Start-ups across Africa have collectively raised $2.5 billion over the past 12 months (June 2024 to May 2025), marking the highest 12-month fundraising total on the continent since early 2024, Africa: The Big Deal latest report disclosed.
The milestone underscores a steady rebound in investor confidence and capital inflow following a slow start to 2024. The momentum continued in May 2025, with African start-ups securing a total of $254 million in disclosed funding. While not record-breaking, this figure suggests that March’s poor showing may have been a temporary dip rather than a sustained downturn.
Notably, funding figures for 2025 so far, now exceeding $1 billion in just five months, represent a 40 percent increase compared to the same period in 2024, when start-ups raised $750 million.
A total of 36 start-ups announced deals worth over $100,000 in May. Though slightly fewer than in recent months, the drop in deal count was offset by a surge in deal size. No fewer than seven companies raised over $10 million last month, signaling a shift toward larger, more growth-oriented investments.
Leading the pack was Egyptian proptech company Nawy, which made headlines with a $75 million round, $52 million in Series A equity led by Partech, and $23 million in debt. It stands as the largest proptech deal in Africa’s history.
Egyptian ventures, in fact, dominated the month. Six of the seven $10 million-plus deals were closed by start-ups from the North African country. These include:
Tasaheel, a fintech subsidiary of MNT-Halan, with Egypt’s largest corporate bond issuance at $50 million; Valu, which secured $27 million from Saudi investors and is preparing for a public listing; Thndr, a digital investment platform, raised over $15 million; Sylndr, a mobility-focused start-up, closed a Series A worth over $15 million and Money Fellows, a collaborative finance platform, landed a $13 million pre-Series C to fund expansion beyond Egypt.
The only non-Egyptian entry in the top deal bracket was South African healthtech company AURA, which raised a $15 million Series B co-led by Partech and the CAIF, with sights set on U.S. market expansion.
ARegionally, Egypt leads the continent in 2025 funding so far, accounting for 31 percent (over $330 million) of the total raised, followed by South Africa at 26 per cent, Nigeria at 15 per cent, and Kenya at 12 per cent.
