Plug and Play Tech Center

Plug and Play Tech Center, established in 2006, is a global innovation platform that connects startups, investors, and corporations. Based in Sunnyvale, California, with operations in 22 locations worldwide, the company runs 12 industry-specific accelerator programs twice a year, fostering collaboration between major corporations and high-quality startups. These programs span sectors such as Fintech, Insurtech, IoT, Brand & Retail, Mobility, and Health & Wellness, among others. Plug and Play invests in seed, angel, and Series A rounds, with a focus on great teams leading emerging growth companies. Since inception, their startup community has raised over $9 billion in venture funding, with notable success stories including Dropbox, PayPal, and LendingClub.

Anas Abdelrahim

Associate

Neda Amidi

President

Amir Amidi

Managing Partner, Travel and Hospitality Practice

Saeed Amidi

Co-Founder and Co-CEO

Davis Auksmuksts

Investor

Roberto Reyes Balcorta

Partner

Agata Baryzewska

Investor

Thomas Bigagli

Partner

Wade Bitaraf

Co-Founder

Kieran Borrett

Director, United Kingdom

Noreen Brar

Associate

Kiswana Browne

Associate

Andres Carbonell

Investor

Jeff Chien

Senior Vice President, China Partnership

Kristi Choi

Investor

Matthew Claxton

Partner and Global Director of Sustainability

Alex Cobos

Director, Mexico

Nick Daley

Associate

George Damouny

Partner

Andres Diaz

Associate

Dana Diefendorf

Senior Associate

Roy Djunaidi

Investor

Tarek Elessawi

Principal

Sean Elmurib

Associate

Stefan Faistenauer

Investor

Garnett Ge

Ventures Associate, Cross Border

Eugenio Gonzalez De Pena

Principal

Omer Gozen Ph.D

Partner

Gemma Guilera

Senior Partner Success Manager

Aziz El Hachem

North Africa Director

Karima El Hakim

Country Director - Egypt

Alex Hemmerlein

Associate

Jackie Hernandez

Senior Vice President, Global Partnerships and Founding Member

Andrea Sanchez

Director

Maximillian Jungreis

Investor

Salim Laouiti

Investor

Natasha Low

Associate

Tanya Ma

Investor

Milad Malek

Senior Associate

Alireza Masrour

General Partner

Evan Matuszak

Investor

Javier Megias

Managing Partner

Omeed Mehrinfar

Managing Partner, Middle-East

Juan Naveira

Associate

Kevin Parakkattu

Principal

Alberto Pascual

Investor

Amit Patel

Investor

Blanca Ribas Pombo

Investor

Leonardo Rocchetti

Investor

Julianne Roseman

Senior Associate

Alex Roudi

Managing Partner, San Diego

Letizia Royo-Villanova

Investor

Michelle Shi

Associate

Li Shing

International Operations Associate

Noorjit Sidhu

Senior Associate

Janis Skriveris

Principal

Kohei Suzuki

Associate

Erena Estellés Tatay

Ventures Analyst

Saleh Tavajoh

Investor

Pouya Tehranian

Director, Brand and Retail

Andy Toth

Investment Director, Plug and Play Ventures

Alexander Tran

Partner

Philippe Vincent

Co-Founder, Managing Partner and Co-CEO

Carolin Wais

Partner

Zora Wang

Investor

Connie Weisman

Co-Founder, Cleveland and Director, Plug and Play Enterprise 2.0

Fan Wen

Associate

Kevin Withstandley

Vice President, Partner Success

Claire Xiong

Director

Vanessa Yang

Investor

Ivan Zgomba

Partner

Chen Zhao

Managing Partner, China and Senior Technology Analyst

Lindsay Lebahn

Senior Program Manager and Director

Rouzbeh Borhani

Head of Semiconductors

Darren (Yaodong) Yang

Associate

Past deals in Africa

Winich Farms

Seed Round in 2024
Winich Farms is a technology-driven agricultural platform that connects farmers with finance, inputs, expertise, and markets to improve productivity and access to buyers. Through online crowdfunding, the company funds farmers and provides data-driven best practices, process automation, and machinery access, with aims of delivering decent returns to subscribers and farmers. Its agro e-retail platform links nearby farmers directly to households at farm-gate prices, reducing middlemen and making produce more affordable and accessible. The business operates a digital marketplace and logistics solution that tracks production in real time and uses a mobile app to connect offtakers, agents, and drivers, helping producers and buyers streamline deliveries and reduce downtime. By fostering offtake relationships and expanding access to local and global markets, Winich Farms seeks to empower African farmers and support food security across the continent. The venture is supported by Orange Corners, reinforcing its mission to enable capital access, data-driven farming, and scalable agricultural participation.

Workpay

Series A in 2024
Workpay, established in 2017 and headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, specializes in providing cloud-based payroll, benefits, and human resource management software tailored for small and medium-sized businesses in Africa. Its comprehensive solution includes time and attendance tracking, HR and payroll processing, employee self-service management, and payment processing, including support for mobile wallets. Workpay simplifies employee management and ensures compliance, enabling businesses to hire both local and remote teams across Africa without the need for local entities.

Waza

Seed Round in 2024
Waza is a web platform that provides payment software designed to assist startups and businesses in emerging markets, particularly in Africa, with their financial management needs. The company's platform offers APIs that facilitate the management of cash flow issues, invoicing, and international payments. By addressing liquidity challenges and streamlining billing processes, Waza enables organizations and financial institutions to efficiently handle their financial operations in a cost-effective manner.

Vara

Venture Round in 2024
Developed, tested, and proven in Germany, Vara is a leading AI-powered breast cancer screening company on a mission to find every deadly breast cancer early. Vara’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is embedded within the German Breast Cancer Screening Program and is backed by some of the most respected institutions in breast cancer screening in the world including Cambridge (UK), Memorial Sloan (US), and Karolinska (Sweden). Vara’s clinical evidence has also been published in Lancet Digital Health, demonstrating that Vara-assisted radiologists significantly outperform average radiologists and are able to find cancers that would otherwise have been missed. Vara works with healthcare stakeholders, radiology service providers, and medical doctor networks to improve access to high-quality screening in Germany, Egypt, India and Mexico.

Vara

Series A in 2023
Developed, tested, and proven in Germany, Vara is a leading AI-powered breast cancer screening company on a mission to find every deadly breast cancer early. Vara’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is embedded within the German Breast Cancer Screening Program and is backed by some of the most respected institutions in breast cancer screening in the world including Cambridge (UK), Memorial Sloan (US), and Karolinska (Sweden). Vara’s clinical evidence has also been published in Lancet Digital Health, demonstrating that Vara-assisted radiologists significantly outperform average radiologists and are able to find cancers that would otherwise have been missed. Vara works with healthcare stakeholders, radiology service providers, and medical doctor networks to improve access to high-quality screening in Germany, Egypt, India and Mexico.

Winich Farms

Seed Round in 2023
Winich Farms is a technology-driven agricultural platform that connects farmers with finance, inputs, expertise, and markets to improve productivity and access to buyers. Through online crowdfunding, the company funds farmers and provides data-driven best practices, process automation, and machinery access, with aims of delivering decent returns to subscribers and farmers. Its agro e-retail platform links nearby farmers directly to households at farm-gate prices, reducing middlemen and making produce more affordable and accessible. The business operates a digital marketplace and logistics solution that tracks production in real time and uses a mobile app to connect offtakers, agents, and drivers, helping producers and buyers streamline deliveries and reduce downtime. By fostering offtake relationships and expanding access to local and global markets, Winich Farms seeks to empower African farmers and support food security across the continent. The venture is supported by Orange Corners, reinforcing its mission to enable capital access, data-driven farming, and scalable agricultural participation.

Pharmacy Marts

Seed Round in 2023
Pharmacy Marts is an online business-to-business marketplace that connects pharmacists with multiple suppliers to source daily prescriptions and pharmacy supplies. Founded in 2021 and based in Cairo, Egypt, the platform combines fintech and logistics features to offer discounts on medications from various warehouses, with no delivery charges for orders. It enables medical suppliers to list products and allows pharmacists to compare offers in a single location to fulfill daily supply requests.

Waza

Pre Seed Round in 2023
Waza is a web platform that provides payment software designed to assist startups and businesses in emerging markets, particularly in Africa, with their financial management needs. The company's platform offers APIs that facilitate the management of cash flow issues, invoicing, and international payments. By addressing liquidity challenges and streamlining billing processes, Waza enables organizations and financial institutions to efficiently handle their financial operations in a cost-effective manner.

Kredibank

Seed Round in 2022
Kredi is a neo bank building Africa's one-stop shop for digital financial services. Kredi is a platform that eliminates all the challenges of using multiple applications and allows users to manage all aspects of their financial lives. We are fully licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria. We provide access to digital financial services such as savings, credit, payment, investments, and insurance to all consumers in Nigeria in one place.

Smartprof

Pre Seed Round in 2022
Smartprof is a B2C educational platform based in North Africa. It connects primary, secondary, and high school students with university students who offer teaching and coaching services. The platform aims to facilitate learning by matching supply and demand, offering innovative teaching methods through young graduate teachers. Smartprof aspires to become the leading online course provider in North Africa and eventually expand into Asia.

Contro

Pre Seed Round in 2022
Contro is an online platform offering a convenient subscription service for sexual health products such as birth control and erectile dysfunction treatment. Through secure digital consultations with doctors, Contro provides prescriptions and delivers medications discreetly to customers' doorsteps in South Africa. The service offers flexibility with its cancel anytime policy.

Vara

Series A in 2022
Developed, tested, and proven in Germany, Vara is a leading AI-powered breast cancer screening company on a mission to find every deadly breast cancer early. Vara’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is embedded within the German Breast Cancer Screening Program and is backed by some of the most respected institutions in breast cancer screening in the world including Cambridge (UK), Memorial Sloan (US), and Karolinska (Sweden). Vara’s clinical evidence has also been published in Lancet Digital Health, demonstrating that Vara-assisted radiologists significantly outperform average radiologists and are able to find cancers that would otherwise have been missed. Vara works with healthcare stakeholders, radiology service providers, and medical doctor networks to improve access to high-quality screening in Germany, Egypt, India and Mexico.

Kashat

Convertible Note in 2022
Kashat is an Egypt-based mobile financial services company that provides instant microloans through a digital app. It targets unbanked and underbanked individuals by underwriting loans using alternative data to create a credit history, enabling customers to build a financial identity. The service offers small, short-term credit with flexible repayment options and disburses funds via mobile wallets and digital payments. The entire process is digital and paperless, streamlining application and approval through the mobile app. Kashat operates under the regulatory oversight of Egypt’s Financial Regulatory Authority.

Smartprof

Seed Round in 2022
Smartprof is a B2C educational platform based in North Africa. It connects primary, secondary, and high school students with university students who offer teaching and coaching services. The platform aims to facilitate learning by matching supply and demand, offering innovative teaching methods through young graduate teachers. Smartprof aspires to become the leading online course provider in North Africa and eventually expand into Asia.

Vara

Series A in 2022
Developed, tested, and proven in Germany, Vara is a leading AI-powered breast cancer screening company on a mission to find every deadly breast cancer early. Vara’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is embedded within the German Breast Cancer Screening Program and is backed by some of the most respected institutions in breast cancer screening in the world including Cambridge (UK), Memorial Sloan (US), and Karolinska (Sweden). Vara’s clinical evidence has also been published in Lancet Digital Health, demonstrating that Vara-assisted radiologists significantly outperform average radiologists and are able to find cancers that would otherwise have been missed. Vara works with healthcare stakeholders, radiology service providers, and medical doctor networks to improve access to high-quality screening in Germany, Egypt, India and Mexico.

Pharmacy Marts

Seed Round in 2022
Pharmacy Marts is an online business-to-business marketplace that connects pharmacists with multiple suppliers to source daily prescriptions and pharmacy supplies. Founded in 2021 and based in Cairo, Egypt, the platform combines fintech and logistics features to offer discounts on medications from various warehouses, with no delivery charges for orders. It enables medical suppliers to list products and allows pharmacists to compare offers in a single location to fulfill daily supply requests.

Aladdin

Seed Round in 2022
Aladdin is a neobank that serves small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and gig workers in Africa through an integrated digital marketplace. The company offers a comprehensive suite of financial tools, including savings accounts, credit access, secure payment options, cards, and investment opportunities. Aladdin's digital banking application facilitates safe and efficient transactions by connecting users with verified buyers and sellers, while also providing insights into high-demand products and services. Additionally, the platform features an in-built escrow account to ensure secure payments, fostering a trustworthy environment for commercial exchanges. Aladdin not only focuses on financial services but also encourages social interactions within its community, enhancing the overall user experience.

MoneyHash

Pre Seed Round in 2022
MoneyHash streamlines payment processes for businesses by offering a unified API that integrates various pay-in and pay-out rails. It provides a customizable checkout experience, optimizes transaction routing to minimize fraud failures, and offers centralized reporting.

Tendo

Convertible Note in 2021
Tendo is an online platform based in Accra, Ghana, that facilitates independent reselling by connecting resellers with businesses. Founded in 2019, the company allows individuals to start their own online businesses without the need for upfront capital investment. Tendo sources ready-to-ship products from various suppliers, which are then made available to resellers who can add their profit margins. The platform also provides access to social media tools and enables resellers to list products at wholesale prices, eliminating the challenges of inventory management and transportation. This innovative approach empowers small businesses and individuals to thrive in the digital e-commerce landscape.

Bypa-ss

Convertible Note in 2021
Bypa-ss is a health-tech startup based in Egypt focused on digitizing health information exchange to enhance the quality of care for both healthcare providers and patients. The company's primary offering, HealthTag, is a versatile platform that connects individuals, physicians, pharmacies, laboratories, and radiology centers, facilitating better communication and interaction between all parties involved in healthcare. By enabling patients to share their experiences and feedback about medical facilities and professionals, Bypa-ss empowers users to make informed decisions regarding their healthcare options. This innovative approach aims to streamline healthcare processes and improve overall patient outcomes in the region.

Bankly

Seed Round in 2021
Bankly is a digital financial services company that offers a savings and peer-to-peer transfer platform aimed at enhancing financial inclusion in Nigeria. Users can fund their wallets through a network of vouchers, which operate under a "Recharge to save" model, similar to mobile airtime top-ups. This system allows customers to engage with digital finance seamlessly, utilizing existing consumer behaviors developed in the telecommunications sector. Bankly's platform includes features such as transaction history, financial behavior tracking, multi-channel and cardless withdrawals, as well as direct-to-account transactions. By simplifying and securing digital payments, Bankly empowers users to save, withdraw, and make payments through virtual interfaces, thus addressing the challenges of accessing financial services and paving the way for broader financial solutions.

Amitruck

Pre Seed Round in 2021
Amitruck Limited is a logistics platform that connects cargo owners with trucking logistics professionals, streamlining the delivery process. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, the company offers a mobile and web-based application that allows customers to easily book deliveries for their loads. Amitruck also provides a driver application, enabling transporters to access clients and communicate effectively. The platform enhances user experience by allowing clients to track their deliveries in real-time, receive timely updates, and obtain instant quotes while ensuring access to the nearest available trucks. Through its intuitive interface, Amitruck aims to improve the efficiency and transparency of the logistics process.

Bankly

Convertible Note in 2021
Bankly is a digital financial services company that offers a savings and peer-to-peer transfer platform aimed at enhancing financial inclusion in Nigeria. Users can fund their wallets through a network of vouchers, which operate under a "Recharge to save" model, similar to mobile airtime top-ups. This system allows customers to engage with digital finance seamlessly, utilizing existing consumer behaviors developed in the telecommunications sector. Bankly's platform includes features such as transaction history, financial behavior tracking, multi-channel and cardless withdrawals, as well as direct-to-account transactions. By simplifying and securing digital payments, Bankly empowers users to save, withdraw, and make payments through virtual interfaces, thus addressing the challenges of accessing financial services and paving the way for broader financial solutions.

Amitruck

Convertible Note in 2021
Amitruck Limited is a logistics platform that connects cargo owners with trucking logistics professionals, streamlining the delivery process. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, the company offers a mobile and web-based application that allows customers to easily book deliveries for their loads. Amitruck also provides a driver application, enabling transporters to access clients and communicate effectively. The platform enhances user experience by allowing clients to track their deliveries in real-time, receive timely updates, and obtain instant quotes while ensuring access to the nearest available trucks. Through its intuitive interface, Amitruck aims to improve the efficiency and transparency of the logistics process.

NowPay

Seed Round in 2020
NowPay is a fintech company that develops and operates a platform to improve the financial wellness of corporate employees. The platform enables salary access and early wage payments, allowing employees to receive a portion of their earned wages at any time during the month, with repayment over multiple months via a mobile app. It also includes personal finance management tools for budgeting, saving, spending and borrowing, and provides salary balances and the maximum eligible loan amount. The company partners with employers to deliver these services, aiming to enhance employee happiness, productivity and loyalty. NowPay is based in Cairo, Egypt.

Vara

Series A in 2020
Developed, tested, and proven in Germany, Vara is a leading AI-powered breast cancer screening company on a mission to find every deadly breast cancer early. Vara’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is embedded within the German Breast Cancer Screening Program and is backed by some of the most respected institutions in breast cancer screening in the world including Cambridge (UK), Memorial Sloan (US), and Karolinska (Sweden). Vara’s clinical evidence has also been published in Lancet Digital Health, demonstrating that Vara-assisted radiologists significantly outperform average radiologists and are able to find cancers that would otherwise have been missed. Vara works with healthcare stakeholders, radiology service providers, and medical doctor networks to improve access to high-quality screening in Germany, Egypt, India and Mexico.

Dapi

Convertible Note in 2020
Dapi Ltd is a fintech company that specializes in developing an open banking application programming interface (API) designed to facilitate seamless payment transactions between consumer bank accounts and businesses. Established in 2019 and based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Dapi provides a suite of APIs that enable real-time access to customer bank accounts, payment initiation, and financial data retrieval. This functionality allows developers to create a variety of financial applications, including digital wallets and budget trackers, while also enabling fintech companies to offer services based on bank statement data. Operating in seven countries, including the United States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan, South Africa, and Kuwait, Dapi has experienced significant demand for its services, achieving notable growth in annual recurring revenue.

AZA Finance

Series A in 2017
AZA Finance is a fintech company based in Nairobi that specializes in global payments and foreign exchange services. The firm focuses on simplifying currency exchanges and payment settlements across major African and G20 currencies, including digital currencies. As a pioneer in the industry, AZA Finance was the first to facilitate the trading of digital currencies using mobile money and established a direct market between digital and African currencies. The company caters to both frontier market businesses and multinational corporations, providing essential payment solutions for partners and suppliers worldwide. Furthermore, AZA Finance collaborates with leading global remittance firms to deliver white-label payment services to numerous bank networks and mobile money operators throughout Africa, utilizing proprietary technology to enhance the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of transactions.

ORDA

ORDA is a cloud-based restaurant operating system built for African chefs and food business owners. ORDA's ePos, integrations, and lending solutions enable Africa’s millions of food business owners to scale and grow their business. The company was founded in 2020 and is based in Lagos, Nigeria.
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