Startup investments are gradually picking up as 36 businesses across Africa secured a total of $254 million in May 2025.Though the $254 million raised in May was a bit fewer, compared to April’s, it was a better performance compared to March.

Further, the new investment pushes Africa’s year-to-date total to over $1 billion, up 40 per cent compared to the $750 million raised in the same period last year.

Latest data from Africa: The Big Deal, which revealed this, showed that African startups have now raised $2.5 billion over the past 12 months (June 2024 to May 2025), the highest rolling 12-month total since early last year.

According to it, 36 startups announced raising $100,000 or more as investors wrote larger cheques. Africa: The Big Deal revealed that seven ventures secured over $10 million each, a sign that interest in African tech remained strong even if slightly more concentrated. Egypt was the undeniable star of the month, accounting for six of the seven biggest deals and leading the continent in startup funding so far in 2025.

In the period under review, Egyptian startups have raised more than $330 million this year, representing 31 per cent of all funding on the continent.
The biggest highlight was Nawy, an Egyptian proptech platform that raised $75 million, $52 million in equity through a Series A round led by Partech, and $23 million in debt. It is now the largest-ever proptech deal in Africa.

Tasaheel, a subsidiary of MNT-Halan, completed Egypt’s largest corporate bond issuance to date at $50 million. Valu, a fintech firm, raised $27 million from Saudi investors and is preparing for a public listing. Thndr, another fintech player, raised over $15 million. Sylndr, a mobility start-up, also raised over $15 million in a Series A round.

Money Fellows, a digital savings and credit platform, secured $13 million in a pre-Series C round to fund expansion outside Egypt. The lone non-Egyptian $10 million+ raise came from AURA, a South African health start-up. It closed a $15 million Series B co-led by Partech and CAIF to fuel its entry into the U.S. market.

Further analysis showed that as far as 2025 is concerned, Egypt leads the African startup funding race with 31 per cent of total disclosed investments, followed by South Africa at 26 per cent, Nigeria at 15 per cent, and Kenya at 12 per cent.

In addition to the funding boom, May saw four notable exit events, three of which were Egyptian.They include MaxAB-Wasoko’s acquisition of Fatura; a merger between wellness start-ups Miran and Welnes; and Catalyst Partners Middle East’s $23 million acquisition of Qardy.

West Africa also saw a major exit with BioLite acquiring a majority stake in Baobab+, a solar energy and digital services provider.