Singapore-based B2B venture builder Hatcher has said it is looking to “double down” after a year of fintech and infotech investing in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region after launching the Hatcher Fund.
Founded in 2012, Hatcher is a full life-cycle investor that has invested in a number of companies in the last year, including ApexPeak.
The Hatcher Fund is an early-stage venture fund with a target size of US$100 million, which chief executive officer (CEO) John Sharp said will enable the company to move beyond seed stage investment to later stage growth investments.
“While seed stage investing has delivered us very good returns to date, having the ability to lead and co-invest at a later stage will allow us to increase our investment positions and build on these early stage returns,” he said.
The company told Disrupt Africa North Africa was a potential development market for its investments.
“While venture investment in North Africa has suffered recently, there are some quite positive signs of new investment activity in North Africa, particularly in Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia, and also with the return of big players, including Sawari Ventures and Intel Capital, to the region,” Hatcher said.
“We are in active discussions with several potential partners regarding rolling out our venture builder platform in Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco, but this will more likely take place in 2016 than this year, and will follow our planned rollouts in Dubai and Beirut.”
