Despite macroeconomic headwinds, African startups continued to draw strong investor interest in May 2025, with Egypt taking a dominant lead in deal volume and value.
According to disclosed transactions tracked across fintech, healthcare, housing, and transport sectors, the top 10 startups collectively raised over $279 million, underscoring investor confidence in Africa’s innovation ecosystem.
While Nigerian startups attracted notable investor interest, none of the disclosed funding rounds matched the scale of deals raised by startups in other countries during the same month.
Despite the volume of activity, Nigeria lagged in terms of individual deal size compared to its regional and global peers in May.
Based on data from The Big Deal Startups Database, Nairametrics takes a deep dive into the top 10 disclosed deals that shaped the fundraising landscape in Africa this past month.
Leading the funding chart, Egypt-based proptech startup Nawy secured an impressive $52 million Series A round led by a syndicate of heavyweight investors including Partech Africa, e& capital, March Capital Investments (MCI), Verod-Kepple Africa Ventures (VKAV), and Endeavor.
The funding is expected to power its nationwide expansion and digitize real estate transactions in Egypt. The proptech platform is reinventing the homebuying experience in North Africa.
What you should know
Egypt reaffirmed its dominance in Africa’s startup ecosystem, with seven out of the top ten funding deals secured by Egyptian startups, underscoring the country’s leadership in fintech and housing innovation.
Fintech remained the most attractive sector on the continent, accounting for six of the ten largest transactions.
- The funding landscape features a healthy blend of equity investments, debt financing, bond issuances, and mergers & acquisitions, indicating a maturing and increasingly sophisticated capital market.
- Regionally, while Egypt and South Africa continued to lead the pack, Kenya stood out with a notable healthtech deal, reflecting growing diversification across the continent’s innovation hubs.
