While the spotlight often shines on headline-grabbing mega-rounds, the bedrock of Africa’s rapidly growing startup ecosystem lies in the consistent flow of smaller (or missed bigger rounds), yet equally vital, investments. This week’s edition of the African Startup Deal Tracker delves into these under-the-radar transactions, encompassing pre-seed funding, angel investments, and strategic acquisitions that collectively paint a picture of sustained growth and investor confidence across the continent. These deals, spanning diverse sectors from agri-tech to legal tech, highlight the ingenuity of African startup founders and the breadth of opportunities being seized.

Here’s a closer look at the notable under-the-radar investment activity we’re tracking this week:

BEE 

• Investment: An undisclosed investment.
• Investor: Fuzé by Digital Africa.
• Sector/Focus: Fintech / Mobility. The company provides a tech-driven leasing model that offers motorcycles and smartphones to commercial drivers on flexible and accessible payment plans.
• Country of Operation: Cameroon.
• Purpose: To scale operations within Cameroon and to prepare for future expansion into the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Côte d’Ivoire.

MoneyBadger

• Investment: $400,000 (R7 million) in a pre-seed round.
• Investor(s): P1 Ventures (lead investor) and crypto-native angel investors.
• Sector/Focus: Fintech / Cryptocurrency. A startup providing Bitcoin payment infrastructure, primarily using the Lightning Network, for customers to make payments at retail outlets.
• Country of Operation: South Africa.
• Purpose: To scale adoption of its payment infrastructure and expand its merchant footprint through partnerships with major payment providers, e-commerce platforms, and national QR code networks.

EATO

• Investment: An undisclosed funding round.
• Investor(s): Nubia Capital.
• Sector/Focus: Foodtech / AI / Fintech. An AI-powered digital marketplace connecting African food entrepreneurs with global consumers and financing. It combines media, e-commerce (meal kits, grocery delivery), and a proprietary data system to help SMEs build digital credit profiles.
• Country of Operation: Ghana
• Purpose: To accelerate its mission to build the digital infrastructure for Africa’s food economy, making African food businesses discoverable, trusted, and tradable on a global scale.

PocketLawyers

• Investment: An undisclosed investment.
• Investor(s): Nubia Capital.
• Sector/Focus: Legal Tech / AI. An AI-powered platform (PocketAI) that automates legal research, document drafting, invoicing, and case management for businesses and legal professionals.
• Country of Operation: Nigeria.
• Purpose: To expand its AI-powered legal tools across Africa and scale its reach, with the goal of providing the infrastructure to formalize African SMEs.

Keep It Cool (KIC)

• Investment: A strategic investment of an undisclosed amount. (This is part of a larger funding round led by Acumen).
• Investor(s): Global Innovation Fund (GIF).
• Sector/Focus: Agritech / Logistics Tech / Climate Tech. The company provides decentralized cold storage and logistics solutions (solar-powered coolers, refrigerated trucks) via its “Markiti” platform to reduce post-harvest losses for smallholder farmers and fisherfolk.
• Country of Operation: Kenya (with operations in Uganda).
• Purpose: To scale operations across Kenya and Uganda, develop a new solar-powered cold chain hub, and expand its regional distribution centers.

gamp

• Investment: A mixed Naira debt round of an undisclosed amount.
• Investor(s): FSDH, Meristem, BAS Finance Company, and existing angel investors.
• Sector/Focus: Fintech / IT Management. A device lifecycle management platform that helps businesses buy, finance (via DaaS, lease-to-own, rentals), protect, and manage their work devices (laptops, tablets, smartphones).
• Country of Operation: Nigeria.
• Purpose: To expand its ability to offer flexible device financing options to businesses, allowing them to replace large upfront capital expenses with predictable operating expenses, and to further automate its platform.

Tru Count Inc.

• Investment: Over $130,000 (exceeding a $7,000 target) through a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign. 
• Investor(s): Over 1,000 individual backers. 
• Sector/Focus: Wearable Tech / Fitness. A company offering “Tru,” a small, stylish, and highly accurate ankle-based step tracker designed to integrate seamlessly into everyday fashion. 
• Country of Operation: Nigeria
• Purpose: To bring “Tru” to market, offering a discreet and fashionable alternative to traditional, often bulky or inaccurate, fitness trackers.

Jem HR

• Deal Name/Company: Jem
• Investment: Undisclosed investment (Zuko Mdwaba appointed as strategic enterprise partner and investor).
• Investor(s): Zuko Mdwaba
• Sector/Focus: HR and financial platform for frontline workers.
• Country of Operation: South Africa
• Purpose: To support Jem’s scale-up phase, expand its target market from mid-market to South Africa’s largest employers, drive enterprise sales opportunities, close landmark deals, mentor the commercial team, and serve as a public ambassador.

Mataa

• Deal Name/Company: Mataa
• Investment: Undisclosed Seed investment round.
• Investor(s): A group of Libyan business angels.
• Sector/Focus: E-commerce / Shopping app with express delivery; marketplace model.
• Country of Operation: Libya.
• Purpose: To enhance operational capabilities, including first- and last-mile logistics, warehouse expansion, onboarding more suppliers and product categories, and recruiting experienced regional talent. The funding will also help Mataa double down on its marketplace model and support Facebook-based sellers.

Swyft

• Deal Name/Company: Swyft
• Investment: Undisclosed investment.
• Investor(s): UM International Investment Fund (University of Michigan).
• Sector/Focus: Logistics / Modernizing logistics and first-to-last mile delivery.
• Country of Operation: Cameroon
• Purpose: To modernize logistics across Cameroon and beyond, and to scale the business.

enee.io

• Investment: $250,000.
• Investor: All On.
• Sector/Focus: Energy Tech / Clean Tech. The firm specializes in advanced energy monitoring systems and intelligent software to help users manage energy consumption, enhance the efficiency of renewable energy systems, and reduce wastage.
• Country of Operation: Nigeria (for sales operations).
• Purpose: To scale its sales operations in Nigeria, helping more businesses and communities transition from inadequate grid supply and expensive diesel to more reliable, data-driven energy systems.