Bloomberg has released its second annual "25 African Startups to Watch" list, underscoring the growing influence of venture-backed innovation across the continent.
Published yesterday, the list highlights companies building solutions in “environments where infrastructure or systems have failed to deliver."
The featured start-ups build solutions to challenges such as accessing healthcare in Chad, moving goods in Kenya, securing loans in South Africa, and safeguarding borders in Nigeria.
Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya jointly lead with four companies each, reflecting the ongoing strength of Africa's three most visible start-up ecosystems.
The 25 companies span 13 countries and sectors including healthcare, fintech, security, climate resilience, waste management, and transport.
Nigeria’s four startups are 10mg Health, Remedial Health, Sycamore and Terra Industries, covering areas from healthcare financing and pharmaceutical supply chain integrity to digital lending and defence technology.
South Africa’s contingent includes Omnisient, Amesect, AURA and Jem. Omnisient uses grocery purchase data and AI to extend credit to those outside traditional financial systems.
Kenya’s notable four include Zeraki, a school-data analytics platform partnering with Safaricom to reach secondary students across the country.
According to Bloomberg, a defining theme this year is the source of funding.
Nearly half of the total capital raised by these start-ups came from African investors, marking a shift from previous years when international capital predominantly drove early growth.
International backers such as 8VC, controlled by Palantir Technologies co-founder Joe Lonsdale, and Google continue to see value in investing in African companies, Bloomberg noted.
The report also highlights that start-ups across the continent almost doubled their debt fundraising in 2025, even as equity financing from venture capital firms declined.
Separately, the Start-up Ecosystem Report 2026 states that Kenya has overtaken Nigeria as Africa’s top startup investment destination, attracting $984 million in 2025.
Jennifer Zabasajja, Bloomberg Television's chief Africa correspondent and anchor, highlighted the dual significance of the list, the variety of solutions being built and the growing role of African-sourced capital in backing them.
She noted that the list comes at a consequential moment, one shaped by global disruptions, from the conflict in Iran to sweeping cuts in US foreign healthcare assistance, that have made the case for African-owned capital more urgent than ever before.
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