Africa VC funding dips by 54% in H1 2023, as accelerators lead the way in cheque-writing

VC funding of African tech startups dips by 54% in H1 2023 as funding crunch continues.

According to data from research firm MAGNiTT, VC firms invested $951 million in the African tech ecosystem in H1 2023. It’s a 54% drop compared to H1 2022. VC firms also completed 214 deals, a 50% decline from the 2022 numbers. Exits continue to be few and far between in 2023 with only 15 exits so far.

Fintech continues to be the VC darling even in a downturn, with fintech startups clocking 29% of the total funding. Ecommerce and transport and logistics startups complete the top three receiving 12% and 11% of the total funding respectively. 

By country, Nigeria lead the pack in terms of deal volume, followed by Kenya and South Africa. In terms of deal value, Egypt leads the continent, mainly driven by the $260 million MNT Halan deal in February, followed by South Africa which saw a 3% reduction in deal value and Nigeria.

Interestingly, accelerators, and not VCs, led most of the cheque-writing by volume in this half of the year, accounting for five of the top 10 investments in the time period. Accelerators made up the top 4 of the most active investors, with ARM Labs Lagos, Catalyst fund, The Baobab Network, and Norrsken Global leading the way with 13, 19, 9, and 8 deals respectively.

In terms of value, the entire top 10 comprise international investment, with Chimera Capital, Tencent, Blue Earth Capital, Sumitomo Corporation, and Apis Partners leading the way. Exits wise, 15 represents 25% of the entire 2022 total of 60 exits on the continent , with Kenya leading the way with four exits. 

As the VC funding crunch continues, investors seem to be focusing their attention on making early-stage bets, with 57% of all investment into the continent going to early-stage startups, a 5% increase compared to 2022 figures.

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