Sawari Ventures

This Thursday, our Principal Anta Ndiaye, based in Dakar, will share insights about opportunities & challenges of investing in Francophone Africa during a #HoaQAMASession with Nubi Kay'. The session is online, so anyone interested can register on the link below:

Last week, we had the distinct pleasure of welcoming HE Gareth Bayley, UK Ambassador to Egypt, to the GrEEK Campus in Downtown Cairo. Together with our friends at Flat6Labs and WRK+, we discussed Egypt's entrepreneurial ecosystem, its opportunities and challenges, and the critical role of education and talent retention for entrepreneurship.  The visit also gave us an opportunity to highlight the importance of our mutual partnership, and the critical support we have received over the years through British International Investment (BII) and the British Embassy in Cairo / UK Government, in support of Egypt's entrepreneurial community and sustainable development. In addition to having insightful conversations, we were also able to showcase the work of our portfolio companies Money Fellows and Axis, as well as Flat6Labs' portfolio company ILLA , who shared their inspiring success stories.  The visit was a testament to the incredible potential and innovation that exists within Egypt's thriving entrepreneurship ecosystem. We would like to extend our gratitude to the team at the UK Embassy in Egypt (Marwa Malt and Yasmin Elmalah) for making this event possible, and to BII, and especially the regional office under Sherine Shohdy, for the continued support and championing. Wael Amin Ibrahim Ramadan Basmat Al-Sabbah Fareed Dina el-Shenoufy Ramez El-Serafy Maya Oda Pacha Muhammad Nagi Sherif Ashraf Ahmed Ragab Shehab Moustafa

Tech and investment leaders meet in Dakar, Senegal 🇸🇳 It was a pleasure co-hosting this exclusive networking event with Sawari Ventures and Partech and meeting with some of the leading minds in the tech and digital investment space in Senegal. Thank you everyone who attended, it was great connecting with you - until next time 💫 Faten Aissi, Asma Bouzaidi, Anta Ndiaye, Tidjane Deme Sabrine Chahrour #Flat6Labs #SawariVentures #Partech #Senegal #AfricanTech #VC #AcceleratingAfrica

On Monday, we had the pleasure of joining the Climate Finance Accelerator (CFA)'s launch event at the British Embassy in Cairo, where our Partner for ESG & Impact, Jennifer Schoeberlein, spoke about the challenges and opportunities of investing in climate tech in our region. The event kicked off with a welcome note from H.E. the Ambassador Gareth Bayley, followed by a recorded message from Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat, Minister of International Cooperation, and presentations from Dr. Mohamed Farid Saleh, Chairman at the Financial Regulatory Authority FRA, Lydia Elewa, General Manager at the Egyptian Ministry of Environment, and Yehia Houry, Chief Programs Officer at Flat6Labs, as well as pitch presentations from the CFA’s second cohort of startups. Despite the massive momentum in the climate tech space in recent years, there is still a critical need for hands-on seed investors and accelerator programs, such as the Climate Finance Accelerator (CFA), to ensure companies have the needed capacity and maturity to establish and scale their operations. So we want to thank the British Embassy in Cairo, as well as the CFA and Flat6Labs teams for having us, and we are looking forward to following and supporting these inspiring early stage entrepreneurs on their journey! 

Last week, our Associates Basmat Al-Sabbah Fareed and Nader Youssef participated in Startups Without Borders' investors room, to support early stage startups on their fundraising journey. We are continuously inspired by the resilience and innovation capacity of entrepreneurs in our region. Check out Basmat Al-Sabbah's post below for more thoughts. And thanks to Startups Without Borders for having us!

It was an honour, and a pleasure, to have the newly appointed French Ambassador to Egypt visit The GrEEK Campus and discuss Egypt's entrepreneurial ecosystem and its massive potential alongside founders and our partners at Flat6Labs. Thank you Embassy of France in Egypt for the visit, and to Proparco and Agence Française de Développement for the continuous support!

We are looking to hire a Communications & Engagement Coordinator to join our team in Cairo. If you have a passion for communications and stakeholder engagement, and are looking for a new challenge/opportunity, please check out the job description below. And if you think you are a good fit, please send us your CV and a cover letter, and we will be in touch as soon as possible. We are looking forward to hearing from you!

In late April, our team headed to Johannesburg for AVCA - The African Private Capital Association's Annual Conference. It was a great week of productive meetings, opportunities to connect with friends and partners, and enriching panels and side events. We are especially proud this year that our Partner Ibrahim Ramadan won AVCA's NextGen Future Leader Award – a recognition we are truly grateful for. Additionally, our Managing Partner Hany Al-Sonbaty and Ibrahim Ramadan represented Sawari Ventures on esteemed panels - discussing the way ahead for private equity and venture capital in Africa, and a founders first approach to investing, respectively. Thank you to Abi Mustapha-Maduakor, CA, MBA, Alfonso Campo, Esther Merino, Khairin Yahya, Nastaran Hajir, and Areeja Iqbal for a wonderful conference experience as usual. And thank you to everyone we were able to connect with. We are already looking forward to next time!

We’ll be heading to Johannesburg next week, for AVCA - The African Private Capital Association’s Annual Conference (April 22-26). Sawari Ventures has been an AVCA sponsor and contributor for the past three years, and we are excited to be back to network and engage with the continent’s vibrant VC ecosystem. Hany Al-Sonbaty, Jennifer Schoeberlein, Ibrahim Ramadan, Farah Abd El-Gawad, and Anta Ndiaye from our team will be there. Get in touch with us if you are in town! https://lnkd.in/efeet5_Q

During the month of Ramadan, Sawari Ventures hosted a stimulating roundtable discussion in Casablanca, bringing together leading figures in the Moroccan VC ecosystem!🇲🇦 The event explored the exciting opportunities and challenges within the growing Moroccan market. We were honored to have insightful discussions with our esteemed panelists: Yassine Soual (Al Mada Ventures), with their recent $100 million fund launch, elaborated on deployment strategies and the potential for growth-stage investment in Africa. Zineb Benhamou (212 Founders), representing a leading seed incubator, shared her experience nurturing the startup ecosystem and the evolution of the seed pipeline. Omar IDRISSI AMRAOUI (TAMWILCOM) offered valuable insights on how strong macroeconomics can fuel the growth of the Moroccan innovation ecosystem. Hazim Sebbata (CASHPLUS), following their impressive $60 million fundraising, provided a real-world example of success and the future of cash digitization and financial inclusion in Morocco. Natascha Korvinus (Proparco) and Kristoffer Beer Urheim (Dutch Good Growth Fund (DGGF)) shared their perspectives on the Moroccan VC landscape and promising sectors for future investment. Additionally, our partners, Hany Al-Sonbaty and Wael Amin shared Sawari Ventures' experience and contributions to the MENA ecosystem in Fund I and excitement for Fund II, highlighting the potential for collaboration between regional players. A huge thank you to our panelists and attendees for their valuable contributions!