Africa’s tech ecosystem has attracted unprecedented levels of capital over the last several years, with venture capital (VC) investment reaching nearly $3.2b in 2021 and $2.8b in 2022. While international VCs and entrepreneurs have expanded in Africa since 2019, GPCA is tracking a growing ecosystem of local early-stage investors and founders. New analysis from GPCA documents the gender, nationality and educational background of founding teams for African startups. Read about the findings on pp.10-11.

This month, Opportunik, a private wealth fund giving Africans and Diasporans access to global investments, launched a new licensed fund. In this month’s edition, we spoke with Kola Oyeneyin, CEO of Opportunik Global Fund, about the fund, its investment strategy, the wealth management market in Africa and investment opportunities. Read more on pp.12-13.

In this issue, we also speak with Nkiru Balonwu, Founder of the Africa Soft Power Group, which outlines some of the critical challenges under discussion at the Africa Soft Power Summit this month. Read on p.18.

On the fundraising front, Capria Ventures, a Global South specialist firm investing in early-growth Global South startups, has announced the first close of its target of $100m fund (News on p.4).