Novastar Ventures
Impact investorLondon · Pre-Seed–Late Stage · 19 people tracked
Investment thesis
Novastar Ventures invests in bold entrepreneurs driving an entrepreneurial revolution across Africa, aiming to transform markets and sectors for the benefit of people and the planet. The firm emphasizes environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles across its portfolio and manages funds dedicated to impact-oriented investing on the continent, such as its Africa People and Planet Fund III.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 19 people
from the firm's website & public directories
What they invest in
from 17 of 35 portfolio companiesCleantech ×5Logistics & Supply Chain ×5Climate Tech ×4Impact & Social Good ×4Mobility & Transportation ×4AgTech ×3Consumer ×3Digital Health ×3
HQs:Kenya×6United States×5Nigeria×4Egypt×1South Africa×1
Investments · 35 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2026 · 12025 · 12015 · 13 dated
BasiGo provides electric buses designed for African public transport, along with a pay-as-you-drive leasing model that removes the high upfront cost of ownership and a charging and service network.
CleantechClimate TechMobility & TransportationClaymont, US
Jonathan Green(CFO & Co-Founder)Abhijit Bhattacharya(Executive Officer, Director)Jit Bhattacharya(CEO & Co-Founder)Moses Nderitu(Kenya Managing Director)Doreen Orishaba(Chief Product Officer)
BoardAkira Wada(Director)
Co-investorsKeiki CapitalMoxxie VenturesNimble PartnersTrucks VC
Breadfast is a delivery app offering groceries, fresh bakery items, fruits and vegetables, ready-to-eat meals, beauty, pharmacy, and household products, along with financial features like cashback and rewards.
ConsumerE-commerceFoodTechLogistics & Supply ChainMobility & TransportationCairo, EG
Muhammad Habib(Founder)inAbdallah Nofal(Founder)inMostafa Amin
Co-investors4DX Ventures500 GlobalOutliers VCShorooq PartnersVershina CapitalVNV Global+5 more
Chowdeck is a food delivery platform in Africa that connects customers with restaurants and delivery riders.
B2B MarketplacesConsumerFoodTechLogistics & Supply ChainMarketplacesLA, NG
Femi Aluko(Founder)inOlumide Ojo(Founder)inLanre Yusuf(Founder)in
BoardBrian Waswani Odhiambo(Director)in
Co-investorsBrighter CapitalGFR FundHoaQPalm Drive CapitalRocketship.vcVelocity Digital+1 more
Elephant provides digital health infrastructure for public healthcare systems in low- and middle-income countries, offering an offline-capable EHR (ElephantOS), clinical guidance tools (Elephant Nudge), and an AI-driven platform to integrate third-party healthcare tools into clinical workflows.
AI & Machine LearningDigital HealthEnterprise SoftwareHealthtechUK, ZA
Michael D.(Founder)in
Co-investorsEntrée CapitalManta Ray VenturesPUSH Ventures
Novastar Fund III (NVIII) portfolio company.
Co-investorsCeniarth
Co-investorsLateral CapitalVKAV (Verod-Kepple Africa Ventures)Waarde Capital
Komaza is a forestry company in Kenya that uses a smallholder microforestry model, partnering with thousands of small farmers to grow trees on distributed land pockets rather than large plantations.
AgTechClimate TechImpact & Social GoodNairobi, KE
Tevis Howard(Founder)Ayesha Wagle(Executive Officer)Joris de Vries(Director)
BoardSteve Beck(Director)
Co-investorsCeniarth
MAX operates a transportation platform in Africa that provides vehicles, financing, insurance, and driver training to transport operators and micro-entrepreneurs, and offers ride services to passengers.
CleantechLogistics & Supply ChainMobility & Transportation
Co-investorsAlitheia CapitalBreakthrough Energy VenturesGoodwell InvestmentsOlive Tree CapitalShell FoundationWaarde Capital
Logistics & Supply ChainMobility & TransportationLagos, NG
Chinedu Azodoh(Executive Officer, Director)Adetayo Bamiduro(Executive Officer, Director)
Co-investorsCapria VenturesTechstarsEndeavor CatalystGlobal VenturesTriple Jump
MoKo Home designs and sells modern furniture pieces for residential customers.
ConsumerE-commerce
Moniepoint provides banking, payments, credit, and cross-border payment services along with business management tools for African businesses and individuals, with a focus on MSMEs.
Enterprise SoftwareFintechSaaS
Co-investorsCapria VenturesDevelopment Partners InternationalNew VoicesOui CapitalQED InvestorsInternational Finance Corporation+4 more
mPharma operates a network of pharmacies across Africa that uses technology to negotiate lower drug prices with manufacturers and manage prescription information and payments.
B2B MarketplacesDigital HealthHealthtechLogistics & Supply Chain
Co-investors4DX VenturesBreyer CapitalOTVPeregrine VenturesThe Raba PartnershipTimon Capital+2 more
Co-investorsLearn CapitalManta Ray VenturesNew Enterprise Associates (NEA)Nimble PartnersRethink Capital Partners
Seattle, US
Nick Quintong(Executive Officer, Director)Fausto Marcigot(Executive Officer, Director)Mike Hahn(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardMark O'Keefe(Director)Laura Talsma(Director)
Co-investorsE3 CapitalGlobal Innovation FundVillage Capital
PayGo Energy builds hardware and software to expand access to Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) for clean cooking in emerging markets, targeting consumers who otherwise rely on charcoal and kerosene.
CleantechEnergyHardwareNairobi, KE
Penda Health operates a network of medical centers in Nairobi providing outpatient, home-based, specialist, and diagnostic care, along with telemedicine, to patients and corporate partners.
Digital HealthHealthtechNairobi, KE
Co-investorsFINCA VenturesGlobal Partnerships
Regen Organics locally manufactures regenerative products to decarbonize the production of food, feed, and fuel, serving farmers and food systems in emerging markets.
AgTechCircular EconomyClimate Tech
The Sanergy Collaborative is a network of partner organizations addressing the sanitation crisis in densely populated cities through a circular economy approach: building safe sanitation systems, collecting and treating waste, and upcycling it into products like organic fertilizer, ecofuels, and animal feed.
Circular EconomyCleantechImpact & Social GoodNairobi, KE
Sistema.bio manufactures prefabricated, modular tubular biodigesters that convert animal dung into biogas for small and medium-sized farms.
AgTechCleantechClimate TechEnergyMexico City
Alexander Eaton(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)inCamilo Pagés(Founder)in
BoardThibault Couturier(Director)Liesbet Mijlemans(Director)inMarcus Watson(Director)inJoyce Cacho(Director)
Co-investorsDila CapitalFactor[e] VenturesShell Foundation
Oakland, US
Ella Peinovich(Executive Officer, Director)Gwendolyn Floyd(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardAshoka Reddy(Director)Ernest T. Selig(Director)Percy Grundy(Director)Elizabeth White(Director)
San Francisco, US
Michael Ukpong(Executive Officer, Director)Ruke Awaritefe(Executive Officer, Director)Chukwunenye Onyekachi Izukanne(Executive Officer, Director)Onyekachi Izukanne(Founder)in
BoardTidjane Deme(Director)inCyril Collon(Director)in
Co-investorsMSA NovoSahel CapitalPartech Ventures
Turaco provides simple, affordable microinsurance products for mass-market and underserved customers in Africa, delivered through partnerships with brands and financial institutions.
FintechImpact & Social GoodInsurTechWilmington, US
Charles Welden(Director)Rachel Levenson(Director)Theodore Pantone(Director)Peter Gross(Director)Brekly Pantone(Director)
Co-investorsAfricInvestAmbassadors Impact NetworkEnza CapitalGlobal PartnershipsMercy Corps VenturesMusha Ventures+2 more
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companies
Metro Africa Xpress · empowerafrica.com · Aug 17, 2026
Moniepoint · thesaasnews.com · Jul 28, 2026
Chowdeck · thesun.ng · Jul 17, 2026
Breadfast · brandiconimage.com · Jul 14, 2026
Mpharma · billionaires.africa · Dec 22, 2025
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has Novastar Ventures made?
- Novastar Ventures has 15 tracked investments, including 1 dated in the last 24 months.
- What stage does Novastar Ventures invest at?
- Novastar Ventures invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth, Late Stage stages.
- What sectors does Novastar Ventures focus on?
- Novastar Ventures focuses on Climate Tech, Impact & Social Good, Sector Agnostic.
- Where is Novastar Ventures located?
- Novastar Ventures is headquartered in London, GB.
- Does Novastar Ventures lead rounds?
- Novastar Ventures typically participates in rounds rather than leading them.
- Who does Novastar Ventures co-invest with?
- Novastar Ventures most often shares deals with Ceniarth, Dila Capital, Factor[e] Ventures, among 11 tracked co-investors.
Images
Co-investors · 7
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, is a global development institution that provides debt and equity financing to the private sector in emerging and developing markets to promote economic development and reduce poverty.
Partech is a global investment firm that backs founders across multiple continents and at every stage through dedicated teams and funds.
QED Investors is a venture capital firm focused on financial services, founded by former Capital One executives to back founders bringing transparency and fairness to fintech.
SparkLabs Global Ventures is an early-stage venture fund whose partners are described as experienced operators and entrepreneurs, providing capital along with hands-on guidance to founders on scaling and international expansion.
Aster is a venture capital firm that positions itself as an ecosystem builder, supporting portfolio startups by connecting them with corporates and industry experts to accelerate industrialization and market adoption.
Helios Investment Partners is an Africa-focused private investment firm operating since 2004, running three strategies including private equity, climate, and Helios Digital Ventures. Helios Digital Ventures invests in Africa's scalable digital champions.
Firms observed investing alongside Novastar Ventures, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with Novastar Ventures's recorded portfolio.
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