Looking for investors for your blockchain or cryptocurrency startups based in Africa? Look no further! Below is a list of investors who have invested in that industry in Africa so far. Although, investments have been low compared to other sectors, they have increased exponentially in recent years, especially with the widespread adoption of cryptocurrencies, and the increasing legislation around them on the continent (which signals continuing governments’ recognition of the new economy). For example, a Chainalysis report on the geography of crypto revealed Nigeria ranked eighth (out of 154 countries) in its 2019–2020 global adoption index. The country ranked first among African countries in peer-to-peer (P2P) payments moving $139 million in the past year, the report noted.
Find below the list of all investors in blockchain and cryptocurrencies in Africa:
Blockchain crypto investors Africa Blockchain crypto investors Africa Blockchain crypto investors Africa
| S/N | Name of Investor | Location of Investor | Investee Companies | Amount of Investment/Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 100x Ventures (BitMEX) | India | VALR (South Africa) | $3.4 million (Co-investment) |
| 2 | 4Di Capital | South Africa | VALR (South Africa) | $3.4 million (Co-investment) |
| 3 | Bittex | USA | VALR (South Africa | $4.9 million (Co-investment) |
| 4 | Montegray Capital (Michael Jordaan) | South Africa | VALR (South Africa) | $4.9 million (Co-investment) |
| 5 | 500 Startups | USA | Pravica (Egypt) | $500 (Co-investment) |
| 6 | Modus Capital | Dubai | Pravica (Egypt) | $500 (Co-investment) |
| 7 | DYRE Ventures | Estonia | Pravica (Egypt) | $500 (Co-investment) |
| 8 | Alphabit | USA | The Sun Exchange (South Africa) | $500 (Co-investment) |
| 9 | Kalon Venture Partners | South Africa | The Sun Exchange (South Africa) | $1.6 million (Co-investment) |
| 10 | Network Society Ventures | USA | The Sun Exchange (South Africa) | $1.6 million (Co-investment) |
| 11 | BoostVC | USA | The Sun Exchange (South Africa) | $1.6 million (Co-investment) |
| 12 | Techstars | USA | The Sun Exchange (South Africa) | $1.6 million (Co-invesment) |
| 13 | Powerhouse | Oakland, California (USA) | The Sun Exchange (South Africa) | $1.6 million (Co-investment) |
| 14 | Payitup Clearinghouse | London, UK | Bitfxt (Nigeria) | $15 million (Investment withdrawn over company-investor relations issues) |
| 15 | Andreessen Horowitz | USA | Yellow Card (Nigeria) | $1.5 million (Co-investment) |
| 16 | Celo Ecosystem Fund; Polychain VC | USA | Yellow (Nigeria) | $1.5 million (Co-investment) |
| 17 | Naspers Group | South Africa | Luno, formerly BitX (South Africa) | $4 million (Co-investment) |
| 18 | Barry Silbert (Digital Currency Group | USA | Luno (South Africa); BitPesa (Kenya) | $4 million, $2.5 million (Co-investments) |
| 19 | Venturra Capital | Indonesia | Luno (South Africa) | $4 million (Co-investment) |
| 20 | Balderton Capital | UK | Luno (South Africa) | $9 million (Co-investment) |
| 21 | AlphaCode | South Africa | Luno (South Africa) | $9 million (Co-investment) |
| 22 | Moses Onitilo; John Kamara; Olusegun George | Nigeria | Jamborow (Nigeria) | $400,000 |
| 23 | Meta Change Capital Fund | London, UK | No history of investment | Newly launched $100 million fund for African blockchain startups |
| 24 | Havaic | South Africa | Custos (South Africa) | $186,000 (Investment under litigation) |
| 25 | Technology Innovation Agency | South Africa | Custos (South Africa) | $420,000 |
| 26 | Innovus Transfer Technology (Owned by Stellenbosch University) | South Africa | Custos (South Africa) | $1.5 million (Co-investment) Custos founder was a staff at Stellenbosch university. |
| 27 | Microtraction | Nigeria | BitSika (Ghana) | $65,000 |
| 28 | Two Hop Ventures | Amsterdam, The Netherlands | Centbee (South Africa) | $1.3 million |
| 29 | Paper Plane Ventures | Johannesburg, South Africa | Centbee (South Africa) | Exited. |
| 30 | Calvin Ayre (Angel) | Canada | Centbee (South Africa) | $1.3 million |
| 31 | DeepCore | Japan | UTU Tech (Kenya) | $500,000 (Co-investment) |
| 32 | Kepple Africa Ventures | Kenya; Nigeria | UTU Tech (Kenya) | $500,000 (Co-investment) |
| 33 | Artesian VC | Sydney, Australia | UTU Tech (Kenya) | $500,000 (Co-investment) |
| 34 | Animoca Brands | Cyberport, Hong Kong | UTU Tech (Kenya) | $500,000 (Co-investment) |
| 35 | Zeroth.AI | Hong Kong | UTU Tech (Kenya) | $500,000 (Co-investment) |
| 36 | Binance Labs | Hong Kong | Xend Finance (Nigeria) | Undisclosed |
| 37 | Google Launchpad | San Francisco, USA | Xend Finance (Nigeria) | Undisclosed |
| 38 | AU21 Capital | San Francisco, USA | Xend Finance (Nigeria) | $1.5 million (Co-investment) |
| 39 | TRG Capital | Amsterdam, The Netherlands | Xend Finance (Nigeria) | $1.5 million (Co-investment) |
| 40 | JUN Capital | China | Xend Finance (Nigeria) | $1.5 million (Co-investment) |
| 41 | Amplifi | info@amplifi.vc | Xend Finance (Nigeria) | $1.5 million (Co-investment) |
| 42 | ARCH Emerging Market Partners | London, UK | The Sun Exchange (South Africa) | $3 million |
| 43 | MEST Africa | Ghana | MEST Africa Challenge (Around May each year) | $50,000 |
| 44 | Newton Partners | South Africa | Block.one (USA); BitGo (USA) | Varies. |
| 45 | HQ Financial Group | Singapore | Aella –CreditCoin (Nigeria) | $10 million debt |
| 46 | Crypto Valley Venture Capital | Switzerland | PocketJam (South Africa) | $75,000 |
| 47 | GMC coLABS | USA | FarmShine (Kenya) | $250,000 |
| 48 | Development Bank of Southern Africa | Johannesburg, South Africa | BitPesa (Kenya) | $15 million debt. |
| 49 | Pantera Capital | San Francisco, USA | BitPesa (Kenya) | $1.1 million, $2.5 million (Co-investments) |
| 50 | Bitcoin Opportunity Fund | New York, USA | BitPesa (Kenya) | $1.1 million (Co-investment) |
| 51 | Crypto Currency Partners | California, USA | BitPesa (Kenya) | $1.1 million (Co-investment) |
| 52 | Future Perfect Venture | New York, USA | BitPesa (Kenya) | $1.1 million, $2.5 million (Co-investments) |
| 53 | Stephens Investment Management | Houston, Texas, USA | BitPesa (Kenya) | $1.1 million (Co-investment) |
| 54 | Draper VC | USA | BitPesa (Kenya) | $2.5 million (Co-investment) |
| 55 | GreyCroft Partners | USA | BitPesa (Kenya) | $2.5 million (Co-investment) |
| 56 | Blockchain Capital | San Francisco, USA | BitPesa (Kenya) | $2.5 million (Co-investment) |
| 57 | BnkToTheFuture | Cayman Islands (Western Carribean) | BitPesa (Kenya) | $2.5 million (Co-investment) |
| 58 | Zephyr Acorn | Nairobi, Kenya | BitPesa (Kenya) | $2.5 million (Co-investment) |
| 59 | The BitFury Group | EU/USA | BitPesa (Kenya) | Undisclosed |
| 60 | Plug and Play | USA | BitPesa (Kenya) | Undisclosed |
| 61 | Citigroup | Kenya | 4G Capital (Kenya) | $4 million, equity & debt. (Co-investment) |
| 62 | Lateral Capital | USA | 4G Capital (Kenya) | $4 million, equity & debt. (Co-investment) |
| 63 | Ceniarth LLC | London, UK; USA | 4G Capital (Kenya) | $4 million, equity & debt. (Co-investment) |
| 64 | Starfleet Incubator | Sofia, Bulgaria | UTU Tech (Kenya) | Undisclosed |
| 65 | Nikola Stojanow (æternity Ventures) | Sofia, Bulgaria | UTU Tech (Kenya) | $143,000 |
| 66 | Tachyon Accelerator, run by Consensys Ventures | USA | Elkrem (Egypt) | $75,000 |
| 67 | UNICEF Innovation Fund | – | Utopixar | $100,000 |
Charles Rapulu Udoh
Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer who has advised startups across Africa on issues such as startup funding (Venture Capital, Debt financing, private equity, angel investing etc), taxation, strategies, etc. He also has special focus on the protection of business or brands’ intellectual property rights ( such as trademark, patent or design) across Africa and other foreign jurisdictions.
He is well versed on issues of ESG (sustainability), media and entertainment law, corporate finance and governance.
He is also an award-winning writer