Lipa Later; See you Later!

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⟹ 🚀 STARTUPS WATCH 🚀 ⟸

Here are the 5 top startups in the African eco-system we think you need to know:

LULA is a South African mobility platform that connects employees with safe, shared shuttles for their daily commute. Riders book, pay, and track rides via a commuter app, while verified shuttle operators use a driver app to manage optimized routes. The platform serves both businesses and employees directly through flexible B2B and B2B2C offerings.

Focused on convenience, safety, and sustainability, LULA reduces traffic and emissions while improving commuter reliability. With 400+ active loops, 1,000+ drivers, and operations in 5 cities, LULA is reshaping how Africa’s workforce moves.

Supermart.ng is Nigeria’s leading online grocery delivery platform, allowing shoppers to buy from a wide range of supermarkets at competitive prices and enjoy same-day delivery in Lagos. With over 10,000 products across food, beverages, household items, and office supplies, Supermart offers the convenience of shopping from home without the stress of visiting multiple stores.

From local Nigerian ingredients to global brands, Supermart serves individuals and bulk buyers alike with a user-friendly app and website. Whether you’re shopping for daily essentials or seasonal hampers, Supermart provides a seamless experience, affordable pricing, and trusted delivery across Lekki, Ikeja, Yaba, and beyond.

BenaCare is a Kenyan healthtech initiative providing affordable, home-based clinical care and therapy for chronically ill patients in low- to middle-income communities. Their services include skilled nursing, physiotherapy, dialysis (via Rena Roads), caregiver support, and rental/sale of homecare equipment, reducing the financial and emotional burden of long-term hospital stays.

Beyond care delivery, BenaCare trains family caregivers, helping redistribute unpaid care often carried by women, and equips them with income-generating skills. With 15,000+ patients served, 9,800+ healthcare workers onboarded, and over 1,200 family caregivers trained, BenaCare is making home healthcare accessible and impactful across Kenya.

⟹ 💼 💰️ VENTURE CAPITAL WATCH 💼 💰️ ⟸

📢 Rivy (formerly Payhippo) raises $4M to power Africa’s clean energy transition

Nigerian fintech Payhippo has rebranded to Rivy and closed a $4 million pre-Series A round—$2M in equity and $2M in debt—to scale its clean energy financing platform. The raise was co-led by EchoVC’s $2.5M Eco Fund and Shell’s All On, with debt from local financiers. Rivy operates a dual marketplace connecting 250+ solar vendors with SMEs, financing solar assets and microgrids alike. The startup claims a sub-1% NPL ratio, with loan book growth averaging 15% month-on-month. This marks a growing trend of fintechs pivoting into climate-tech infrastructure.

📈 Sumet raises $1.5M pre-seed to digitize FMCG logistics in Tanzania

Tanzanian B2B distribution startup Sumet closed a $1.5 million pre-seed round to scale its tech-enabled FMCG platform across the country. The funding—a mix of equity and debt—came from ABAN, Catalytic Africa, and an angel syndicate from Egypt. With operations in all 26 Tanzanian provinces and 6,500+ customers, Sumet is poised to reshape supply chains for African consumer brands.

🧠 NOSIBLE bags $1M to redefine AI for asset managers

South African AI startup NOSIBLE secured $1 million in pre-seed funding led by Atlantica Ventures, with additional capital from existing clients. The startup offers two products: an AI agent platform for asset managers and a real-time search engine API that underpins its low-cost infrastructure. With its deep focus on quantitative finance and ML, NOSIBLE is positioning itself as the backend for Africa’s next wave of intelligent financial tools.

💳 Trade Shield scores $820K from FNB’s Vumela Fund to manage credit risk

South Africa’s Trade Shield, which offers AI-powered credit risk solutions for businesses, raised ZAR15M (~$820,000) from FNB’s Vumela Enterprise Development Fund (managed by Edge Growth). The B2B SaaS startup helps companies optimize trade credit decisions via real-time data, predictive analytics, and automated risk management. The round will fuel domestic and global expansion and signal increased investor interest in credit risk infrastructure for emerging markets.

👀 This week’s featured investor is Two Culture Capital. 👀

Two Culture Capital is a Dublin-based early-stage venture capital firm backing high-conviction founders building bold, transformational technologies—especially in AI, frontier tech, and global SaaS. Since launching in 2016, the firm has made its mark as a bridge between cultures and markets, supporting companies shaping the future of work, health, finance, and intelligence.

With a global outlook and a taste for the unconventional, Two Culture Capital takes a hands-on, founder-first approach—often co-building with startups through its in-house venture studio. The firm doesn’t just write checks; it helps craft stories, refine strategies, and scale operations across borders.

Their expansive portfolio spans multiple continents and includes breakout startups like:

• Smile ID – Building the identity infrastructure for Africa.

• Yassir – North Africa’s superapp offering ride-hailing, payments, and more.

• Bloomscape – Reimagining how people shop for home greenery online.

• Electric AI – Automating IT for modern businesses.

• Stitch – Enabling seamless financial APIs across Africa.

• Relativity Space – Launching rockets built with 3D printing.

• Vouch – Business insurance for startups, redefined.

Other notable investments include Klarna, Carta, Kin Euphorics, Solid, OnePipe, Vahan, and Neivor—showcasing their range from consumer fintech to AI, identity, and healthcare.

With a global mindset and a bias for big ideas, Two Culture Capital continues to identify the ideas and founders reshaping industries across borders—from Lagos to Los Angeles.

⟹ 📺️ MEDIA WATCH 📺️  ⟸

Here are the 5 key things in the news this week that you need to know:

1. Nigeria’s Payhippo raises US$4m in pre-Series A funding, rebrands to Rivy - Disrupt Africa

2. Lipa Later enters administration after failed fresh fundraising efforts - Techcabal

3. Tanzania’s Sumet raises $1.5m pre-seed funding to revolutionise FMCG distribution - Disrupt Africa

4. Marketforce ordered to pay $16,000 in wrongful termination case - Techcabal

5. SA AI startup NOSIBLE raises $1m pre-seed funding - Disrupt Africa

And that’s your weekly dosage of the African startup ecosystem! If you have any comments or feedback, just respond to this email. We are always looking to hear from our community.

Thanks for reading. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Gitonga, the Stoic Founder at StartupHub.Africa 🚀

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