In January 2026, we released the State of Tech in Africa 2025 report. The big news? African startups raised $3.42 billion last year. It was a record-breaking run that proved the ecosystem is getting stronger.
If you want to see exactly who moved the needle, check out the top 50 most funded companies from last year below:
Africa’s Top 50 Most Funded Startups in 2025
The January Scorecard
Now that we are in a new year, everyone is asking: Can we keep the momentum going? In January 2026, the ecosystem raised $214 million across disclosed deals, a 26% decrease from the $292 million raised in January 2025. It’s a slower start than last year, but still well above the lows of the 2023 and 2024 funding winter.
For context, here’s what January looked like in previous years:
- 2024: $85M
- 2023: $106M
- 2022: $488M
- 2021: $222M
- 2020: $139M
- 2019: $160M
In total, we tracked 30 deals last month. Twenty-two were publicly disclosed, and 8 were undisclosed.
Africa’s Funded Startups in January 2026
Who took home the biggest checks?
Five companies led the way in January, signalling that investor appetite for fintech, mobility, and energy remains strong:
- ValU ($63.6M): The Egyptian fintech giant secured debt from the National Bank of Egypt.
- MAX ($24.0M): The Nigerian mobility company got backing from Equitane, Novastar Ventures, Endeavor, Energy Entrepreneurs Growth Fund, and several Angel Investors.
- NowPay ($20.0M): Secured investment from Tas’heel to grow its financial platform.
- Yakeey ($15.0M): The Moroccan proptech firm raised its Series A from Enza Capital, IFC, Beltone Venture Capital, and CDG.
- Terra Industries ($11.8M): This defense-tech startup raised funds from a large group, including 8VC, Valor Equity Partners, Lux Capital, and SV Angel.
Want funding data like this every month?
We track Africa’s startup funding closely, covering deals, trends, and the investors writing the checks. Subscribe to TC Insights to get this analysis delivered to your inbox regularly, or explore our latest reports at insights.techcabal.com.
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