Madica, a pre-seed investment initiative focused on Africa, has announced fresh investments in three startups, allocating up to $200,000 to each. This move aligns with its mission to support founders who are often excluded from Africa’s highly concentrated venture capital ecosystem.
The selected startups represent three different countries and industries. Kilimo Fresh from Tanzania, founded by Baraka Chijenga and Justice Mangu, links smallholder farmers to urban markets through a technology-driven produce supply chain. Hakimu from Kenya, established by Rawan Dareer, Ahmed Ahmed, and Ahmed Elbashir, is developing an AI-powered legal infrastructure aimed at serving the African continent. Biovana from Nigeria, co-founded by Estelle Dogbo and Dr. Jumi Popoola, focuses on harmonizing health data for global pharmaceutical and clinical research markets.
Beyond financial support, these investments highlight Madica’s long-term strategy to strengthen startups across Africa. Technology funding on the continent remains largely concentrated in a few key markets, with Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, and South Africa accounting for approximately 80–85% of total funding in 2025.
Madica’s model combines capital with an 18-month structured development program that includes mentorship, executive coaching, and two fully sponsored immersion trips, addressing critical growth challenges that funding alone cannot solve.
The three startups were chosen from numerous applications submitted across Africa and will benefit from Madica’s global investor network as well as its structured learning program.
Emmanuel Adegboye, Head of Madica, noted that each investment helps the organization move closer to building a diverse and inclusive portfolio that represents the wide range of African entrepreneurship. He emphasized that the selected startups are becoming part of a growing network of founders receiving the resources, partnerships, and operational support needed to grow successfully at the early stage.
In addition to the investments, Madica introduced the first edition of its fundraising guidebook series titled Zero to Funded: A Founder’s Guide to Pre-Seed Fundraising in Africa. The 75-page resource is designed to help early-stage founders who lack strong networks or prior fundraising experience, offering guidance on venture capital trade-offs, fundraising strategies, and managing both local market realities and global investor expectations.
Madica also welcomed Tauriq Brown, former CEO of TooMuchWiFi and an experienced executive with Rocket Internet and Mountain Partners, as a mentor to its portfolio companies. In this role, he will provide practical and execution-driven support to founders as they scale their businesses.