Brands/Products
Madica Invests $800,000 in Four New Startups to Drive Mission Investment
By Adedapo Adesanya
Madica, a structured investment program designed for pre-seed stage startups in Africa, has announced an $800,000 investment in four startups from Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, and Tanzania.
According to a statement on Wednesday, these startups include Medikea (Tanzania), Motherbeing (Egypt), Pixii Motors (Tunisia), and ToumAI (Morocco). The latest portfolio features underrepresented founders or startups from underserved regions, spanning AI, FemTech, mobility, and healthcare.
Each startup has received an investment of up to $200,000 and will participate in Madica’s comprehensive investment programme which includes 18 months of support through a highly personalised curriculum, hands-on mentorship, and two fully-funded week-long founder immersion trips to key local and global ecosystems, including Cape Town and London.
These trips offered startup founders expert-led sessions, networking with potential investors, customers, and other stakeholders, as well as in-depth workshops on investment readiness, organisational culture, and team building.
The portfolio companies will also gain access to executive coaching opportunities and access to Madica’s global network of investors for follow-on funding, all designed to spur growth and ensure the long-term viability of the startups.
This new funding marks Madica’s North Africa investment debut and reaffirms its commitment to backing mission-driven founders building solutions in markets often overlooked for VC funding.
Launched in 2022 and affiliated with Flourish Ventures, a global fintech venture capital firm with purpose, Madica is a sector-agnostic investment program designed to address structural gaps in Africa’s startup ecosystem.
The programme tackles key challenges startups face, such as limited access to capital, a scarcity of investors, and insufficient mentorship. It also provides the structured support necessary for startups to resolve critical issues and foster innovation, entrepreneurship, and wealth creation across the continent.
Commenting on the new portfolio companies, Mr Emmanuel Adegboye, Head of Madica, said, “In our first full year of investments, we made six new investments, bringing our total number of backed startups to eight.
“What’s particularly exciting is that we set out to build a portfolio with at least 50 per cent gender diversity in their leadership teams. We are currently exceeding that goal in addition to a significant portion of our portfolio having female CEOs.”
“Additionally, these investments span eight different countries and six diverse sectors, which is exactly the kind of portfolio diversity Madica aims to achieve across underrepresented geographies, sectors, and founder profiles,” he added.
On her part, Ms Nour Emam, Co-Founder and President of Motherbeing shared, “When Yousef and I started Motherbeing, our goal was clear: to empower women with knowledge and resources for informed reproductive health decisions, free from societal norms. Building this solution has been an incredible journey, and we’re thrilled to have Madica’s support in advancing our mission.
“We look forward to the program’s invaluable insights, opportunities, and support as we scale and improve health outcomes for women in the region.”
“We are thrilled to have Madica’s support as we strive to become Africa’s first e-scooter exporter,” shared Mr Anis Fekih, CEO of Pixii Motors, adding that “Madica’s investment program, combined with Flourish Ventures’ global expertise in supporting entrepreneurs, provides the operational and strategic backing we need to accelerate our growth and make a global impact.”
The Madica team has also added accomplished entrepreneur, operator, and investor Mr Yoeal Haile as a mentor. He will bring his deep expertise and local operational insights to support Madica founders in scaling their ventures.
Since its launch, Madica has invested in tech-enabled startups, including Kola Market, GoBeba, NewForm Foods, and Earthbond, and has remained a vocal advocate for gender diversity in African tech.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
To make finding the right service provider or reaching the right customer seamless, popular local information portal, Connect Nigeria, has introduced a Quote Request platform.
Connect Nigeria described the new system as “a digital solution designed to make connecting with service providers faster, easier, and more reliable.”
It said the Quote Request was built for consumers who need services quickly and want trusted options without the stress of searching endlessly; and service providers and businesses looking for real, high-intent customers without spending heavily on marketing.
“Whether you need a caterer for an event, a plumber for your home, or a designer for your brand, the platform is designed to connect you with the right people,” Connect Nigeria added.
“By connecting demand directly with supply, the platform creates a more structured and dependable marketplace,” it further stated.
At its core, the Quote Request simplifies the entire process of finding and offering services.
To use the service, users have to submit a request describing the service or product needed, which is then sent to verified vendors on the platform. Interested providers respond within 1–2 days, and users compare offers and choose what works best for their needs and budget.
“Instead of searching for vendors, the vendors come to you, with relevant, tailored responses,” Connect Nigeria explained.
The company expects this new platform to eliminate the stress of endless online searches, delayed or vague responses, and uncertainty about service quality.
As for businesses, it solves poor visibility, inconsistent customer flow, and lost opportunities due to slow response times.
Connect Nigeria Quote Request mobile app is now available on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
An institutional investor, First Ally Capital, has strengthened a leading Nigerian financial technology company, Mathesis Analytics, to scale its proprietary credit decisioning infrastructure.
It made this possible by injecting fresh capital into the firm, which specialises in AI-powered credit decisioning infrastructure, an action that will directly support the growth and scaling of Mathesis’ core mission of providing the intelligence and infrastructure needed to bridge the credit gap for millions of unscored or underscored individuals across Nigeria.
With this investment, Mathesis will enable financial institutions to confidently assess and extend credit to borrowers who lack a formal credit history by leveraging an expanded pool of alternative behavioural and transactional data.
To date, Mathesis’ systems have supported more than 8 million loans for over 2 million unique borrowers in Nigeria, and the company is actively deploying its infrastructure to establish a growing pan-African footprint.
With the investment from First Ally Capital, Mathesis is well positioned to transform how the credit ecosystem operates, driving financial inclusion in partnership with lenders across the continent.
A significant barrier to credit access in Nigeria, which prides itself on being Africa’s largest economy, is data fragmentation. Borrowers frequently build positive financial behaviours across multiple digital platforms by repaying microfinance loans, saving through fintech wallets, or servicing Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) facilities.
However, under traditional credit infrastructure, these achievements remain invisible to new lenders.
Mathesis addresses this challenge through the concept of Personal Equity—the quantified expression of an individual’s financial behaviour aggregated across every institution with which they have transacted.
By translating these disparate signals into a precise, portable measure of creditworthiness, Mathesis creates a comprehensive credit identity that reflects the full breadth of a person’s financial life.
“True financial inclusion cannot be achieved in a vacuum; it requires structural collaboration in which lenders and fintech companies work as partners within the ecosystem.
“This investment from First Ally Capital validates our approach to reshaping credit infrastructure. By quantifying Personal Equity, we empower lenders to safely look beyond the constraints of formal credit histories and recognise a borrower’s true creditworthiness. This capital enables us to accelerate our pan-African expansion while maintaining the robust, institutional-grade infrastructure our partners rely on,” the chief executive of Mathesis Analytics, Winston Osuchukwu, stated.
On his part, the chief executive of First Ally Capital, Mr Ebenezer Olufowose, said, “At First Ally Capital, we pride ourselves on being a one-stop destination for financial solutions, offering a diverse portfolio of services ranging from investment banking and asset management to trusteeship, inclusive banking, and real estate.
“Our investment in Mathesis Analytics reflects our strong belief in the company’s vision and our commitment to supporting forward-thinking enterprises that deliver excellence.”
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The chief executive of Canal+ Africa, Mr David Mignot, has disclosed that MultiChoice is now fully integrated into the media group.
Mr Mignot disclosed this via a statement issued on Thursday, noting that this development marks a new phase in the evolution of one of Africa’s leading pay television operators.
He noted that the integration positions MultiChoice within a global media organisation with an extensive international footprint.
“MultiChoice is now a full subsidiary of a truly international media group operating in 70 countries. The group was founded in France, is listed in London and Johannesburg, and has a strong African presence with operations in more than 45 countries,” Mr Mignot said.
The statement underscores the scale of the combined business, highlighting Canal+’s global reach alongside its significant investments across Africa.
The completion of the transaction is expected to strengthen MultiChoice’s position in the African media and entertainment market by giving it access to the broader resources, expertise and international capabilities of the Canal+ Group, while reinforcing the group’s commitment to the continent.
MultiChoice operates across sub-Saharan Africa through platforms including DStv and GOtv, serving millions of subscribers with entertainment, sports and news content.
