Investor directory

Y Combinator

Y Combinator is a startup accelerator based in Mountain View, California, founded in 2005. It has pioneered a new funding model for early-stage startups by investing a modest amount of capital, typically around $150,000, in a large number of companies twice a year. Over a three-month program, Y Combinator collaborates closely with these startups to prepare them for investor pitches and enhance their business strategies. Each funding cycle concludes with Demo Day, where startups present to an exclusive audience of investors. Y Combinator focuses on various sectors, including business software, education, healthcare, and financial technology, among others. In addition to initial funding, it offers ongoing support through its extensive alumni network. Since its inception, Y Combinator has funded over 630 startups, contributing significantly to the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Silicon Valley and beyond.

Focus

Seed RoundPre Seed RoundSeries AEarly VentureScale StageShow more
http://ycombinator.com
https://angel.co/company/y-combinator
https://crunchbase.com/organization/y-combinator
https://facebook.com/ycombinator
https://linkedin.com/company/y-combinator
https://pitchbook.com/profiles/investor/40420-36
https://signal.nfx.com/firms/y-combinator
https://twitter.com/ycombinator
https://www.capitaliq.com/CIQDotNet/company.aspx?companyId=32514318
https://www.privateequityinternational.com/database/#/profile?id=14195

Gustaf Alstromer

Group Partner

Matt Bogrand

Associate, YC Continuity Fund

Timothy Brady

Partner

Craig R. Cannon

Director of Marketing

Adora Cheung

Partner

Nic Dardenne

Principal

Aaron Epstein

Group Partner

Brad Flora

Group Partner

Jared Friedman

Managing Director, Software and Group Partner

Aaron Harris

Partner

Carolynn Levy

Partner

Bradford (Brad) Lightcap

Associate, YC Continuity

Kat Manalac

Managing Partner

Eric Migicovsky

Partner

Kirsty Nathoo

Partner

Verena Prescher

Director of Finance

Geoff Ralston

president

Ali Rowghani

Managing Partner

Arnav Sahu

Principal

Michael Seibel

Managing Director

Harj Taggar

Partner

Past deals in Africa

Curacel

Seed Round in 2023
Curacel is building the largest healthcare data platform in Africa. We deliver productivity tools and IT infrastructure to healthcare stakeholders across the continent, empowering them to digitize business processes, connect with stakeholders across the spectrum, and make decisions based on data that is otherwise unavailable. Curacel’s vision is to build a connected healthcare ecosystem for low income economies, to optimize the use of scarce resources, improve patient outcomes, and inform research, policy-making and public health in Africa with 360 degree data for the first time.

LemFi

Pre Seed Round in 2021
Lemonade Finance is a digital bank for the African diaspora. We provide our users with accounts in their country of residence and country of origin for personal and business banking needs.

LemFi

Pre Seed Round in 2021
Lemonade Finance is a digital bank for the African diaspora. We provide our users with accounts in their country of residence and country of origin for personal and business banking needs.

ShipBlu

Seed Round in 2021
ShipBlu, the platform that is redefining the e-commerce shipping and fulfillment experience in Egypt.

Vendease

Seed Round in 2021
VendEase is a marketplace that lets restaurants in Africa, order directly from farms and food manufacturers. Think of us as Instacart, but for businesses.

Chari

Seed Round in 2021
Chari.ma is the leading B2B e-commerce platform for FMCG products in Morocco

Amenli

Seed Round in 2021
Amenli is the first licensed online insurance broker in Egypt.

Vendease

Seed Round in 2021
VendEase is a marketplace that lets restaurants in Africa, order directly from farms and food manufacturers. Think of us as Instacart, but for businesses.

Chari

Convertible Note in 2021
Chari.ma is the leading B2B e-commerce platform for FMCG products in Morocco

MarketForce

Seed Round in 2021
MarketForce connects Africa’s informal retail outlets and consumers directly to suppliers of consumer goods and financial services by digitizing orders, delivery, and payments with the aim of solving the last mile distribution challenge.

ShipBlu

Pre Seed Round in 2021
ShipBlu, the platform that is redefining the e-commerce shipping and fulfillment experience in Egypt.

Chari

Seed Round in 2021
Chari.ma is the leading B2B e-commerce platform for FMCG products in Morocco

Odiggo

Seed Round in 2021
Odiggo is an eCommerce platform that connects customers with established car parts & services suppliers all around Egypt. We're here to make car parts & services as simple as buying a t-shirt online, with a few clicks we can help people find their car parts and get them delivered to their service centers or their homes.

Prospa

Seed Round in 2021
Prospa is a technology company focused on supporting African entrepreneurs and small businesses through its banking application. This application enables business owners to open and manage business accounts, providing them with an account number in the company's name. Prospa's platform facilitates various financial transactions, including sending and receiving transfers, creating invoices, and establishing sub-accounts. By addressing common financial challenges faced by small businesses, Prospa aims to enhance productivity and streamline operations for its users.

Vendease

Seed Round in 2021
VendEase is a marketplace that lets restaurants in Africa, order directly from farms and food manufacturers. Think of us as Instacart, but for businesses.

Flux

Seed Round in 2021
Flux is a mobile app that lets you send money, receive money, make and accept payments across Africa.

Kidato

Seed Round in 2021
Kidato is an online school for K-12 kids with a vision to provide a high-quality, affordable education to the growing middle class in Africa. Kidato has student:teacher ratios of 1:5 and intergrates extracurriculum activities for socilisation

Ramani

Seed Round in 2020
Ramani develops an application for salespeople to track inventory, register their customers, and record their sales transactions. The company was founded in 2020 and is based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

MarketForce

Seed Round in 2020
MarketForce connects Africa’s informal retail outlets and consumers directly to suppliers of consumer goods and financial services by digitizing orders, delivery, and payments with the aim of solving the last mile distribution challenge.

Wallets Africa

Seed Round in 2020
Wallets Africa helps Africans and African-owned businesses send money, receive money, make card payments, and access overdrafts.

Sakneen

Pre Seed Round in 2020
Sakneen is a digital platform established in 2019, headquartered in Cairo, Egypt, designed to facilitate the buying and selling of real estate, primarily residential properties. The platform connects users with available real estate options and offers a streamlined process for applying for financing. It serves a diverse clientele, including developers, agents, and individual buyers, by providing tools that display property inventory on a map, reflecting real-time availability. Additionally, Sakneen enables online payments and enhances inventory distribution across sales teams, catering to various pricing plans suited for different budgets and inventory sizes.

54gene

Series A in 2020
54gene develops a pan-African biobank to identify new drug targets, and develop diagnostics and treatments for diseases. The company targets multiple disease states, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and neuro-degenerative disease. It also provides genetic testing and molecular diagnostics services. The company was founded in 2019 and is based in San Francisco, California with an additional offices in Lagos, Nigeria.

Bamboo

Seed Round in 2020
Bamboo is a digital investment platform based in Lagos, Nigeria, that allows users to buy, hold, or sell stocks listed on the United States and Nigerian stock markets. The platform offers real-time access to stock trading through a mobile application and web interface, making it convenient for users to manage their investments from various devices. By focusing on user-friendly technology, Bamboo aims to simplify the investment process for individuals looking to participate in global financial markets.

Wallets Africa

Seed Round in 2019
Wallets Africa helps Africans and African-owned businesses send money, receive money, make card payments, and access overdrafts.

54gene

Seed Round in 2019
54gene develops a pan-African biobank to identify new drug targets, and develop diagnostics and treatments for diseases. The company targets multiple disease states, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and neuro-degenerative disease. It also provides genetic testing and molecular diagnostics services. The company was founded in 2019 and is based in San Francisco, California with an additional offices in Lagos, Nigeria.

Schoolable

Seed Round in 2019
Schoolable, a fintech company, focuses on providing access to affordable finance in the private school system in Africa. The company is based in Lagos, Nigeria.

Wallets Africa

Seed Round in 2019
Wallets Africa helps Africans and African-owned businesses send money, receive money, make card payments, and access overdrafts.

54gene

Seed Round in 2019
54gene develops a pan-African biobank to identify new drug targets, and develop diagnostics and treatments for diseases. The company targets multiple disease states, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and neuro-degenerative disease. It also provides genetic testing and molecular diagnostics services. The company was founded in 2019 and is based in San Francisco, California with an additional offices in Lagos, Nigeria.

Wallet.ng

Seed Round in 2019
Wallet.ng is a fintech startup that allows people and companies to send, receive, and make payments, using their phone numbers. The company's infrastructure also provides plugins and libraries for merchants to accept payments online with just a URL. Wallet.ng users can pay directly into bank accounts and Pay Utility Bills in Nigeria. Wallet.ng is a mobile payment solution, its core infrastructure is built using technologies which is adaptable for multiple countries across Africa. It was established in Lagos, Lagos by John Oluranti Oke and Joseph Benson-Aruna in 2018..

Allpro Technologies

Pre Seed Round in 2019
Allpro Technologies Limited develops and operates an online platform for schools in Nigeria. The platform offers revenue collection, generates payslips, and allows schools to meet lenders. The company was incorporated in 2017 and is headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria.

Tizeti

Series A in 2018
Tizeti provides broadband internet services to densely populated urban centers in Africa. Tizeti is leveraging the large wireless capacity available with Wi-Fi and plummeting cost of solar panels to create a low CAPEX/OPEX network of owned and operated towers to offer disruptive, customer-friendly pricing for unlimited internet service right across Africa.

Paystack

Series A in 2018
Paystack Payments Limited is a technology company that provides payment processing services to businesses across Africa. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria, with an additional office in San Francisco, California, Paystack offers an online payment gateway that enables merchants to accept various forms of payment, including credit and debit cards, money transfers, and mobile money. The platform facilitates online transactions for a diverse range of clients, including entrepreneurs, corporates, fintech companies, schools, and betting businesses, allowing them to receive funds from customers worldwide. By streamlining payment acceptance, Paystack aims to enhance the financial ecosystem for businesses in the region.

Buycoins

Seed Round in 2018
BuyCoins is a cryptocurrency trading platform based in Lagos, Nigeria, that allows users to buy, sell, receive, send, and store various cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, and Litecoin. The platform operates through a mobile application, enabling instant trading without the need for users to find individual traders for transactions. This service aims to simplify the cryptocurrency trading experience by providing a seamless and efficient interface for both novice and experienced users.

Oolu

Series A in 2017
Oolu is the fastest growing off-grid solar company West Africa. Our Vision is to be the leading energy and financial service provider to millions of customers in the developing world. Our model, developed with local communities, allows us to reach off-grid households in rural villages offering them modern energy access. With a monthly payment model reducing barriers to access, as well as maintenance, parts and battery replacements included in our service, we save our clients money and assure them a continuous, dependable source of energy. In Wolof, a national language of Senegal, Oolu means ‘trust’. By building trust with the communities in which we work, we can grow together.

Tizeti

Seed Round in 2017
Tizeti provides broadband internet services to densely populated urban centers in Africa. Tizeti is leveraging the large wireless capacity available with Wi-Fi and plummeting cost of solar panels to create a low CAPEX/OPEX network of owned and operated towers to offer disruptive, customer-friendly pricing for unlimited internet service right across Africa.

Kangpe

Seed Round in 2017
Kangpe Nigeria Limited provides a platform that connects patients with doctors to get advice on their health issues. The company’s subscription-based services enable patients to ask health related questions doctors online; and doctors to give medical advice for symptoms, disease diagnosis, and treatment when patients describe their health condition in a detailed manner. Kangpe Nigeria Limited was founded in 2015 and is based in Lagos, Nigeria.

Trade Ghana

Seed Round in 2017
Trade is a platform that connects buyers, sellers, and transporters of commodities in Ghana. Trade allows buyers and sellers in Ghana to trade directly, cutting out the middlemen. You pick your quantity, grade, and price and they look for sellers to match you with. They weigh and grade every bag that they trade, deliver directly to you, and will take back any bag you reject, so you can buy without worrying.

BuyPower

Seed Round in 2017
BuyPower is a utility payment platform based in Nigeria, focused on providing a convenient solution for electricity bill payments. The platform allows users to recharge their prepaid electricity meters online, offering services for customers in AEDC and JED PLC States. By enabling users to purchase electricity tokens through their phones or computers, BuyPower eliminates the need for physical queues and simplifies the payment process. This online service is designed to enhance the overall customer experience, making it easier for individuals to manage their electricity payments at any time and from any location.

RelianceHMO

Seed Round in 2017
RelianceHMO is a technology-driven health insurance company focused on providing affordable and reliable insurance solutions for the average African. The company aims to make health insurance more accessible by integrating telemedicine with data science, which helps streamline the process and reduce costs. Through its innovative approach, RelianceHMO addresses the challenges of the healthcare system in Africa, ensuring that more individuals can gain access to necessary medical services.

New Incentives

Venture Round in 2016
New Incentives implements cash transfer programs that save lives. We encourage Nigerian mothers to immunize their infants to protect them against deadly diseases.

Paystack

Pre Seed Round in 2016
Paystack Payments Limited is a technology company that provides payment processing services to businesses across Africa. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria, with an additional office in San Francisco, California, Paystack offers an online payment gateway that enables merchants to accept various forms of payment, including credit and debit cards, money transfers, and mobile money. The platform facilitates online transactions for a diverse range of clients, including entrepreneurs, corporates, fintech companies, schools, and betting businesses, allowing them to receive funds from customers worldwide. By streamlining payment acceptance, Paystack aims to enhance the financial ecosystem for businesses in the region.

Afrostream

Seed Round in 2015
Afrostream Inc is a video-on-demand service that specializes in African and African-American content, offering subscribers unlimited access to a diverse catalog of movies and TV series. Founded in 2014 and based in Ivry-sur-Seine, France, Afrostream addresses the significant demand for black entertainment globally, particularly in Africa, where broadband access is rapidly expanding. The platform provides a range of offerings, including feature films, independent films, TV series, and stand-up comedies, catering to millions of fans who appreciate black culture. By delivering content across multiple devices such as PCs, smartphones, and tablets, Afrostream aims to bridge the gap in available entertainment for the African diaspora and beyond.

Oolu

Seed Round in 2015
Oolu is the fastest growing off-grid solar company West Africa. Our Vision is to be the leading energy and financial service provider to millions of customers in the developing world. Our model, developed with local communities, allows us to reach off-grid households in rural villages offering them modern energy access. With a monthly payment model reducing barriers to access, as well as maintenance, parts and battery replacements included in our service, we save our clients money and assure them a continuous, dependable source of energy. In Wolof, a national language of Senegal, Oolu means ‘trust’. By building trust with the communities in which we work, we can grow together.

PetaSales

Seed Round in 2009
PetaSales is Africa's most innovative inbound marketing company.