Africa’s startup ecosystem reached a major milestone in 2025, with founders attracting massive capital flows despite ongoing economic and infrastructure challenges.
In a year when African startups raised an estimated $3.93 billion in disclosed funding across 551 companies, a small group of visionary CEOs accounted for over $1.66 billion more than 42% of the total.
These leaders represent sectors ranging from clean energy and fintech to logistics and mobile money proving the continent’s innovation and resilience in the global tech arena.
Top 10 African Startup CEOs by Funding Raised in 2025
10 Tosin Eniolorunda — Moniepoint ($100M)
Founder & CEO, Moniepoint (Nigeria)
Tosin Eniolorunda led one of Nigeria’s most successful fintech platforms to raise $100 million through two funding rounds. Moniepoint — a payments and financial services provider — attracted global investors including Visa, Google for Startups Black Founders Fund, and Verod Capital to fuel expansion into SME banking and merchant services.
9️⃣ Nic Klopper — LXE Hearing ($100M)
Founder & CEO, LXE Hearing
Nic Klopper’s innovative hearing tech startup drew $100 million supporting expansion in health tech solutions across underserved markets.
8️⃣ Kaushik Burman — Spiro ($100M)
CEO, Spiro
Spiro’s AI-driven enterprise growth tools closed a $100 million funding round in 2025, underlining investor confidence in data-centric B2B solutions.
7️⃣ Chief Diana Chen — Lagride ($100M)
Chairman, Lagride
Lagride’s mobility tech offering secured $100 million, targeting scalable, efficient transit options across African urban centers.
6️⃣ Mounir Nakhla — MNT-Halan ($121.4M)
Founder & CEO, MNT-Halan
Egyptian fintech and micro-credit super app MNT-Halan raised $121.4 million, continuing its mission to expand financial inclusion through digital lending and payments.
5️⃣ Drew Durbin — Wave Mobile Money ($137M)
Founder & CEO, Wave Mobile Money
Senegal’s Wave Mobile Money closed $137 million to scale mobile payments and digital financial services in West Africa.
4️⃣ Jesse Moore — M-Kopa ($166M)
Founder & CEO, M-Kopa (Kenya)
M-Kopa, a pay-as-you-go platform for solar and smart devices, secured $166 million, strengthening its reach into energy access and digital credit products.
3️⃣ Patrick Walsh — Sun King / Greenlight Planet ($196M)
CEO, Sun King (Greenlight Planet)
Clean energy leader Sun King — a brand of Greenlight Planet — raised $196 million, boosting affordable solar solutions for millions off-grid users.
2️⃣ Nedjip Tozun — d.light ($300M)
CEO, d.light
At $300 million raised, Nedjip Tozun’s clean energy company expanded its pay-as-you-go solar model to households across Africa, touching millions of lives with affordable power.
1️⃣ Salvador Anglada — Optasia ($345M)
Founder & CEO, Optasia
Leading the chart with $345 million, Salvador Anglada’s Optasia delivered breakthrough financing for infrastructure, logistics, and supply-chain tech across emerging markets.
Africa’s Funding Landscape in 2025
- Total disclosed funding: ~$3.93 billion across 551 deals.
- The top 10 deals alone accounted for ~42% of all investment.
- Even with regulatory and infrastructure hurdles, African startups demonstrated significant growth and investor appeal.
These investments reflect increasing confidence in African founders’ ability to build scalable solutions for local and global markets — with strong interest from global VC firms, strategic investors, and sector specialists.
Why This Matters
African startups are not only closing large deals but also shaping how technology solves everyday problems in finance, energy, mobility, and healthcare. Their success stories signal a maturing ecosystem — one ready to compete on the global stage.
Image Credit: Nairametrics
Source: Nairametris
