FirstCheck Africa

What is FirstCheck Africa?

FirstCheck Africa is a Lagos, Nigeria-based early-stage venture capital fund specifically targeting technology-driven startups in Africa that include female founders or have diverse co-founding teams. With investment amounts ranging from $50,000 to $250,000, FirstCheck Africa is focused on supporting pre-seed and seed-stage companies.

The fund values long-term commitment and mission-driven investment, looking to back founders aiming for scale and sustainability. They position themselves as an early supporter of female leadership talent within the technology sector and are dedicated to tackling the venture capital gender funding gap in Africa.

FirstCheck Africa is sector-agnostic, open to startups from various industries that present exciting, high-growth opportunities. Their investment thesis rests on the belief that diverse leadership will drive the continent's most successful future startups, advocating for more women in significant roles within these companies.

The firm attempts to streamline the investment process for founders by providing substantial initial capital to negate the need for smaller, more time-consuming angel or friends-and-family rounds. In evaluating potential investments, they seek out data-driven founders with strong knowledge of the problems they aim to solve, a robust business model, and a persuasive market demand for their solutions. FirstCheck Africa's investments have primarily concentrated in countries like Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Egypt, and Ghana, where the firm has established networks and experience.

In addition to financial support, the firm offers a founder success program which includes access to the founding General Partners' experience, capital raising support, and expert and peer networks. Through these initiatives, they aim to empower founders with the necessary tools and connections to scale their companies to greater heights and succeed in subsequent funding rounds.

What they say:

We invest in early-stage technology startups in Africa with female or diverse co-founding teams.