Novastar Ventures

What an incredible week we've had in Nairobi! A huge thank you to everyone who joined us at Africa Tech Summit for our masterclass, "Driving the Future: The Role of Electric Mobility in Africa’s Sustainable Development."⚡ We had an amazing discussion with an absolute powerhouse panel of industry leaders shaping Africa’s electric mobility landscape. Heartfelt thanks to our panelists Nabil Anjarwalla, Jit Bhattacharya Joseph Hurst-Croft, Chinwe Adighiogu and Chirantan Patnaik for sharing their insights and experience. It was inspiring to engage with such a dynamic audience. Thank you for your presence, questions and ideas.🌍💡 If you’re interested in the key themes we discussed, don’t forget to check out our newly launched report, "Africa’s Electric 2-Wheeler Revolution", which dives into the latest market trends, opportunities, and the road ahead for e-mobility in Africa. 📥 Download it here: https://lnkd.in/eypeiAT6 #AfricaTechSummit #ElectricMobility #SustainableTransport #EVRevolution #Novastar #E2W #Innovation

🌟 Africa’s Electric 2-Wheeler Revolution is Here! 🌟 We’re excited to launch Africa’s Electric 2-Wheeler Revolution, a report exploring how electric two-wheelers (E2Ws) are transforming transportation across the continent. With over 30 million motorcycles in use (90% for commercial transport), , and abundant renewable energy sources, Africa has a unique opportunity to lead the global EV transition. 📊 Key insights from the report: ⚡ E2W adoption is accelerating—driven by falling battery costs, innovative financing, and expanding charging infrastructure. 🏍️ Battery swapping is unlocking growth—reducing range anxiety and upfront costs, though interoperability remains a challenge. 🌍 Government policies are fueling momentum—with tax incentives, fuel subsidy removals, and ICE motorcycle bans in key markets. 💰 Investment is critical—scaling E2W manufacturing, fleet management, and charging networks will require strong financing partnerships. 🚴🏽♂️ Companies like MAX, Spiro, Greenwheels, ARC Ride, Ampersand, Watu Credit, Gogo, Gozem - Africa's Super App, Kofa, M-KOPA and Roam are proving that Africa’s E2W sector is ready for takeoff. The next phase of growth will be driven by collaboration across the ecosystem—from investors and policymakers to manufacturers and fleet operators. At Novastar, we believe in partnering with bold entrepreneurs building market-transforming businesses. This report is part of our commitment to sharing insights, fostering connections, and accelerating the shift to electric mobility. This report marks the first in Novastar’s new Market Map series, which provides deep-dive sector analyses on high-growth opportunities within the African VC and entrepreneurial ecosystem. 📥 Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/eypeiAT6 #AfricaEVRevolution #ElectricMobility #SustainableTransport #NovastarMarketMaps #VC #Innovation #AfricaTechSummit

🚀 Driving the Future: The Role of Electric Mobility in Africa’s Sustainable Development 🚀 Tomorrow at Africa Tech Summit - Nairobi, we’re diving into one of the most exciting shifts happening in Africa - the electrification of mobility.⚡ Join Novastar and our amazing panel of experts at our Masterclass as we explore how electric vehicles are transforming transportation, unlocking economic opportunities, and accelerating Africa’s leap towards a cleaner, more sustainable future. 📅 Date: Wednesday, 12 Feb ⏰ Time: 2:45 PM EAT 📍 Venue: Sarit Expo Centre, Nairobi 📍 Location: Upstairs - Masterclass Room 2 We’re also excited to launch Africa’s Electric 2-Wheeler Revolution, the first in a new series of Novastar Market Maps - reports offering in-depth analysis and insights into the sectors we believe are shaping Africa’s future. Expect engaging conversation, real-world insights, and bold ideas from innovators leading the charge in Africa’s EV revolution. Don't miss it! Abel Boreto Jit Bhattacharya Nabil Anjarwalla Chinwe Adighiogu Joseph Hurst-Croft Chirantan Patnaik #AfricaTechSummit #ElectricMobility #SustainableDevelopment #EVRevolution #Novastar #MarketMaps

🚀 What’s in store for the African VC and entrepreneurial ecosystem in 2025? After the "Funding Winter" of 2023 and 2024, could 2025 be the year we see a rebound? Our latest blog shares insights on: 💡 Key investment themes & regions to watch; 💡 The fundraising outlook for African entrepreneurs; 💡 The role of ESG & evolving investor expectations; 💡 Exits & macro trends shaping the ecosystem. 📖 Read the full piece here https://lnkd.in/e2UvtNhH How do you think 2025 will unfold? Let us know in the comments! #AfricanVC #Startups #Investment #ClimateTech #Innovation Andrew Carruthers Steve Beck Brian Waswani Odhiambo Sapna Shah Dominic Michel Abel Boreto Doreen Nabaho, Ph.D Riki Yamauchi

🌟Exciting Team News!🌟 We're kicking off the week with a celebration - the wonderful Dayo Oduleye has been promoted to Investment Analyst at Novastar Ventures, West Africa!🎉 Since joining Novastar in 2021, Dayo has shown a shared passion for African entrepreneurship. Dayo, you embody our values of heart, humility, courage, grit and adventure. It’s a pleasure working alongside you and here's to many more milestones!👏 Let's all celebrate Dayo in the comments below😍 #TeamNovastar #Promotion #InvestmentAnalyst #AfricanEntrepreneurship

📢Novastar Ventures (NVIII) invests in Sistema.bio / Sistema Biobolsa, a global leader in the delivery of biogas technology, financing, and services for family farmers worldwide. 🚀This marks the first investment from our third fund, Novastar Ventures Africa People and Planet Fund III (NVIII), which backs transformative businesses that align Africa’s growing population with planet-positive technologies. 🌍Sistema.bio empowers family farmers across Africa to turn agricultural waste into renewable energy and fertilizer—unlocking economic, health, and productivity benefits while significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Steve Beck, Co-founder and Managing Partner at Novastar, said: “We are excited to partner with Sistema.bio at this inflection point, as the company unlocks carbon markets to accelerate growth and serve more farmers with the tools to build resilient, productive, and sustainable agricultural systems.” 👏Congratulations to Sistema.bio on this milestone! We’re excited to be part of your journey. For more details: https://lnkd.in/eEkSWHjg

Happy New Year, LinkedIn family!🎉 We hope you've had a great start to 2025. To kick off, we’re excited to share Abel Boreto's contribution to New Private Markets 2025 Agenda, exploring what lies ahead in the coming year. Check out the piece at the link below for Abel's views on the fundraising landscape in 2024, how he expects 2025 to play out, what investors want to see from VC fund managers this year, and more. https://lnkd.in/ejGuKTn2 #venturecapital #2025outlook #InvestinAfrica #climateinvesting

Wishing our LinkedIn family the most wonderful festive season!! Looking forward to connecting again in 2025, The Novastar team❤️

Dear friends, As 2024 draws to a close, this December edition of News & Views is a special one. It marks not just the end of a remarkable year, but also a decade of Novastar’s journey as one of the first institutional VCs investing in Africa.  Over the past 10 years, we’ve seen the ecosystem evolve into a thriving hub of passion, learning, resilience, and growth. And this is just the beginning for African VC.  Above all else, we want to celebrate the bold entrepreneurs forging solutions to the continent’s biggest problems and creating lasting value for people and planet. Here’s to the next decade of fueling the entrepreneurial revolution in Africa! ✨ Portfolio highlightsFrom Moniepoint joining the unicorn club to BasiGo’s landmark funding round we’re proud to partner with businesses transforming markets and sectors in Africa. 🚀 Ecosystem engagementThis year brought the joy of connecting in-person across Africa, and beyond, at excellent industry events. 💡 Insights & updatesWe’ve been busy joining podcast conversations, making videos and achieving BlueMark verification (to name a few)! Read on for these updates and more.  Our warmest wishes for the festive season, The Novastar team ❤️

In November, we had the pleasure of partnering with British International Investment and Mitsubishi Corporation to host a seminar in Tokyo on building the bridge between Japan and the Global South. A huge thank you to our fellow speakers, Stephen Priestley, Chirantan Patnaik, Megha Okhai, Joseph Mate, Karthik B. Reddy, and Jit Bhattacharya, for an insightful discussion. Together, we explored co-investing strategies, opportunities in private credit and debt, the evolving exit landscape and rising trends in EV-Mobility and climate tech. We especially loved hearing from Karthik, founder of a leading VC in India, on the parallels between our ecosystems, as well as the opportunity to showcase successful collaborations between our investors, our portfolio companies, and Japanese corporates. Here’s to building on these connections and more collaboration in 2025 and beyond! #AfricaJapanBridge #venturecapital #InvestinAfrica #climatetech