Capria VC Targets Two More African Startups for Multi-Million Dollar Investments

Global venture firm Capria VC, with a whopping $207 million in assets under management, is looking to expand its reach in Africa by investing $1-$3 million each in two promising Series A startups. Known for its unconventional model of partnering with local fund managers and directly backing startups, Capria’s presence on the continent continues to grow.

The firm’s network of African partners includes Global Ventures, Lateral Frontiers, and Atlantica Ventures. By collaborating with these partners, Capria gains valuable market insights and indirect exposure to nearly 400 portfolio companies while maintaining direct investments in 41 startups.

Capria’s Africa partner, Mobola da Silva, explained the model’s effectiveness, saying, “This model is powerful because it gives us broad access to market insights. It’s a huge data set, which benefits both us and our portfolio companies.”

Capria VC’s Growing African Presence

Da Silva joined Capria in 2023 as a venture partner before being promoted to partner in 2024. She relocated from Lagos to Nairobi to enhance Capria’s on-ground operations in Africa. Her impressive career spans 14 years of deploying capital to high-potential startups, including roles at the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, the uMunthu Fund, and Alitheia Capital.

“The common theme of my career is deploying capital into the most promising opportunities and backing founders best positioned to scale transformative businesses,” she shared.

Among the notable names in Capria’s direct portfolio are Moniepoint, Paymob, and Seamless HR. The firm also invested in MAX in collaboration with Global Ventures. Its indirect portfolio boasts prominent African startups like LipaLater, Klasha, and Figorr.

Capria’s Unique AI-Driven Support

Beyond capital investment, Capria offers a distinct advantage to its portfolio companies — an in-house AI team. This team, consisting of four developers and led by founding partner Will Poole, supports startups by offering guidance on AI implementation.

According to da Silva, “The AI team is a resource available to all our portfolio companies. Any company can approach us and say, ‘We’re thinking of implementing AI in this way, but we have challenges—how can you help?’ They don’t have to use the AI team, but it’s an option. Of course, there’s some prioritisation. The team can’t work with all companies simultaneously, so they phase projects depending on workload.”

Capria’s willingness to offer tailored AI solutions could be a significant draw for emerging African startups looking to scale their operations.