Sony has revealed the first two bets from its $10M Africa fund, backing Kenyan creator monetisation platform Twiva and pan-African production logistics startup Filmmakers Mart (FMM). The deals are the first to be announced from the Sony Innovation Fund: Africa, launched in 2023 to back seed and early-stage startups across the continent’s entertainment and creative sectors.

Instead of investing in content studios or artists, Sony’s first moves from its Africa fund signal a clear strategy: back the underlying infrastructure — the “picks and shovels” — that enables Africa’s creators and producers to operate and scale.

The Deals

Sony has placed its chips on two companies solving foundational problems for Africa’s creatives.

First is a seed investment in Twiva, a Kenyan platform founded in 2020 that connects brands with a network of social media influencers for marketing campaigns. The platform allows businesses to tap into micro-influencers, who earn commissions ranging from 5% to 10% on sales they generate. Twiva plans to use the funding to expand into new African markets and develop its AI-powered tools and an embedded finance solution, Twiva Pay.

“With Sony’s expertise in entertainment and technology, we will scale our impact, expand into new markets, and unlock new income-generating opportunities for Africa’s youth,” said Peter N. Kironji, co-founder and CEO of Twiva.

Second, Sony has co-invested alongside the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in Filmmakers Mart (FMM). The startup is building a digital operating system for the film industry, tackling the logistical headaches of production in its current markets of Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Morocco, and South Africa. FMM’s platform is a one-stop shop that connects production crews with vetted services like location scouting, catering, equipment rental, and permit acquisition.

“We’re building the ecosystem of interconnected tools and services designed to eliminate friction… for creatives and entertainment businesses,” said Eric Kafui Okyerefo, CEO of Filmmakers Mart.

An Infrastructure-First Strategy

Sony’s investments are not in the content itself, but in the tools that power the continent’s digital creative gold rush. Africa has over 250 million young people actively using digital platforms, making the creator economy one of its most promising sectors for job creation. 🧑‍💻

By backing Twiva, Sony is tapping into the fast-growing social commerce market. By backing FMM, it’s investing in the digital plumbing needed to make large-scale film and TV production more efficient. This infrastructure-first approach suggests a long-term play to build a foundational role in Africa’s entertainment ecosystem.

The move mirrors strategies from other major players. In June 2024, Mastercard announced a partnership with Wowzi, another African influencer marketing platform, signalling growing corporate interest in the sector’s underlying technology.

“Africa, in particular, has a vibrant community of creators and entrepreneurs looking to invent new ways to enhance entertainment experiences for audiences,” said Gen Tsuchikawa, CEO and Chief Investment Officer at Sony Ventures Corporation.

The Bottom Line: Smart Money and Validation

While a $10M fund is modest by global corporate VC standards, its strategic value for African startups is significant. For companies like Twiva and FMM, the real prize isn’t just the capital but the “smart money” that comes with having Sony as a backer — including access to its deep industry expertise, global network, and potential partnerships with its entertainment divisions.

The co-investment with the IFC — the private sector arm of the World Bank Group — in Filmmakers Mart is particularly telling. It lends significant institutional credibility to the venture and de-risks it for other potential investors. This partnership blends Sony’s industry knowledge with the IFC’s development finance strength to tackle systemic industry challenges.

“Africa’s film and entertainment sector is brimming with talent, but talent alone is not enough. It needs the right tools, platforms, and investment to thrive,” said Dahlia Khalifa, IFC Regional Director for Central Africa, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.

For Africa’s tech ecosystem, Sony’s entry is a powerful vote of confidence. It validates the market opportunity for tech-enabled creative platforms and will likely encourage more international investors to look beyond the continent’s dominant fintech story. The focus now will be on how effectively these platforms use the capital to build scalable businesses that can create the one million digital jobs Twiva is aiming for.