Pan-African VC firm secures $83M to back early-stage startups across the continent

Ventures Platform has closed an oversubscribed $83 million second fund, expanding its investment focus beyond Nigeria to include Kenya, South Africa, and Egypt. The firm plans to deploy checks of up to $3 million across fintech, healthcare, SaaS, and other sectors, with a particular interest in AI-driven business models that reduce service delivery costs. Founding partner Kola Aina noted that the fundraising environment was more selective, with limited partners demanding stronger evidence of performance and capital efficiency.