African Startups Raise $1.4B in H1 2025
African startups raised $1.4B in H1 2025—a 78% YoY increase—led by fintech, healthtech, and proptech. Discover key trends, top deals, and the shift toward equity and venture debt.
June 30, 2025
Key Developments
Ivory Coast E-Commerce Platform ANKA Acquired by US Retail Technology Company Global Shop Group
Ivorian-based e-commerce company, ANKA, has been acquired by US-firm Global Shop Group, marking the latter’s entry into Africa’s fashion and commerce infrastructure marketplace.
Founded in 2016 by Moulaye Tabouré, Abdoul Kadry Diallo and Luc Perussault‑Diallo under the name Afrikrea, ANKA initially positioned itself as a marketplace for African-inspired fashion items.
Over time, the platform broadened its offering: it introduced a payments arm (Anka Pay) and logistics services (Anka Shipping), thereby enabling African creators to sell globally by offering a marketplace, payment and delivery tools in one suite.
By the time of acquisition, ANKA had surpassed US$60 million in cumulative transaction volume, served merchants in 47 African countries, and reached customers in more than 170 countries.
The platform supports over 22,000 sellers, predominantly in Africa but also in North America, Europe and the Caribbean.
The company had raised some US$13.5 million in funding—with one round of US$5 million in September 2023—as part of its growth trajectory.
In the announcement, Tabouré explained:
“We built the infrastructure for global African commerce. To accelerate, we needed to move beyond technology.”
With the acquisition, Global Shop Group will preserve ANKA’s brand and operations but bring in its fashion-industry expertise and global retail networks to deepen ANKA’s reach and support for African creators.
This transaction underscores growing international interest in African digital commerce platforms and signals a shift from local-only marketplaces toward globally-connected infrastructure for creators across the continent.
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