African startups raised a total of $254 million across 36 deals in May 2025, marking a slight dip from April but a strong performance compared to March. This pushes the continent’s year-to-date total beyond $1 billion—a 40% increase over the same period last year.
Data from Africa: The Big Deal reveals that African startups have amassed $2.5 billion in funding over the past 12 months (June 2024 to May 2025), the highest rolling total since early last year. Seven ventures secured over $10 million each, with Egypt dominating six of these largest deals and accounting for 31% of all funding in 2025.
Key highlights include Egyptian proptech firm Nawy’s record-breaking $75 million raise—the largest-ever proptech deal in Africa—with $52 million in Series A equity led by Partech and $23 million in debt. Other major Egyptian deals included fintech firms Tasaheel ($50 million corporate bond issuance), Valu ($27 million from Saudi investors), Thndr ($15 million+), Sylndr ($15 million+ Series A), and Money Fellows ($13 million pre-Series C).
South Africa’s AURA health startup was the only non-Egyptian to raise over $10 million, closing a $15 million Series B to expand into the U.S. market.
Country-wise, Egypt leads startup funding in 2025 with 31%, followed by South Africa (26%), Nigeria (15%), and Kenya (12%). The month also saw four notable exits, including three Egyptian deals and one in West Africa, signaling a maturing investment ecosystem.
