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

Few firms in African venture command as distinctive a mandate as Janngo Capital, which is why founders asking how to get funding from Janngo Capital need to understand its design first. Founded in 2018 by Fatoumata Bâ — former managing director of Jumia Nigeria and founder-CEO of Jumia Côte d'Ivoire — this pan-African venture firm is one of the very few female-founded, female-owned and female-led VC firms on the continent. Its thesis: gender-balanced investing is a fund-structure decision, not a slogan — it commits 50% of fund proceeds to companies founded, co-founded or benefiting women, and its portfolio is over 56% women-led. This profile unpacks its funds, cheque sizes, portfolio and how to apply.

The investment thesis

Janngo Capital backs tech and tech-enabled startups from seed through growth that (1) improve Africans' access to essential goods and services such as healthcare, education or financial services, (2) give African SMEs better access to markets and capital, or (3) create sustainable jobs at scale, with a focus on women and youth. Every investment is mapped against the Sustainable Development Goals. It is sector-agnostic but pays particular attention to healthcare, logistics, fintech, retail, food and agriculture and mobility, with a notably strong footprint in Francophone Africa — around 67% of its portfolio sits in francophone markets, a region most funds under-serve.

Fund size and cheque sizes

The Janngo Capital Startup Fund launched with a €60 million target and a €34 million first close in September 2022, anchored by a €15 million investment from the European Investment Bank and backed by the African Development Bank, Proparco and Burda Principal Investments. In October 2024 the firm closed its second fund at an oversubscribed $78 million — 20% beyond target — making it Africa's largest gender-equal tech VC fund. Published ticket sizes run from €50,000 to €5 million from seed to growth: roughly €50K–€150K at idea/pre-seed, €150K–€1.5M at seed/pre-Series A, and €1.5M–€5M at Series A–B, typically targeting 15–30% ownership. Since inception the firm has made about 30 investments in 21 startups and exited fintech Expensya to unicorn Medius at a 48% IRR.

Notable portfolio and programmes

Portfolio names include the soonicorn Sabi (B2B e-commerce), Expensya (exited), Jexport (online freight marketplace), YoLa Fresh (Moroccan agritech) and Djamo (Ivorian fintech). Beyond capital, Janngo runs the Janngo Academy, which has trained over 5,987 young entrepreneurs and managers, and its portfolio platforms have on-boarded over 114,674 SMEs. The firm was named to the TIME100 Most Influential Companies 2025 list. The leadership team includes Emmanuel Chavane (General Partner), Sébastien Nony (General Partner), Antonia Gleizes-Lacombe (Operating Partner) and Ayebobo Niang (Operating Partner).

How to apply for funding

Janngo Capital receives pitches through the contact channels on its official website, janngo.com. The strongest applications map clearly onto the fund's published criteria: a tech-enabled model serving essential services, SME access or job creation at scale — with SDG alignment and, where relevant, women-led or women-benefiting impact spelled out explicitly, since the fund's allocation rule is structural. Founders in Francophone Africa should note the firm's deliberate overweight there. As with most institutional VCs, a concise deck plus traction evidence and a warm introduction through the African tech ecosystem move fastest.