African female startup founders entered 2025 with the same determination that has long defined their place in the continent’s tech ecosystem.
Despite operating in markets where investor confidence has been uneven and capital flows remain tight, these women still managed to carve out room for themselves, securing funding rounds that signalled both resilience and ambition.
Their progress was not loud, but it was steady enough to cut through a landscape that often overlooks their contributions.
According to recent data from Africa: The Big Deal, only about 2% of total funding in the first quarter went to female‑led startups, a mere US$10 million out of US$460 million raised.
Between January and September 2025, these female-led ventures raised a combined $45.4 million, a figure that may not rival the continent’s biggest rounds but stands out in a year marked by caution and shrinking investment appetite.
This amount raised so far this year highlights the scale of the gap that remains. These founders are building beyond the odds, delivering solutions rooted in African markets and navigating environments that rarely give them the benefit of the doubt.
Here are the female startup founders who raised funding $1million and above by September 2025.
2. Odyssey Energy Solutions – $7.5 million
- 13. Dabchy– $1 million
- 12. SalphaEnergy – $1.3 million
- 11. Liquify – $1.5 million
- 10. Farm to Feed – $1.6 million
- 9. Altera Biosciences – $1.6 million
- 8. WeThinkCode– $2 million
- 7. Neopenda– $2.6 million
- 6. BidhaaSasa – $2.6 million
- 5. Kasha – $4 million
- 4. Jetstream – $5 million
- 3. AfrigenBiologics – $6.2 million
- 2. Odyssey Energy Solutions – $7.5 million
- 1. Intella– $12.5 million
Odyssey Energy Solutions is a clean-energy and infrastructure-finance startup that provides a digital platform to support solar mini-grid and off-grid renewable energy projects in Africa.
The company was founded in 2021 by Nour Taher (CEO) and Omar Mansour to help developers handle procurement, financing, logistics and project management for renewable energy deployment.
In September 2025, Odyssey secured a $7.5 million financing facility from British International Investment (BII), the UK’s development-finance institution.
The funding is directed at accelerating deployment of solar mini-grids and standalone renewable energy systems under the Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-Up (DARES) programme, a World Bank-backed initiative aimed at extending electricity access to underserved and off-grid communities in Nigeria.
With this facility, Odyssey supports developers by removing upfront cost barriers for equipment procurement (solar panels, batteries, storage, etc.), offering flexible payment terms tied to project revenue, and handling full logistics from import to last-mile delivery and installation
2. Odyssey Energy Solutions – $7.5 million
- 13. Dabchy– $1 million
- 12. SalphaEnergy – $1.3 million
- 11. Liquify – $1.5 million
- 10. Farm to Feed – $1.6 million
- 9. Altera Biosciences – $1.6 million
- 8. WeThinkCode– $2 million
- 7. Neopenda– $2.6 million
- 6. BidhaaSasa – $2.6 million
- 5. Kasha – $4 million
- 4. Jetstream – $5 million
- 3. AfrigenBiologics – $6.2 million
- 2. Odyssey Energy Solutions – $7.5 million
- 1. Intella– $12.5 million
