Madica, a structured investment programme for pre-seed African startups, has announced fresh investments in two artificial intelligence (AI)-driven ventures, Tunisia’s Anavid and Morocco’s Hypeo AI, marking another milestone in its mission to bridge structural gaps in Africa’s startup ecosystem.
Each company will receive up to $200,000 in funding and gain entry into Madica’s 18-month accelerator programme, which offers tailored mentorship, executive coaching, international immersion trips, and access to a global investor network.
“At Madica, we believe and continue to prove that some of the world’s most transformative ideas come from places that are too often ignored,” said Emmanuel Adegboye, Head of Madica.
“The founders we’ve just welcomed are visionaries, building solutions with the power to uplift communities and shape industries.”
What Madica Is
Launched in 2022 and affiliated with Flourish Ventures, a global fintech-focused venture capital firm, Madica is a sector-agnostic investment programme designed to empower early-stage African startups that face deep-rooted structural challenges.
The initiative addresses barriers such as limited access to capital, insufficient mentorship, a scarcity of investors, and weak organizational support, problems that have historically stifled innovation across the continent.
Madica’s approach extends beyond capital injection. It provides hands-on support, helping founders build resilient business models capable of solving real social and economic problems.
Through its curriculum and coaching structure, the programme seeks to foster innovation, entrepreneurship, and wealth creation, bridging the gap between African ingenuity and global opportunity.
The New Investments
The new round of funding in Anavid and Hypeo AI brings Madica’s total portfolio to 10 startups, following four earlier investments made in February.
Each beneficiary receives up to $200,000 and enters an 18-month support programme that includes a customized curriculum, mentorship, and two fully-funded tech immersion trips, one within Africa and one abroad.
The programme is tailored to help startups refine their products, build strong management teams, and connect with Madica’s global network of investors.
This strategy is designed to make them more attractive to larger venture funds and to position them for long-term scalability in Africa’s competitive tech landscape.
The Startups Funded
Anavid, a Tunisian AI-powered solution, enhances existing retail surveillance systems by integrating with store cameras to reduce shoplifting losses and improve the overall customer experience.
Its technology reflects a growing wave of North African startups using AI to tackle real-world business inefficiencies.
On the other hand, Hypeo AI, based in Morocco, is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform that automates every stage of influencer marketing, from brand matching and content validation to payment management.
The platform aims to simplify how brands and creators connect, collaborate, and get paid, leveraging AI to replace the traditionally manual and time-consuming process.
“Our region is rapidly growing with creative energy, but without the right digital backbone, it often goes untapped,” said Meriam Bessa, Co-founder and CEO of Hypeo AI.
“We’re changing that by using AI to reimagine how brands and creators find each other, collaborate, and thrive. Backing by Madica will help us strengthen our AI capabilities to achieve this goal.”
A Bigger Collaboration: Madica and ABAN
Recently, Madica, with a move to expand investment flow and strengthen ecosystem connectivity, strategically partnered with the African Business Angel Network (ABAN) during the just concluded ABAN Congress in Lagos.
The collaboration aims to connect angel investors, individuals who fund early-stage startups, with institutional capital to co-invest and share deal flow across Africa.
Through this partnership, ABAN-affiliated angels and Madica will explore joint funding opportunities for portfolio companies, ensuring that more startups gain access to local capital and long-term support.
“The future of Africa’s innovation economy depends on how effectively we can mobilize local capital and empower local investors,” said Yemi Keri, President of ABAN.
“Our collaboration with Madica helps bridge the gap between angel investors and institutional capital, ensuring that more funding comes from within the continent.”
Why This Matters for Africa’s Startup Ecosystem
Africa’s startup scene continues to show resilience and promise despite global funding slowdowns.
According to Partech Africa’s 2024 report, total startup funding on the continent reached $3.5 billion, with pre-seed and seed stages accounting for about 30% of total deal volume, underscoring the critical role of early-stage backers like Madica.
By focusing on the pre-seed level, Madica fills a gap often overlooked by large investors who prefer later-stage ventures.
Its commitment to both financial and non-financial support strengthens the continent’s innovation pipeline, ensuring that startups in less-represented regions gain visibility and growth opportunities.
Madica’s latest investments in Anavid and Hypeo AI reflect a growing confidence in AI-driven African solutions capable of solving local problems with global potential.
With strategic alliances like the one with ABAN, the programme is not only nurturing individual startups but also building a stronger, more self-sustaining African innovation ecosystem, one driven by homegrown capital, mentorship, and vision.
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