Startup Funding Continues Despite Slight Dip
As the second quarter nears its end, startup funding in Africa and the Middle East remains steady, with this week’s disclosed deals totaling $45 million. Although this represents a slight decrease from last week’s $60 million, the rounds that were finalized addressed significant real-world problems.
Notable Deals in South Africa
In South Africa, Nile, an agri-tech startup, secured ZAR200 million (~$11.3 million) in funding led by Cathay AfricInvest Innovation Fund. The marketplace connects farmers and buyers directly, bypassing fragmented supply chains across Southern Africa. The funds will be used to enhance growth logistics in the region.
Another South African startup, Zero Carbon Charge, received ZAR100 million (~$5.6 million) from the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) to build off-grid, solar-powered ultra-fast EV charging stations. The plan is to establish a charging station every 150 km on major national roads, addressing energy instability by bypassing the grid.
Vastpoint, a land and geospatial tech company, also based in South Africa, received strategic backing from Vital Capital to digitize land ownership and improve management systems in vulnerable regions where land rights are often undocumented or mismanaged.
Healthtech and Deep Tech Investments
In Senegal, KERA Health Platforms, a Dakar-based e-health startup, raised $10 million from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to improve healthcare delivery, particularly in areas with weak or fragmented medical infrastructure.
In Israel, two deep tech startups made significant strides. Colugo Systems, which produces electric drones for military and civil use, secured $8.5 million in its first round, led by Ayalon Insurance and Finance. Hirundo, another Israeli startup, closed an $8 million seed round to develop a machine unlearning platform that helps enterprise AI systems ‘forget’ sensitive or outdated data, a crucial feature for compliance-heavy industries.
UAE Startups Make Headway
In the UAE, Qanooni, a legaltech startup, raised $2 million in pre-seed funding to build an AI-powered legal automation engine. The startup plans to expand across the UAE and UK, streamlining back-office legal tasks such as contracts, filings, and dispute resolution.
Another UAE-based startup, SANTECHTURE, received a strategic investment from US-based CorroHealth to further develop AI-powered revenue cycle management tools for healthcare providers in the region.
While there were no major announcements from Nigeria or Saudi Arabia this week, the funding rounds for charging infrastructure, food supply, health delivery, land rights, and applied AI felt quietly productive, laying foundational groundwork with long-term value.
