The African startup scene has been one for the books in the last two years, as we have seen the rise of many exciting innovations cutting across various industries. In this post, I will highlight 10 African Startups You Should Watch out For in 2025
From fintech to edtech, e-commerce etc, these startups, have been bubbling with high end solutions, well-tailored to cater for Africa's needs, while also making their mark on the global stage. According to a report by BusinessDay, Male-led startups continue to be more prominent than female-led ones. However, many female-led or co-led startups are making their mark from e-commerce to supply chain, edtech, and Artificial Intelligence, among others. It has been reported, that 2024 was the year for African Fintechs, who have remained the most-funded startups in Africa's tech ecosystem, securing 35% of the total funds raised in H1 2024. The sector also welcomed two new unicorns: Moniepoint and Tyme Bank. As we dive into 2025, some of these startups have been poised to make more significant impact on the big stage, while driving Africa's economy.
Here are ten (10) African Startups You Should Watch out For in 2025
Octavia Carbon (Kenya)
Based in Kenya, Octavia Carbon employs direct air capture (DAC) technology to combat climate change by converting CO₂ into rock. This groundbreaking approach has garnered attention in a region increasingly vulnerable to climate change. With a strong emphasis on sustainability, Octavia Carbon offers significant long-term potential for impact-focused investors
Messenger (Nigeria)
Messenger is a logistics platform that provides financing and aggregation for end-to-end logistics and supply chain operations in Nigeria. Co-founded by Amanda Etuk and Essien Etuk, Messenger efficiently connects businesses to their customers through logistics solutions. Messenger optimizes deliveries by providing financial services to logistics entrepreneurs. Through its mobile applications, individuals and businesses can be easily connected to nearby logistics assets while supporting operators through asset financing and operations support.
Foodcourt (Nigeria)
Bringing solutions to the challenges of ordering meals- stress free, FoodCourt has been tipped as one of those promising startups. Founded by Henry Nneji, Ovuoke Buluku and Paul Iruene in 2021, the platform allows users to order meals from multiple restaurants via a mobile app, offering features like cashless payments and grouped order capabilities.
Based in the commercial city of Lagos, FoodCourt has become a key player in Nigeria's digital food service sector, providing convenience and efficiency for both customers and restaurants. It's commitment to innovation has made it a household name in urban food delivery.
M-Kopa (Nigeria)
M-Kopa was founded in 2010, by Nick Hughes, Chad Larson and Jesse Moore. It has connected more than 500,000 homes in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda to solar power, with over 500 new homes added every day. It has so many currently ran projects, underway with strategic partners, looking at its new products and services that run on its power and finance platform. M-Kopa also runs financial services with digital loans, hospital coverage and device protection. M-Kopa has devised over $1.5Billion in credit and enabled customers across five African countries including Nigeria.
Cash Africa (Nigeria)
Launched in 2023, CashAfrica is a contactless based payment system that builds an API that allows banks and fintechs to offer customers a tap-to-pay option within their banking apps. While working to integrate with banks, the fintech has a mobile app—Cash Mobile—that allows users to make transactions using the tap-to-pay feature on their mobile phones.
This is another Nigerian startup which addresses the logistical and trust barriers in cross-border e-commerce founded by Omolara Sanni and Adeola Owosho, particularly for businesses trading with China. In 2024, the startup processed over ₦1 billion in transactions, and offered seamless currency conversions to Yuan, thus, showcasing its scalability.
Launched in 2021, PaidHR is a tech based HR platform that provides software solutions for HR automation, employee data keeping, on-boarding and cross boarder payroll. The startup aims to simplify operations for African businesses and workers.
Kenyan ed-tech startup Craydel, has built a unified university applications platform for learners in Africa. Its university matchmaker offers the most personalizedrecommendations for students. Founded in 2021, Craydel assists African students to apply universities abroad. Craydel operates in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria and Zimbabwe, with 600 partner universities across 45 countries.
Fireflies.ai is an AI-powered note taker that records, transcribes, summarizes, and analyzes meetings. The co-founder and CTO, Sam Udotong, is an MIT alum with a strong foundation in computer science and aerospace engineering and has consistently pushed the boundaries of technology. Fireflies.ai has grown significantly, securing $19 million in funding and building a global team. The startup has emerged as the 4th most popular AI platform globally, serving 16M+ users.
Tyms is a Nigerian startup revolutionizing bookkeeping and accounting for African businesses. The company streamlines accounts payable, accounts receivable, and general accounting tasks through its Tyms Book platform. It was Co-founded in 2021 by Chineye Ochem. In 2025, Tyms plans to integrate AI into its processes, as announced by Ochem on LinkedIn. This upgrade will enable users to generate income statements directly from uploaded PDF bank statements, enhancing efficiency. The platform now features an accounting assistant called Tyms AI, marking a significant step towards automation in African business management.
Conclusion:
Here you have it, African Startups You Should Watch out For in 2025. As we look ahead into 2025, these startups represent just a fraction of the innovative solutions emerging from Africa's vibrant startup ecosystem.
With increased funding opportunities, growing digital adoption, and a focus on solving unique African challenges, these companies are well-positioned to make significant impacts in their respective sectors.
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