Saviu Ventures - Afrikan Heroes

How Saviu Ventures Will Deploy Its New $13.1M Fund in Francophone African Startups

November 25, 2023

Saviu Ventures, a prolific Venture Capital firm in Francophone Africa, recently marked a significant milestone with the first close of its second fund, Saviu II, securing EUR 12 million in funding. Below, we explore how Saviu Ventures plans to deploy these new funds in African startups.

Historical Background and Expertise:

Saviu Ventures, founded in 2018, has established itself as a key player in the Francophone Africa Venture Capital landscape. Led by experienced entrepreneurs Benoit Delestre, Samuel Touboul, and Cynthia Mandjek, the team brings over 15 years of entrepreneurial experience, a decade of Venture Capital and Private Equity expertise, and backgrounds in renowned firms like Eurazeo and Orange Ventures.

Benoit Delestre, Samuel Touboul, and Cynthia Mandjek — Benoit Delestre, managing partner

Saviu II Fundamentals:

Fund Size: EUR 12 million.

Investor Base: Private investors, including European and African entrepreneurs, high-net-worth individuals (HNWI), and Family Offices.

Investment Focus: Early-stage startups from Seed to Series A, with a strong emphasis on Francophone Africa.

Sector Agnosticism with a Focus:

Saviu’s Sectors of Interest: Tech or Tech-enabled companies in Fintech, Healthtech, Edtech, ClimateTech, and E-commerce.
Investment Range: EUR 500k to EUR 3.0m per startup.

Hands-On Approach:

Operational DNA: Saviu Ventures follows a hands-on approach, avoiding the “Spray and Pray” philosophy. The team provides comprehensive support, including business development, recruitment, international expansion, and fundraising.

Proven Track Record:

Successful Portfolio: Saviu I, the predecessor fund, invested in 12 startups, primarily in Francophone Africa, with notable success stories such as Anka, Julaya, Zanifu, Lapaire, and Paps.

Key Holdings: Saviu maintains significant shareholdings in successful companies like Anka (20%), Julaya (board seat), Zanifu (15%), Lapaire (22%), and Paps (reference minority shareholder).

Regulatory Approval and Independence:

Milestone: Saviu II and its management company secured a License from the Mauritius Financial Markets Authority (FSC).
Significance: This positions Saviu Ventures as one of the few fully independent and regulated Venture Capital Fund management entities in the Francophone West African region.

Geographic Presence:

Team Distribution: Saviu Ventures has a team of over 7 investors and operators spread across Abidjan, Dakar, and Paris, reflecting a strategic geographic presence.

Recent Investments:

Companies Funded: Saviu II has already made investments in Waspito (Cameroon), Rubyx (Senegal), and Workpay (Kenya), showcasing the fund’s proactive approach.

Founder’s Perspective — Quotes:

Benoit Delestre (Partner): “Reaching the first close of Saviu II and obtaining our License is a recognition of all the work that has been done… We are now ready to support a new generation of talented entrepreneurs within the Tech industry.”

Samuel Touboul (Partner): “The renewed commitment of private investors from our first to our second fund is for us a key sign of confidence in our very focused strategy, and its capacity to scale-up startups while creating both value and impact.”

Future Outlook:

Strategic Vision: Saviu II aims to leverage the strong brand name of Saviu Ventures, a reinforced team, and a new institutional framework to further invest in the flourishing startup ecosystem in Francophone Africa.

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Charles Rapulu Udoh

Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer, who has several years of experience working in Africa’s burgeoning tech startup industry. He has closed multi-million dollar deals bordering on venture capital, private equity, intellectual property (trademark, patent or design, etc.), mergers and acquisitions, in countries such as in the Delaware, New York, UK, Singapore, British Virgin Islands, South Africa, Nigeria etc. He’s also a corporate governance and cross-border data privacy and tax expert.
As an award-winning writer and researcher, he is passionate about telling the African startup story, and is one of the continent’s pioneers in this regard

Saviu Ventures Makes New Investments in Ivory Coast Startups

August 8, 2023

African-tech-startup-funding-rises-51-to-195M-in-2017

Saviu Ventures, a Nairobi-based early-stage venture capital firm, has recently announced its strategic investments in two promising Ivory Coast startups, Tajiri and Djoli. The move reaffirms the company’s commitment to fostering innovation and growth in the African tech ecosystem.

Investment in Tajiri

Tajiri, an Ivoirian startup, has captured Saviu Ventures’ attention with its ingenious mobile application designed to simplify operations for restaurateurs. The application allows restaurant owners and staff to efficiently record sales and monitor critical business data, streamlining daily operations and enhancing decision-making processes.

Saviu Ventures is thrilled to have contributed $250,000 to Tajiri’s funding round, alongside Mstudio, another prominent player in the Francophone African startup scene. The injected capital will play a pivotal role in advancing Tajiri’s vision by focusing on the following key areas:

Enhancing the Mobile Application: Tajiri plans to bolster its mobile application, ensuring it remains user-friendly, reliable, and equipped with the latest technological features.

Strengthening the Sales Team: The funding will enable Tajiri to expand its sales team, allowing them to reach a broader customer base and build strong relationships within the restaurant industry.

Improving Restaurant Acquisition Strategy: Tajiri aims to refine its restaurant acquisition strategy to attract more businesses onto its platform, fostering organic growth and market penetration.

The co-founders of Tajiri, Alex DEGNY, and Serge Theophile KOKOUA, expressed their gratitude for the trust and support extended by Saviu Ventures, underscoring the critical role such investments play in propelling their entrepreneurial journey.

Djoli’s Pre-Seed Funding Round

In another significant development, Saviu Ventures has actively participated in Djoli’s pre-seed funding round, contributing $250,000 to the Ivorian startup. Djoli has established itself as a groundbreaking platform that empowers restaurants, hotels, and cafes to procure fresh produce with unmatched efficiency.

By streamlining the supply chain and reducing intermediaries between producers and restaurateurs, Djoli ensures timely and high-quality produce delivery at competitive prices, creating a win-win situation for all stakeholders.

Saviu Ventures is proud to collaborate with Mstudio, a pioneer startup studio in Francophone Africa, in supporting Djoli’s ambitious growth strategy. The funding will enable Djoli to:

Acquire New Customers: Djoli aims to expand its customer base, connecting with a wider network of restaurants, hotels, and cafes throughout the region.

Geographical Expansion: The investment will facilitate Djoli’s geographical expansion, consolidating its presence in key markets and exploring new territories.

Technology Development: Djoli is committed to continuous technological advancements, improving its platform’s capabilities and user experience.

Talent Recruitment: To fuel its growth, Djoli will focus on talent acquisition, bringing skilled professionals onboard to strengthen its team.

Saviu Ventures views Djoli as an embodiment of its core values of performance and impact, as the startup endeavors to tackle inefficiencies in the food supply chain, ultimately benefiting Ivory Coast and the broader African region.

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The co-founders of Djoli, Thomas Giannetti and Stane BLEGBO, along with their entire team, expressed their appreciation for Saviu Ventures’ support and shared excitement about the mutual journey to drive positive change in the food industry.

Saviu Ventures is a leading venture capital firm specializing in post-revenue seed-stage B2B startup investments, with a primary focus on logistics and transport sectors. The firm’s investment philosophy revolves around seeking alignment with founders’ interests and cultivating strong partnerships based on trust and commitment.

Since its establishment in 2017, Saviu Ventures has made more than 20 investments across 11 portfolio companies, predominantly in French-speaking African nations. The firm’s hands-on approach includes extensive support in business development, strategy, and product roadmap creation, making it a valuable partner for its portfolio startups.

Some of the notable investments in Saviu Ventures’ portfolio include logistics startup Swft, recruitment platform Talent2Africa, micro-lending startup Zanifu, and fashion startup Afrikrea, among others.

“We invest in early stage, post-revenue, B2B startups,” said Arthur Thuet, co-founder of Saviu Ventures. “The first thing we look for is the alignment of the founders’ interests to ours and expect total trust and commitment from both parties. We also emphasize the need for profitability and sustainability in the businesses that we support. Saviu’s relationship with the founders is more of a partnership than it is an investor relationship. We support our companies in business development, strategy and help to build out product road-maps. We have built companies ourselves in Africa and elsewhere, and we like that thrill. For us the fun starts after we wire the money to our entrepreneurs.”

Saviu Ventures remains dedicated to fostering innovation, driving impact, and contributing to the growth of the African startup ecosystem, creating lasting value for all stakeholders involved.

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Charles Rapulu Udoh

Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer, who has several years of experience working in Africa’s burgeoning tech startup industry. He has closed multi-million dollar deals bordering on venture capital, private equity, intellectual property (trademark, patent or design, etc.), mergers and acquisitions, in countries such as in the Delaware, New York, UK, Singapore, British Virgin Islands, South Africa, Nigeria etc. He’s also a corporate governance and cross-border data privacy and tax expert.
As an award-winning writer and researcher, he is passionate about telling the African startup story, and is one of the continent’s pioneers in this regard

France’s Saviu Ventures Goes To Kenya, Backs Fintech Startup Zanifu In $1m Round

January 20, 2022

Kenyan fintech startup Zanifu has received $1,000,000 in startup investment to ensure efficiency in the acquisition and distribution of goods for Kenyans.

The round included Saviu Ventures, Launch Africa Ventures, Sayani Investments, and other angel investors from Kenya and Nigeria, bringing Zanifu’s total fundraising to $1,200,000.

Zanifu will be able to update its platform and expand its stock-financing to more micro, small, and medium businesses (MSMEs) as a result of the investment.

Why The Investors Invested

Investors were attracted by Zanifu’s growing track record. According to the company, it has provided 85,000 working capital loans worth more than $13 million to 7,000 businesses in Kenya.

A Look At What The Startup Does

Zanifu, founded by Steve Biko and Sebastian Mithika in 2017, provides short-term stock financing of up to $2,000 to MSMEs in Kenya, with hopes to add 15,000 FMCG stores in the next year. Unilever, Nestle, Soko, Coca-Cola, P&G, and Brookside are among the company’s partners.

Zanifu works with a variety of manufacturers and distributors to give credit to small firms, and shops who currently source products from the startup’s partners are eligible for the loan. Manufacturers, distributors, and retailers can use Zanifu’s platforms to enable seamless ordering, payment, tracking, and fulfillment.

Retailers borrow using Zanifu’s loan app, which allows them to upload information such as purchasing history. Within six hours of joining up, the businesses are given a credit limit based on the algorithm’s score. Retailers have up to a month to repay the loans, which have interest rates ranging from 3.5 to 5%.

Zanifu, which has a foothold in Kenya, is now looking to expand into Ghana and Uganda. A regional presence will increase competition for fintechs like Numida in Uganda and Payhippo in Nigeria, which provide unsecured lending to small firms.

Zanifu

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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

Kenyan Startup Invests in Ivorian Logistics Startup Kamtar

October 13, 2021

Arthur Thuet, Saviu Ventures managing partner and Kamtar’s president

Efforts aimed at expanding its pan-African footprint have yielded fruits as Kenya’s Kenyan logistics startup Sendy has completed a strategic equity investment in Ivory Coast-based counterpart Kamtar to boost the former’s expansion plans in West Africa.

Sendy was launched in 2015 to offer a marketplace for last-mile package delivery and logistics services, allowing customers to send packages and documents using a mobile application that connects them to motorcycle riders, and drivers of vans and pickup trucks.

The startup is currently active in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, but announced in the wake of a US$20 million funding round last year that it planned to expand elsewhere. One of the investors in that round was Toyota Tsusho Corporation, and Sendy has now partnered with Mobility 54 Investment, Toyota Tsusho Corporation and CFAO’s venture capital arm, to acquire a significant stake in Kamtar.

Operating in Ivory Coast and Senegal, Kamtar is a digital logistics startup with 5,000 drivers on its network, which connects SMEs and corporate businesses to truckers and allows for effective delivery operations and cost savings by eliminating intermediaries. It is also developing a range of value-added-services to help their drivers access cheaper rates on all kinds of services linked to their activity, such as gas, insurance, spare parts or financing solutions.

Due to the strategic investment, Sendy will be able to accelerate its next phase of business growth by launching operations in West Africa and expanding its footprint beyond its current operations in Eastern Africa. For its cross-continent expansion, Sendy is focusing on strategic greenfield and mergers and acquisitions investments with partners in the supply chain and logistics sector.

Sendy will use its technology, expertise, and broader range of services to bolster Kamtar’s capabilities in Ivory Coast and Senegal, and to expand to other French-speaking West African countries by the end of 2022.

“This strategic investment will help us achieve Sendy’s long-term goal of expanding our West African presence and supporting our current customers looking to expand or enter the West African market. We share a joint vision with Kamtar to make it easier to trade across Africa and we’re looking forward to the opportunity to collaborate with Kamtar on product development and technology solutions for customers across the region,” said Mesh Alloys, Sendy’s founder and chief executive officer (CEO).

Kamtar is owned by Saviu Ventures, an Africa-focused investor with a focus on early-stage startups in Francophone Africa.

“We are excited to partner with Sendy and look forward to the synergies that will be established between Kamtar’s expertise in Francophone Africa and Sendy’s African network,” said Arthur Thuet, Saviu Ventures managing partner and Kamtar’s president.

“Our goal is to combine the best of both companies to become the number one freight and logistics provider in the Francophone region.”

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