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Since 2014, Wayra has backed 1 African startup across 2 disclosed funding rounds totaling $8.8M, most heavily in South Africa and Marketing & CRM.
Wayra is the corporate venture capital arm and open innovation platform of Telefónica, focused on investing in technology startups and connecting them with the Telefónica group and other organizations. It operates across multiple hubs in Europe and Latin America and positions itself as a strategic investor that combines capital with venture client opportunities. In Africa, Wayra has participated in early stage and growth funding rounds, with activity recorded between May 2014 and February 2019. Over this period, it joined three funding rounds totaling 9.6 million dollars, primarily at the seed stage and once at Series A. Within Africa its investments have focused on South Africa and Nigeria, backing companies in marketing, customer relationship management, and financial technology. Wayra’s African portfolio in the available records includes Yoyo Rewards, a South Africa based marketing and CRM platform that runs digital vouchers, gift cards, and card linked loyalty programs, and Reloadly, a Nigeria based fintech that provides a single API for gift cards, airtime top ups, and payouts. These investments were made alongside other institutional investors and reflect Wayra’s interest in digital commerce, customer engagement, and financial infrastructure solutions.
Data updated · Aug 28, 2026
Wayra has backed 1 African startup across 2 disclosed funding rounds tracked on Liners, totaling $8.8M since 2014.
Mostly Seed: 2 of its 2 tracked rounds are at that stage.
Companies Wayra has backed operate in South Africa (2). 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 Marketing & CRM (2).
Wayra most often shares rounds with Imperial Innovations (2 shared deals), Firestartr (2 shared deals).
Wayra is the corporate venture capital arm and open innovation platform of Telefónica, investing in technology startups and helping them collaborate with large organizations. It acts as a strategic investor, combining capital with access to Telefónica’s network and innovation ecosystem. Its activity in Africa has included selected investments in startups in Nigeria and South Africa.
In Africa, Wayra has backed Yoyo Rewards in South Africa and Reloadly in Nigeria. Yoyo Rewards focuses on marketing and CRM through digital vouchers, gift cards, and card linked loyalty programs, while Reloadly is a fintech platform providing an API for gift cards, airtime top ups, and payouts. These companies represent Wayra’s interest in customer engagement and financial technology solutions.
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