Morocco-based VC fund Outlierz Ventures has announced its first five African startup investments, after a review of over 1,000 different opportunities.
Launched in 2017, Outlierz Ventures is an early-stage VC fund backed by private investors from Silicon Valley, the Middle East and Africa which invests in tech-enabled companies solving fundamental problems across key industries in Africa, including fintech, agri-tech, e-health and logistics.
It focuses primarily on Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Egypt and Morocco, but is also starting to explore untapped Francophone and West African ecosystems. Investment tickets range between US$50,000 and US$500,000 in seed stage and pre-Series A companies, with Outlierz also helping companies scale into new markets by leveraging its network of private investors and relationships with large Moroccan industry leaders.
Outlierz started its investment activity in 2018, and has made five investments in fast-growing tech-enabled companies across five different markets. Those investments were in Moroccan B2B marketplace WaystoCap, Kenyan consumer goods retail value chain solution Sokowatch, pan-African industry data platform Asoko Insight, French last-mile delivery startup TousFacteurs, and Egyptian B2B commerce marketplace MaxAB.
To make these investments, the team reviewed over 1,000 investment opportunities and engaged in conversations with more than 350 entrepreneurs.
“We see tremendous opportunities at the intersection of technology, Africa’s young and fast-growing populations, and the continent’s economies. Our mission is to back extraordinary founders that leverage technology to transform African traditional economies,” said Kenza Lahlou, co-founder and managing partner at Outlierz Ventures.
