Participated · Seed · Mar 2022

Big Cabal Media (BCM) is a Nigeria-based media company that publishes TechCabal and Zikoko and operates related businesses including Cabal Creative, TC Insights and TC Events. TechCabal is an Africa-focused tech publication reaching 300,000–500,000 unique monthly readers and more than 60,000 newsletter subscribers across over 30 countries, while Zikoko reaches up to 20 million readers in a single month and has a newsletter audience of over 100,000 monthly. BCM's primary direct revenue is advertising across websites and newsletters, supplemented by revenue from its content studio, data consulting arm and events business. The company reported revenue last year that was four times its 2020 figure and a compound annual growth rate of 225% over the previous four years. BCM plans to use new funding to invest in technology, optimize its publications' websites, build new verticals, expand audience growth, hire across teams and further develop Zikoko Memes, a Giphy-like product launched in 2020. Founded in 2013, BCM says it aims to consolidate its position as one of Africa's most influential media and technology brands. Big Cabal Media builds Africa’s media brands by producing publications, original content, and technology products for African audiences. It publishes TechCabal, a pan-African tech publication, and Zikoko, a West-African youth-culture publication, and operates Cabal Creative Studio. The studio provides strategic communications, content creation, and brand design services for clients including Coca-Cola, Google, DSTV, Access Bank, Flutterwave, MainOne, GIGM, Nestle, and ARM. TechCabal serves business professionals, investors, and entrepreneurs, while Zikoko produces high-engagement youth-focused content. BCM’s content reaches over 3 million people every month and the company has produced projects like Zikoko’s Jollof Road and Tech Women Lagos. With Platform Capital’s backing, BCM plans to accelerate audience growth, deepen investments in technology and product development, and grow its digital offerings and global audience over the next 12 months.

Led · Equity · Nov 2019

Asilimia provides the Leja app, which enables traders to make mobile money transactions without transfer fees while offering bookkeeping and inventory-management features. The platform aggregates transactional and cash-flow data and Asilimia plans to use those signals to build credit-scoring models for lending to MSMEs. A typical user makes about three transactions per day; the business reports roughly 27,000 users and about $20 million in total transactions, with growth of about 30% week on week. The company says it will extend loans and airtime top-up credit (at no interest) to traders based on app data. Asilimia has participated in Station F and the Norrsken Impact Accelerator programs. It plans to hire talent, fine-tune its technology, and expand into another market in East Africa and beyond. Asilimia provides small businesses with transaction-free mobile-money payment capabilities and access to adjacent financial services, including insurance. The startup was founded in 2017 and is based in Nairobi. It aims to expand its customer base and scale operations to Kenyan cities Nakuru and Mombasa. Management is pursuing regional growth, planning a likely expansion into Uganda (with a potential UAP Insurance Uganda pilot) and considering Nigeria next. Asilimia recently received funding and is actively raising an additional $500,000. The company graduated from Startupbootcamp AfriTech, which the founders say helped prepare them for investment and improved investor response.