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Since 2019, 500 Startups has backed 4 African startups across 4 disclosed funding rounds totaling $119.5M, most heavily in Egypt and Fintech.
500 Startups, now known as 500 Global, is a venture capital firm investing in technology companies. The firm’s official website describes its investment strategy as global and spanning multiple stages. Its U.S. headquarters is in Palo Alto, California. The investment records provided show three seed rounds in Africa between April 2019 and December 2020: one in Egypt-focused fintech, one in Egyptian logistics and supply chain technology, and one in Nigerian cybersecurity. The companies listed are NowPay, Garment IO, and Smile ID. These records indicate activity in Egypt and Nigeria across those sectors.
Data updated · Sep 30, 2026
500 Startups has backed 4 African startups across 4 disclosed funding rounds tracked on Liners, totaling $119.5M since 2019.
Mostly Seed: 3 of its 4 tracked rounds are at that stage, followed by Series C (1).
Companies 500 Startups has backed operate in Egypt (3), Botswana (2), Côte d'Ivoire (2), and 49 more markets. Each figure counts the rounds behind companies serving that market, so a company operating in several markets counts in each of them.
Its tracked rounds lean toward Fintech (2), Logistics & Supply Chain (1), Cybersecurity (1).
500 Startups most often shares rounds with SVB Capital (1 shared deal), Deciens Capital (1 shared deal), Ribbit Capital (1 shared deal).
The companies listed are NowPay in Egypt, Garment IO in Egypt, and Smile ID in Nigeria. Their recorded sectors are fintech, logistics and supply chain, and cybersecurity, respectively.
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