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    Ecosystem News

    ‘Markets Dictate Success, Not Founders’: How TLcom Is Adapting to Africa’s VC Realignment

    Cyril Shonibare, Principal at TLCOM—one of Africa’s largest early-stage VC funds—sits down with Launch Base Africa to discuss the firm’s deployment strategy, the collapse of open banking pioneer Okra, and hard-won lessons in early-stage African venture capital.

    “Directly Selling Insurance to Farmers Does Not Work”: Pula CEO on Avoiding Agtech’s Deadliest Trap

    From rural Kenya to the Earthshot shortlist: Pula CEO Thomas Njeru reveals to Launch Base Africa how the profitable agtech reached 24 million farmers and why impact and profitability are not mutually exclusive.

    SunCulture Closes $10m Securitisation Deal as African Climate Tech Turns to Capital Markets

    The transaction is designed to allow SunCulture to recycle capital that would otherwise be tied up in longer-dated customer receivables.

    Mission Mobile Gets $30M From DNI to Take on M-KOPA in South Africa’s Device Financing Boom

    Pepkor, through its FoneYam platform, accounts for a dominant share of prepaid handset sales in the country .

    From Grants to Fund-of-Funds: Morocco’s Startup Finance Playbook Enters Phase Two

    World Bank gives first-stage programme top marks as new catalytic vehicle targets 2.5bn dirhams for digital ventures - but exit routes remain the missing piece
    Analysis & Opinion

    South Africa’s Electric Car Shift Bypasses Full Battery Models as Chinese Brands Tighten Grip

    Hybrids dominate the NEV segment while Chinese manufacturers approach one-fifth of the total market.

    The East Is Settling Into African Tech, Quietly

    A Toyota-backed fund, an Abu Dhabi sovereign investor and a Hong Kong merchant bank sat at the centre of August's largest African-linked funding round. None of them was there by accident.

    Five Countries, Half a Million Dollars: Inside Nigeria’s New Startup Funding Math

    Nigerian founders are not failing to raise capital so much as raising it through instruments that didn't used to be the plan.

    Priced Out of London: Why Nigeria’s Fintechs Are Abandoning UK Remittances

    A little over a year ago, Moniepoint pushed back publicly against a Launch Base Africa report detailing heavy losses at its newly launched UK operation, calling the figures overstated.

    From Wages to Fraud to Deliveries: The Pattern Behind South Africa’s Recent Startup Funding

    A run of recent funding rounds shows local venture capital gravitating toward one type of company - regardless of sector.

    Industry

    Two Exits in Six Years: Dan Kleinbaum’s GTXN Acquired by Luno

    Deal gives the crypto exchange an owned settlement layer across developed–emerging market corridors - but proposed South African rules may restrict the very activity it enables.

    Cairo’s BPO Ecosystem Opens a New Front for Transatlantic Dealmaking

    While greenfield setups remain the main vehicle for corporate expansion in Egypt's tech export sector, cross-border M&A is emerging as an alternative for North American buyers seeking rapid scale.

    Is Talent Export the New Impact Thesis? Daniel Yu’s $100M Fund Makes Its First Bet

    Move signals fund's focus on labour migration as a pathway out of poverty.

    Shuttlers Launches Carpooling Service as Rivals Race for Uber’s Market Share in Nigeria

    Findings by Launch Base Africa found that fares on several ride-hailing platforms operating in Nigeria have risen sharply since Uber’s exit.

    Four Startups, One Lead Investor: Inside Atlantica’s African AI Infrastructure Thesis

    A Lagos-based venture firm has backed four AI-native infrastructure start-ups in 18 months.

    Governance, Policy & Regulations Forum

    Tunisia’s Fintech Crackdown

    Analysts expect these hurdles to favor established institutions.

    Algeria’s Fintech Era Begins as Telecom Giant Djezzy Secures Country’s First PSP License

    The entity is a dedicated subsidiary of Optimum Telecom Algeria (Djezzy), the country’s second-largest mobile operator.

    Open Rails, Closed Doors: West Africa’s Central Bank Is Entrenching Bank Monopolies

    The central bank’s open-banking framework was designed to level the playing field, but initial rollouts have concentrated rail control among legacy institutions—forcing agile startups to rent the very infrastructure meant to liberate them.

    14% to 4%: How Nigerian Regulation Took a Bite Out of Optasia’s Growth

    Ghana remains the group's largest African market by revenue, but a regulatory suspension in Nigeria has sharply reduced its contribution.

    How Moving Goalposts Are Freezing Francophone West Africa’s Fintech Scene

    For investors considering Francophone West Africa’s fintech sector, the past eighteen months have been ‘a study in uncertainty’.

    All the Latest Articles

    Final Liquidation Ordered for Copia Despite Creditor Fight Over IP Sale and Audit

    Court rejects creditor demands for forensic audit, appoints KPMG pair as liquidators despite objections over transparency.

    ‘Markets Dictate Success, Not Founders’: How TLcom Is Adapting to Africa’s VC Realignment

    Cyril Shonibare, Principal at TLCOM—one of Africa’s largest early-stage VC funds—sits down with Launch Base Africa to discuss the firm’s deployment strategy, the collapse of open banking pioneer Okra, and hard-won lessons in early-stage African venture capital.

    Tunisia’s Fintech Crackdown

    Analysts expect these hurdles to favor established institutions.

    Opera Quietly Liquidates Kenyan Ad Unit Ahead of OPay’s $4B US IPO

    Opera’s fintech play in Africa extends well beyond its Kenyan operating entities.

    “Directly Selling Insurance to Farmers Does Not Work”: Pula CEO on Avoiding Agtech’s Deadliest Trap

    From rural Kenya to the Earthshot shortlist: Pula CEO Thomas Njeru reveals to Launch Base Africa how the profitable agtech reached 24 million farmers and why impact and profitability are not mutually exclusive.