senior executives and secure more licences as part of its growth push.