Norrsken22, an Africa-focused venture capital firm, received the backing of more than 30 unicorn founders and institutions to raise US$205-million (R3.8-billion) for new tech investments on the continent. The fund — which counts the likes of Skype’s Niklas Zennström, Delivery Hero’s Niklas Östberg and Flutterwave’s Olugbenga Agboola among its investors — is seeking the next generation of “tech giants” on the continent in sectors such as fintech, edtech and meditech, said Norrsken22 managing partner Natalie Kolbe in an interview.

Investments will largely be focused on start-ups in South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and Egypt, she said. We would like to build out a portfolio of about 20 investments in the beacon economies of Africa

“We have made five investments to date, including in TymeBank in South Africa,” said Kolbe. “We would like to build out a portfolio of about 20 investments in the beacon economies of Africa.”

Africa is home to the fastest-growing and most youthful population in the world, with tech-savvy youngsters increasingly tapping their smartphones for services from entertainment to banking.

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Norrsken22 said it’s seeking to invest in the growth in tech businesses expected in Africa, that is fuelled by investment in digital infrastructure and smartphone adoption on the continent, said Kolbe. In addition, urbanisation and the growing need for financial and health services bring an opportunity for tech start-ups to scale, she said.

Investors

Other investors in the fund include Standard Bank Group, Norfund, British International Investment, the International Finance Corporation and the US International Development Finance Corporation.

Funding for start-ups in Africa has dwindled this year, in line with a slowdown globally. The continent attracted about $2.5-billion during the first half of the year, according to Briter Bridges. Another venture capital fund, Partech, raised more than $260-million to deploy on the continent.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

The Scandinavian social enterprise promotion foundation Norrsken22 has announced that 30 unicorn founders are backing African tech entrepreneurs through Norrsken22, a new US$200 million tech growth fund that will invest in exceptional entrepreneurs building Africa’s new tech giants.

Norrsken which was founded in 2016 by Niklas Adalberth, one of the founders of Swedish fintech unicorn Klarna, aims to help entrepreneurs solve the world’s greatest challenges. Its ecosystem consists of Norrsken House, a co-working space for over 350 impact entrepreneurs in Stockholm, the Norrsken Founders Fund, and Norrsken VC.

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It has now partnered Hans Otterling, partner at Northzone, and an investment team led by Natalie Kolbe, previous global head of private equity at Actis in South Africa, Actis colleague Ngetha Waithaka in Kenya, and Lexi Novitske, founder of Acuity Venture Partners, to launch the Norrsken22 Africa Tech Growth Fund. The fund announced its first close today of US$110 million.

The fund is backed by 30 unicorn founders, contributing their entrepreneurial skills and US$65 million in funding. Among them are Olugbenga Agboola, co-founder of Flutterwave; Niklas Zennström, co-founder of Skype; Jacob de Geer, co-founder of iZettle; Niklas Östberg, co-founder of Delivery Hero; Carl Manneh, co-founder of Mojang; Sebastian Knutsson, co-founder of King; and Willard Ahdritz, founder of Kobalt Music. The fund is also backed by SEB Pension Foundation and family offices, who share the Norrsken22 vision of scalable entrepreneurship as a driver of long-term and sustainable economic growth across Africa.

Norrsken22 will back exceptional businesses and category leaders within fintech, ed-tech, e-health and market-enabling solutions. The fund is dedicated to delivering top quartile returns, and will drive strong, positive impact across Africa. Norrsken Foundation will re-invest its portion of the capital generated by Norrsken22 back into supporting African entrepreneurship, to further promote the growth of the Africa tech ecosystem and a new generation of founders.

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 “Africa has a population of 1.2 billion, where 60 per cent are below 25 years old. In the next decade, this young, digital-first generation will change not only the future of Africa but of the world,” said Niklas Adalberth, founder of Norrsken Foundation. 

“Eyes are turning towards Africa as the next epicentre for digital disruption. Technology is enabling emerging enterprises to leapfrog legacy ways of doing business. Leaders are emerging but a lack of growth capital is holding them back,” said Hans Otterling, Norrsken22 founding partner.

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The pan-African investment team, based in the key tech hubs of Africa, has previously backed Africa’s fastest growing unicorns from Fawry to Flutterwave and is focused on helping companies expand regionally and internationally, delivering the support that African founders need when scaling their businesses. The fund is also supported by an advisory council of business leaders from across the continent.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry