Investor Profile: Enza Capital — Thesis, Cheque Size & How to Apply

When founders ask how to get funding from Enza Capital, they are usually looking at one of the most founder-aligned venture firms in Africa. Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Nairobi, Enza Capital is a multi-stage venture capital firm backing founders who use technology to solve large and meaningful problems across the continent. Its edge is a thesis built on a simple conviction: Africa is both misunderstood and overlooked, and the tailwinds — population growth, falling data costs, developing infrastructure and strengthening governance — make backing the teams digitising key industries one of venture's most attractive opportunities. This profile breaks down its thesis, cheque sizes, portfolio and how to approach it.

The investment thesis

Enza Capital backs African technology companies that are "organising the offline online, digitising key industries, and redefining the way Africans live, earn, work and do business". It leads and co-leads investments into category-defining companies in five verticals: fintech, logistics, health, human capital and climate-smart sectors. It is a multi-stage investor writing first cheques from pre-seed through Series B, typically backing repeat founders with complete founding teams at the pre-seed stage, with the stated intention of following on as companies grow.

Fund size and cheque sizes

Enza Capital has closed $58 million across its first two core funds, Fund I and Fund II. First cheques range from $250,000 to $5 million, with a sweet spot of $500,000 to $2 million. Longside the core funds it runs Enza Growth Capital, an evergreen vehicle deploying up to $20 million per company in follow-ons — reserved for existing portfolio companies on high-growth trajectories. Where it leads or co-leads, the firm takes board and observer seats. On average, a lead equity investment takes about 2.5 months from first call to cash in the bank, so founders are advised to start the relationship well before they need the money.

Notable portfolio

The firm has made 48 investments in 31 companies across eight African markets — Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Egypt and South Africa. Standout names include SeamlessHR, Autochek, Djamo (co-led Series A), Peach Payments, Turaco (co-led Series A), Guidewheel, Shara, Jumba, Craydel and Cloudline. Enza Capital also runs a distinctive Founder Partner Programme, committing a portion of the firm's carry back to the founders it backs — aligning the firm with the entrepreneurs building alongside it. The team operates from Nairobi, Johannesburg, London and New York, and is led by co-founder and managing partner Mike Mompi alongside co-founders John Lazar and David Cohen.

How to apply for funding

Enza Capital does not run a public application form; the practical route to funding is the contact channel on its official website, enza.capital, or a warm introduction through a founder in its portfolio. Because the investment process averages 2.5 months and the firm explicitly prefers founders who share information consistently before fundraising, the strongest approach is to start a relationship early: send a concise deck, clear metrics and evidence of proximity to the market, and keep updating the team. The firm looks heavily at team completeness and market relevance at early stages, so a deck that shows why this team wins this vertical stands out.