The fund, which is expected to invest in companies demonstrating strong environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles, will focus on unlocking mergers and acquisitions (M&A), market expansion, management buyouts (MBOs), and other growth strategies.

Launch Africa Ventures, founded in 2020 by Zachariah George and Janade du Plessis, has a successful track record of investing in African technology startups. The firm closed its inaugural fund, Launch Africa Ventures Fund 1, in 2022 at US$36.3 million.

Anthony Moore, a former managing director and head of investment banking at Goldman Sachs, has been appointed as executive chairman of the Mezzanine Impact Fund.

Moore, along with a new debt solutions team, will be responsible for identifying and funding high-growth technology companies across Africa, with a particular focus on the Africa-GCC corridor.

“The mission of the Mezzanine Impact Fund is to ensure that we continue to build a generation of innovators who own their businesses commercially,” said Launch Africa Ventures.

“We aim to support founders by pioneering a more tailored financial solution suitable to the African entrepreneurial ecosystem.”