Behind these impressive figures are the powerhouse placing big bets on the continent’s startup potential, which include venture capital firms, private equity funds, and private investment funds. 

These investors are not just funding startups but shaping the African startup ecosystem, providing support to companies addressing real-world challenges. Below, are the major investors who led the funding rounds for most of the largest deals in May, with each funding led not less than $10 million:

1. Prosus Ventures

Prosus Ventures is the investing arm of Prosus. It invests in emerging technologies and innovative companies across Europe, Southeast Asia, and the Americas. Focusing on key technology sectors like e-commerce, mobility and logistics, fintech and blockchain, agritech and sustainability.

Prosus Ventures led the Thndr, a Cairo-based investment platform $15.7 million funding round in May, with participation from BECO Capital, JIMCO Capital, Endeavor Catalyst, Y Combinator, and Onsi Sawiris.

It has invested in several startups and innovative companies across the globe; Prosus ventures portfolio includes Bandlab, Bibit, Thndr, Zest Equity, and Zapia, amongst others.

2. Development Partners International (DPI) Venture Capital

DPI Venture Capital is a platform that supports entrepreneurs, from the initial ideas stage to achieving successful sales. DPI venture capital empowers high-growth ventures to solve meaningful challenges and provide access to opportunities across the continent.

DPI has invested in various African startups, from investing $110 million in Moniepoint during its Series C round in 2024 to leading Sylndr’s $15.7 million Series A equity round to accelerate Sylndr’s expansion across Egypt, boost its pricing intelligence, and strengthen partnership with dealers and service providers.

DPI portfolio includes Moniepoint; Solevo, a chemical distribution company; Cofina, a financial services provider; and other companies cutting across retail, telecommunication, and fintech.

3. Al Mada Ventures:

Al Mada is one of Africa’s private investment funds and operates in different sectors, such as banking, telecommunications, renewable energy, and the food sector.

Identifying the capital deficit affecting African startups, Al Mada launched a $110 million capital venture, Al Mada Ventures, to address the gap in growth-stage investing.

Al Mada  Ventures recently led Money Fellow, $13 million pre-Series C round in conjunction with DPI Nclude Fund, a fintech-focused investment vehicle that supports early-stage and growth-stage startups in Egypt and Africa as a whole to drive financial inclusion. 

4. Partech:

Partech Africa is a private equity fund that focuses on startups using tech to address emerging opportunities in various growth stages. It invests in fintech, entertainment companies, mobility as well as companies specialized in supply chain services.

Partech co-led AURA, a South African health tech $15  million Series B round with the Cathay AfricInvest Innovation Fund (CAIF). It also led Nawy’s $52 million Series A equity round with participation from March Capital, VKAV, VentureSouq, and DPI Nclude Fund, among others.

Partech Africa focuses on startups with major activities based in Africa to raise between €0.5 million and €5 million as initial tickets.

The investment, led by Prosus Ventures, is one of the largest early-stage AI investments in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

The company, founded in 2023 by ex-Google and DeepMind engineers Morteza Ibrahimi, Ahmad Khwileh, and Dina Alsamhan, is developing AI-powered agents that help online retailers automate content creation, marketing, and customer engagement. 

According to Qeen.ai, its AI solutions have already reached over 15 million users and generated one million product descriptions, contributing to a 30% increase in sales for merchants using its platform.

The e-commerce sector in MENA is projected to reach $50 billion by 2025, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE leading the expansion. While global e-commerce currently accounts for 15% to 20% of retail sales, Qeen.ai believes this figure could grow if merchants optimise their operations beyond paid advertising.

“We worked with a client to optimise their content and SEO. After using our AI plugins, their search volume increased by 40%, and their Google ranking improved from 22 to 18—all with zero manual effort. The entire process was fully autonomous,” said Ibrahimi.

Qeen.ai’s AI technology personalises content dynamically based on user behaviour and device type. For example, mobile users may receive concise bullet-point summaries, while desktop users get detailed descriptions.

AI-powered marketing tools have gained global traction, with companies in the US and Europe offering similar solutions. However, Qeen.ai is targeting an underserved market by prioritising MENA before expanding internationally.

“One of the most exciting things we’ve seen is the quality of AI talent here,” said Ibrahimi. “We’ve attracted great talent both locally and internationally—people have left the Bay Area, Europe, and the UK to come here and build with us.”

The company operates on a subscription-based model, charging merchants per active SKU for content automation and on a per-interaction basis for AI-driven marketing services. Notable clients include Dubai Store, 6th Street, and Jumia.

With a team of over 25 employees across the UAE and Jordan, Qeen.ai plans to use its latest funding to expand its AI capabilities, scale its workforce, and attract more e-commerce businesses. Investors in this round include Wamda Capital, 10X Founders Fund, and Dara Holdings.

Having raised a total of $12 million within a year, Qeen.ai is boosting the AI-driven growth of online retail in the region.