Africa: The Big Deal
Max Cuvellier Giacomelli, Ido Sum, Gregoire de PadiracYour weekly two-minute read, a quick conversation starter on the African start-up ecosystem, based on a curated database of deals from across the continent.
| Platform |  | Pricing | Only free issues | Publishes | Weekly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issues | 243 | Founded | 5 years ago | Last Issue | 8 days ago |
| Active | |||||
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thebigdeal.substack.comLatest Issues
Where are the investors? 🔭
In the first four months of 2026, we recorded 162 unique investors participating in at least one non-exit $100k+ deal on the continent. This is the lowest Jan–Apr count we’ve seen since we started tracking comparable data in 2021. (While...
April 2026: Total amount hits a 13-month low
In April 2026, 32 start-ups in Africa announced a total of $110m in funding through $100k+ deals (equity, debt, grants; exc. exits). From a deal activity point of view, that’s a welcome bounce from a very slow March (22), yet still very m...
Show me your Q1 and I'll show you mine
I initially resisted the urge to write a Q1 2026 post because I would have defaulted to a long-form analysis that risked missing the point. After some mulling over, I have decided to produce a simple table comparing Q1 2026 to Q1 2025, an...
The base is thinning 🔻
I know we keep coming back to this topic, but it is because it’s the one that determines the ecosystem’s future outcomes. On the surface, start-up funding in Africa is doing pretty well: in the 12 months to March 2026 (Apr 2025–Mar 2026),...
March 2026: Amount is fine. Deal count isn't.
In March 2026, 22 start-ups in Africa announced a total of $151m in funding through $100k+ deals (equity, debt, grants; exc. exits). From an amount perspective, while this is nearly three times what was raised a year ago in March 2025, it...
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Authors
The writers behind this newsletter.
Builder | Founder turned Investor (VC and public markets) | +20 years in Tech and Africa
CEO of Digital Africa
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