Investor directory

Techstars

Techstars Central LLC, founded in 2006 and based in Boulder, Colorado, operates as a startup accelerator and venture capital firm focused on supporting early-stage technology-oriented companies. It specializes in a mentorship-driven accelerator program, selecting ten startups each summer to participate in a three-month incubation period, offering funding of $120,000 in exchange for equity. Techstars invests primarily in sectors such as fintech, artificial intelligence, blockchain, augmented reality, and IoT, while avoiding investments in medical devices, healthcare technology, and local service-oriented businesses. In addition to its primary accelerator, Techstars has various specialized programs, including those focused on music, retail, mobility, and social impact, with global reach extending to regions such as Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The firm prefers taking minority stakes, typically between six and ten percent, without seeking board representation or investor rights. Techstars has built a robust network of entrepreneurs, mentors, and corporate partners to foster innovation and growth within its portfolio, which includes over 1,000 companies with a significant collective market capitalization.

Focus

Pre Seed RoundSeed RoundArtificial IntelligenceMachine LearningSeries AShow more
http://techstars.com/ventures
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https://linkedin.com/company/techstars
https://twitter.com/techstars
https://www.capitaliq.com/CIQDotNet/company.aspx?companyId=431767203
https://www.privateequityinternational.com/database/#/profile?id=14977

Ethan Austin

MD of the Techstars Western Union Accelerator

Mark Tortorella

Advisor

Nathanial Zola

MD

Past deals in Africa

Glamera

Seed Round in 2022
Glamera is a mobile application designed for Arab women to easily book and pay for health and beauty services. Launched in 2019 and based in Nasr City, Egypt, the app addresses common challenges associated with scheduling appointments at salons and beauty professionals. Users can select their desired location and service, schedule appointments, and choose from various payment methods, including options for payment in the salon or through the app itself. The platform features over 200 service providers, allowing clients to discover new services while saving time and effort. Glamera also enhances the user experience by offering discounts and loyalty points through its payment gateways. The application operates in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, making beauty services more accessible and convenient.

Lenco

Seed Round in 2021
Lenco is a Neobank that makes current bank accounts and tools for SMEs to grow in Africa. It make bank accounts easy to open and free to manage for businesses in Africa, while also providing tools that helps the businesses grow

Igugu Global

Pre Seed Round in 2021
Igugu Global provides climate transition analytics to search, structure, and finance sustainable infrastructure projects. It is also a provider of environmental, social, and governance mapping, structuring, and due diligence for green building, transport, and energy portfolios that enable clients to solve the problem of fragmentation in financial markets. Founded in 2019 by Anele Makhwaza, Igugu Global is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Glamera

Seed Round in 2021
Glamera is a mobile application designed for Arab women to easily book and pay for health and beauty services. Launched in 2019 and based in Nasr City, Egypt, the app addresses common challenges associated with scheduling appointments at salons and beauty professionals. Users can select their desired location and service, schedule appointments, and choose from various payment methods, including options for payment in the salon or through the app itself. The platform features over 200 service providers, allowing clients to discover new services while saving time and effort. Glamera also enhances the user experience by offering discounts and loyalty points through its payment gateways. The application operates in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, making beauty services more accessible and convenient.

AfroLandTV

Pre Seed Round in 2020
AfroLandTV Inc. provides subscription streaming entertainment service through its TV platform for pan African TV shows and movies. It offers movies, web series, shows, and others. The company was incorporated in 2017 and is based in Newark, Delaware.

Rise Vest Technologies

Pre Seed Round in 2020
Unlocking Foreign Investment Opportunities For Africans We’re a technology-driven finance company connecting everyday Africans with the best dollar-denominated investment opportunities around the world.

Versus Africa

Pre Seed Round in 2019
Versus is a tool that combines online and offline consumer data to give brands actionable and competitive insight for the African market. Working with global clients both within Africa and beyond, we seek to help brands have a better understanding of the African consumer.

Cowtribe

Seed Round in 2019
Cowtribe Technology Limited provides animal vaccine delivery services to farmers in Ghana. The company offers a mobile application for farmers that lets the to subscribe and provide all relevant animal information. It provides cloud based logistics management system that tracks the health statistics of each animal, remind the farmers when it is time for their animals to receive services, and manages delivery of vaccines to the farmers. Cowtribe Technology Limited was founded in 2016 and is based in Tamale, Ghana.

Wella Health

Pre Seed Round in 2019
Wellahealth is a startup that has developed a digital triage bot that provides guidance based on Nigeria Centre for Disease Control guidelines and logs responses for follow up by public health as needed.

Tribl

Pre Seed Round in 2019
TRiBL is a Trust Network for African conversations, connections, & commerce.

KEA Medicals

Pre Seed Round in 2018
KEA Medicals aims to interconnect African hospitals through a single database in order to manage the whole patient medical information.

Mobius Motors

Series A in 2018
Mobius Motors Ltd. is a Kenyan company established in 2011, focused on designing, manufacturing, and selling vehicles tailored for the African mass market. The company specializes in producing affordable vehicles that cater to the unique needs of developing world consumers, particularly for transporting heavy cargo and facilitating public transport across rough and degraded terrains. By providing practical transportation solutions, Mobius Motors aims to enhance mobility in rural Africa, contributing to improved connectivity and prosperity in the region. The company is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya.

Sun Exchange

Seed Round in 2017
The Sun Exchange operates an innovative online platform that connects individuals with opportunities to own and lease solar equipment to various end-users, including hospitals, factories, and schools in South Africa. Founded in 2015 and based in Cape Town, the company serves as a pioneer in the peer-to-peer solar leasing market. By allowing users worldwide to purchase solar cells and lease them remotely, Sun Exchange facilitates access to affordable clean energy in emerging markets. This model not only provides solar cell owners with income generated from electricity production but also helps organizations reduce their energy costs and carbon footprints. The platform utilizes blockchain technology to streamline transactions, enhancing transparency and efficiency in the solar leasing process. Through its efforts, Sun Exchange aims to promote sustainable energy development and broaden the environmental, social, and economic benefits of solar energy.

HydroIQ

Seed Round in 2017
Hydrologistics Africa is a Technology company providing innovative water distribution network connecting Water Utilities companies and Water Consumers via Online platform increasing efficiency in Water use,Quality,Consumption, leakage detection with sensors relaying information through Data Analytics enabling real-time water information and Mobile money payments.

OffGridBox

Funding Round in 2017
OffGridBox is a modular and compact unit that provides renewable energy and clean water in remote areas and developing countries. Their OffGridBox™, an all-in-one system, fits entirely inside a 6x6x6 feet shipping container and is equipped with all the hardware needed to produce electricity and clean water. This innovative technology is a solution for more than 2 billion people worldwide that need energy and clean water on a daily basis. One unit potentially managed by a local women co-op in a Rwandese village can impact up to 300 families (circa 1500 people) providing Tier 1 electricity and sterilized water. They deployed 38 units in 9 Countries (Italy, South Africa, Rwanda, Nigeria, Philippines, Madagascar, US and Colombia) for different segments: humanitarian, household retail, service to industry. These units have operated more than 400,000 working hours.

Sun Exchange

Pre Seed Round in 2017
The Sun Exchange operates an innovative online platform that connects individuals with opportunities to own and lease solar equipment to various end-users, including hospitals, factories, and schools in South Africa. Founded in 2015 and based in Cape Town, the company serves as a pioneer in the peer-to-peer solar leasing market. By allowing users worldwide to purchase solar cells and lease them remotely, Sun Exchange facilitates access to affordable clean energy in emerging markets. This model not only provides solar cell owners with income generated from electricity production but also helps organizations reduce their energy costs and carbon footprints. The platform utilizes blockchain technology to streamline transactions, enhancing transparency and efficiency in the solar leasing process. Through its efforts, Sun Exchange aims to promote sustainable energy development and broaden the environmental, social, and economic benefits of solar energy.

OffGridBox

Seed Round in 2017
OffGridBox is a modular and compact unit that provides renewable energy and clean water in remote areas and developing countries. Their OffGridBox™, an all-in-one system, fits entirely inside a 6x6x6 feet shipping container and is equipped with all the hardware needed to produce electricity and clean water. This innovative technology is a solution for more than 2 billion people worldwide that need energy and clean water on a daily basis. One unit potentially managed by a local women co-op in a Rwandese village can impact up to 300 families (circa 1500 people) providing Tier 1 electricity and sterilized water. They deployed 38 units in 9 Countries (Italy, South Africa, Rwanda, Nigeria, Philippines, Madagascar, US and Colombia) for different segments: humanitarian, household retail, service to industry. These units have operated more than 400,000 working hours.

OffGridBox

Pre Seed Round in 2017
OffGridBox is a modular and compact unit that provides renewable energy and clean water in remote areas and developing countries. Their OffGridBox™, an all-in-one system, fits entirely inside a 6x6x6 feet shipping container and is equipped with all the hardware needed to produce electricity and clean water. This innovative technology is a solution for more than 2 billion people worldwide that need energy and clean water on a daily basis. One unit potentially managed by a local women co-op in a Rwandese village can impact up to 300 families (circa 1500 people) providing Tier 1 electricity and sterilized water. They deployed 38 units in 9 Countries (Italy, South Africa, Rwanda, Nigeria, Philippines, Madagascar, US and Colombia) for different segments: humanitarian, household retail, service to industry. These units have operated more than 400,000 working hours.

Jamii Africa

Seed Round in 2016
Jamii Africa is mobile micro-health insurance for the informal sector. They built a mobile policy management platform that performs 99% of insurance administration activities and formed strategic partnerships with an Insurer/ Jubilee Insurance and a Telecom/ Vodacom Tanzania to enable a cashless facility and utilise the mobile money platforms for premium collection and benefit payouts. Their platform manages the benefit ledger and is integrated to mobile money and insurer systems. Enabling us to cut down administration costs by 99% which results to cheaper premiums affordable to their target market.

SimbaPay

Seed Round in 2016
SimbaPay provides a B2B SaaS solution to banks and Telcos/Mobile Money companies in Africa. The SimbaPay B2B solution won Best B2B solution at RemTech 2018. SimbaPay's technology enables customers of these banks and telcos to send money abroad using mobile money or e-banking. Through the use of its award winning chatbot, customers without Internet access are also able to access the service. Money sent abroad via SimbaPay is delivered electronically direct to mobile wallets or bank accounts in the destination countries. SimbaPay headquartered in London and is licensed and regulated by the FCA.

Jamii Africa

Seed Round in 2016
Jamii Africa is mobile micro-health insurance for the informal sector. They built a mobile policy management platform that performs 99% of insurance administration activities and formed strategic partnerships with an Insurer/ Jubilee Insurance and a Telecom/ Vodacom Tanzania to enable a cashless facility and utilise the mobile money platforms for premium collection and benefit payouts. Their platform manages the benefit ledger and is integrated to mobile money and insurer systems. Enabling us to cut down administration costs by 99% which results to cheaper premiums affordable to their target market.

BenBen

Seed Round in 2016
BenBen is a team of motivated engineers and innovators dedicated to improving Government Technology in Ghana. With their current focus on Land & Property Management , They aim to create a secured land title registration system and citizen payment portal that will bring Ghana to the forefront of land investment and govtech innovation and serve as a model for the rest of the world.

iNuka Pap

Seed Round in 2016
iNuka Pap Limited operates a mobile platform that partners with savings and credit co-operatives (SACCOs) in Africa to provide members access to instant loans. The company was founded in 2014 and is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya.

Asoriba

Seed Round in 2016
Asoriba Inc. develops a Web based church management software solution. Its church management software allows administrators to capture detailed church member information, and leader and church operations; and members to give tithes, offerings, and pledges to the church. The company also develops a mobile application that enables church members to receive devotionals, sermons, event notices, and other relevant information, as well as to send prayer requests to their pastor. Asoriba Inc. was founded in 2014 and is headquartered in Accra, Ghana.

MAX

Seed Round in 2015
Metro Africa Xpress, also known as MAX.ng, is a Lagos-based company that specializes in on-demand package pickup and delivery services. Incorporated in 2015, MAX.ng offers various delivery options including same day, three-hour, and next day services. The company addresses last-mile delivery challenges by utilizing mobile and web platforms to connect consumers, retail businesses, and independent drivers in real-time. By streamlining logistics and leveraging technology, MAX.ng aims to enhance the capabilities of retail businesses in Africa, facilitating growth and improving service delivery in the region. Additionally, the company provides a mobile application that integrates delivery services with ride-hailing options, further enhancing convenience for its users.

Gust Pay

Seed Round in 2014
Gust Pay (Pty) Ltd. provides an application for mobile payment using iPhone and Android. It also offers cashless events services and allows users to pay for goods at selected stores by connecting through WiFi. The company is based in Cape Town, South Africa.

Mobius Motors

Pre Seed Round in 2013
Mobius Motors Ltd. is a Kenyan company established in 2011, focused on designing, manufacturing, and selling vehicles tailored for the African mass market. The company specializes in producing affordable vehicles that cater to the unique needs of developing world consumers, particularly for transporting heavy cargo and facilitating public transport across rough and degraded terrains. By providing practical transportation solutions, Mobius Motors aims to enhance mobility in rural Africa, contributing to improved connectivity and prosperity in the region. The company is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya.