First Circle
Pre-Seed Β· 2 people tracked
Investment thesis
Invests pre-Series A African fintech startups; female-led GPs who built and exited fintechs offer hands-on operational support, a concentrated 24-company portfolio, and help scaling across markets.
Team Β· 2 people
from the firm's website
Entrepreneur-turned-VC based in Kampala, she built and scaled tech companies in Jordan, Ukraine and Uganda, champions quality employment for local women, and is a super-networker in African fintech.
Selma Ribica, former MβPesa product lead who founded migrant-focused Lebara Financial Services, achieved 33x MOIC on an angel portfolio and co-leads an Africa-based fintech fund backed by DFIs including IFC.
What they invest in
from 10 of 31 portfolio companiesFintech Γ9SaaS Γ4B2B Marketplaces Γ2Enterprise Software Γ2AI & Machine Learning Γ1Biotech Γ1E-commerce Γ1Healthtech Γ1
HQs:NigeriaΓ3EgyptΓ2United StatesΓ2South AfricaΓ2GhanaΓ1
Investments Β· 31 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathLenco provides multi-currency banking services to African businesses, enabling them to manage vendor payments, cross-border transactions, and access financing.
FintechLagos, NG
Andrew Airelobhegbe(Founder)inImpact Airelobhegbe(Founder)inGodstime Asine(Founder)inPraise Osagie(Founder)in
FintechMiddletown, US
Traction is a payments and business management platform offering point-of-sale terminals and software tools for merchants to accept payments, manage inventory, send invoices, and access CRM functionality.
Enterprise SoftwareFintechSaaSLagos, NG
TurnStay provides payment processing and global finance infrastructure for African travel businesses, helping them reduce booking fees and transaction costs through a platform offering multiple currency options and lower payment processing rates.
B2B MarketplacesFintechTravel & Hospitality
Yemaachi creates a diverse cancer bio-database to develop oncology drugs effective across diverse patient populations.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechHealthtechMedical DevicesAccra, GH
Yaw Bediako(Founder)inYaw Attua-Afari(Founder)inDavid Hutchful(Founder)inJoyce Ngoi(Founder)
Frequently asked questions
- What stage does First Circle invest at?
- First Circle invests at the Pre-Seed stage.
- What is First Circle's typical check size?
- First Circle typically writes checks of $100K β $250K.
- What sectors does First Circle focus on?
- First Circle focuses on Fintech, Healthtech, InsurTech, Logistics & Supply Chain, SaaS.
- Does First Circle lead rounds?
- First Circle typically participates in rounds rather than leading them.
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