Backing Africa’s Leading Tech Innovators
About Us
Launch Africa is a leading Pan-African VC fund solving the significant funding gap in the Seed and pre-Series A investment landscape in Africa. With a decade-long track record of venture building alongside some of the smartest founding teams in Africa, we back startups across multiple sectors, regions, and products that tackle the most meaningful challenges on the continent.
Our Numbers
25
Countries
$46.5M
AUM
155
Investments
Building the Future of African Ventures
Our team is comprised of passionate and experienced professionals who bring a diverse range of expertise to the table.
Zach is a Managing Partner at Launch Africa Ventures,He is also the Co-founder and Chief Investment Officer at Startupbootcamp AfriTech, Africa’s leading multi-corporate-backed venture accelerator.
Janade is a Managing Partner at Launch Africa Ventures, a leading early-stage VC firm. He was formerly CIO at the African Development Bank, managing 42 funds and launching new vehicles across VC, impact, and infrastructure, with experience spanning 50+ African countries.
Drawing on our collective knowledge and deep understanding of the African market combined with our unique high touch, high scale approach, we identify and back promising startups across multiple sectors and regions.
We believe in the power of entrepreneurship and innovation to transform Africa's economic landscape and create sustainable, impactful solutions.
Founder’s Testimonials
Our founder centric approach combines deep market insights, hands-on support, and a powerful network across the continent. Our founders value our financial, strategic and moral support along the difficult journey of building their companies
News, Resources and Insights
More About Launch Africa
Launch Africa Ventures was founded by Zachariah George and Janade Du Plessis in 2020. Zach and Janade have been pioneers of early-stage venture capital in Africa since 2014, bridging the funding gap for Seed and pre-Series A startups across the African continent.
Zach’s investment banking and Angel investing experience together with Janade's expertise in entrepreneurship, research and banking provided the early foundation from which the broader Launch Africa team have gone on to invest, grow and scale more than 150 startups across Africa solving critical challenges across multiple sectors.
Since 2020, Launch Africa has raised just over US$36 million in its first fund, investing US$31 million into 133 startups across 22 countries, with impressive returns. They aim to convert investments into distributions and launch new funds, nurturing top-performing portfolio companies.
Their success lies in fostering strong relationships, democratizing venture capital access, and learning from global ecosystems.
Closing the funding gap is vital for innovation and growth, making Launch Africa a pivotal force in Africa's startup landscape.