Speedinvest

Oze secures funding from Visa to boost digital lending for African SMEs. Oze, a Ghana-based fintech, is at the forefront of driving innovation and financial inclusion across Africa, enabling financial institutions to offer loans and small businesses to better manage their finances through AI-powered digital lending solutions. Already active in eight African countries, Oze will use the funding to enhance its technology and to reach even more businesses contributing to Africa’s growing digital economy. We’re thrilled to continue supporting Meghan and the Oze team alongside new and existing investors, including Visa, DEG, and AfricInvest Group through its Cathay AfricInvest Innovation Fund. More on Oze’s funding round and growth plans below ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/dhtU_M4S

Flow48 secures $69M Series A to scale SME lending across the Middle East and Africa. SMEs are the backbone of economies, creating 90% of jobs and contributing over 50% of GDP — yet they remain underserved. Flow48 is changing that. With revenue-based financing, the company is redefining access to capital for underserved SMEs across Emerging Markets by leveraging alternative data and advanced risk tools. Enrique Martinez Hausmann with our Emerging Markets investment team, says: “I’ve had the privilege of watching Flow48 grow since their pre-seed round, and I’m incredibly impressed by how they have executed their vision. Idriss and his team are building something unique and impactful, and having seen similar revenue-based financing models succeed in other regions, I’m confident Flow48 is on track to lead the market.” Speedinvest is proud to continue backing Idriss and the Flow48 team in their $69M Series A round, which combines both equity and debt financing. The round was led by BREEGA, with participation from 212, daphni, Endeavor Catalyst, Evolution Ventures, Plus VC (+VC), and others. tech.eu has more on the funding round and what’s next for the Flow48 team. Article link in the comment section ⬇️

Mundi empowers SMEs by making capital markets accessible to every business. Founded by Göksenin Akdeniz and Omer P., the Istanbul-based startup provides innovative investment solutions that help businesses optimize fund management, making capital market products – once reserved for large corporations – accessible to a broader range of enterprises. Alvaro Perezcano with our Emerging Markets team, says: “SMEs are the backbone of the Turkish economy, and in a market where investment products for businesses are not a luxury but a necessity, helping them thrive through proper cashflow management is a massive opportunity. We’re incredibly excited to back Ömer and Göksenin as they level the playing field for the small business owner.” With the $2.5M Seed round, led by Speedinvest alongside DeBa Ventures, Mundi plans to expand its product offering and sales operations, bringing advanced financial tools to a broader audience of SMEs across Turkey and beyond. Links to media coverage highlighting Mundi’s plans to develop new products and expand its operations can be found in the comments below! ⬇

From a Berlin living room to an AI-powered partnership with Microsoft, CoachHub - The digital coaching platform continues to soar! When CEO & Co-Founder Matti Niebelschütz and his brother Yannis Niebelschuetz founded CoachHub in 2018, they had a home office, big dreams, and global ambitions. Today, they’re celebrating a major milestone in their scaling journey with the launch of AIMY — an AI-powered coaching solution designed to make professional development more scalable, personalized, and measurable. Developed in partnership with Microsoft, AIMY enhances coaching effectiveness through AI while maintaining the human expertise at the core of professional growth. But how did CoachHub get from a sofa to scale up? We spoke with Matti about the company’s journey. From prioritizing a clear focus to failing fast and learning even faster, Matti shares the ups and downs — and CoachHub’s playbook for building a sustainable, industry-leading business. Click the link below to read the full interview & our new “Scaling at Speed” newsletter ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/eRGjSYCi Jeroen Arts, Antonia Krause Dornelles, Callum Burroughs

Speedinvest-backed companies top Austria’s 2025 startup ranking by trend. magazine! We’re excited to see 6 of the top 10 startups in Austria come from our portfolio, with Bitpanda taking the #1 spot! The top 10 list includes: 🚀 Bitpanda: Eric Demuth, Paul Klanschek, Christian Trummer 🌿 refurbed: Peter Windischhofer, Kilian Kaminski, Jürgen Riedl 🔍 Prewave: Harald Nitschinger, Lisa Smith 📊 Adverity: Alexander Igelsböck, Martin Brunthaler 🎓 GoStudent GmbH: Felix Ohswald, Gregor Müller 📦 byrd: Alexander Leichter, Sebastian Mach, Petra Dobrocka It’s also great to see Prewave Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Lisa, and Co-Founder & CCO of byrd, Petra, in the top three of this year’s Female Founders of the Year list! A huge congratulations to all portfolio companies, founders, and their teams included on the Top 100 list. Your dedication and innovation continue to impress us and drive the future of Austria’s economy and beyond! For more details on all 100 recognized startups and founders, check out the latest issue of Trend magazine.

Astral Systems is pioneering fusion technology to address real global health and energy challenges. The Bristol-based team is the first to develop and commercialize MSF technology, achieving unparalleled performance in compact reactors with greater efficiency and lower cost than traditional reactors. Its fusion breakthroughs, backed by NASA research, means Astral’s MSF technology can deliver immediate real-world solutions — such as saving cancer patients’ lives — and future applications, like clean, safe hybrid nuclear energy, future space exploration, and industrial and security industry applications. Rick (Jingchun) H., Partner with our Deep Tech investment team, says: “Astral Systems represents the best of UK deep tech – delivering a fresh approach to nuclear fusion that addresses urgent medical, industrial, and power needs. We’re excited to support Talmon, Tom, and the team as they scale its multi-state fusion technology to deliver meaningful, lasting impact.” We are proud to lead Astral’s £4.5M seed round alongside Playfair, with participation from angel investors including Oliver Buck, founder of ITM Isotope Technologies, and Pete Hutton, former President of Product Groups at ARM. TechCrunch has more on the funding round and what’s next for the Astral Systems team. Article link in the comment section ⬇️

Rho Labs raises $4M to scale the world’s first crypto-native rates exchange. Founded by capital markets experts and built for institutional-grade trading, Rho Labs is transforming crypto finance with Rho Protocol, a marketplace for crypto interest rate derivatives. By introducing staking and perpetual futures funding rate derivatives, Rho Labs addresses a key gap in the crypto ecosystem, enabling seamless integration of funding and forward rates between CeFi and DeFi. As the first platform to combine staking, lending, and perpetual futures funding rates in one venue, Rho has already facilitated over $7 billion in notional volume, demonstrating strong market demand since launching in 2024. Speedinvest is excited to continue backing Alex and the Rho Labs team in their $4M Seed round, led by CoinFund with participation from Auros and Flow Traders. Learn more on the company’s blog ⬇ https://lnkd.in/e9sNSA_3

Khazna raises $16M to scale its digital banking solutions in emerging markets. Since launching in 2020, Khazna has built a best-in-class financial super-app tailored to underserved communities. By enhancing access to essential financial services, Khazna is driving innovation in digital finance and supporting financial inclusion in Egypt and beyond. With this latest funding, Khazna is set to further develop its offering and expand into other countries in the MENA region. Speedinvest is excited to continue supporting Omar and his team in the pre-Series B round, alongside new and existing investors, including SANAD Fund for MSME, anb capital, AlJazira Capital الجزيرة كابيتال, Khwarizmi Ventures, Nclude, ICU Ventures, Quona Capital, and DisrupTech Ventures. TechCrunch has more on Khazna’s funding round and their product and expansion plans ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/gdNdfxdH

GetVocal AI is reshaping customer engagement with intelligent AI agents. Leveraging its innovative Conversational Map technology, the Paris and London-based team creates AI agents that learn, adapt, and optimize at every stage of the customer journey, delivering unmatched control, transparency, and quality. Through a strategic partnership with Capita, a market-leading outsourcer, GetVocal AI’s agents will be deployed across Europe, setting new standards for efficiency and customer satisfaction. Frederik Hagenauer, Partner with our SaaS & Infra investment team, says: “This round of funding will enable the GetVocal AI team to deliver on its vision of bringing the best AI agents to companies worldwide. The Capita partnership is a strong milestone demonstrating that in a seemingly crowded field, the best teams delivering true quality can stand out from the pack.” We are excited to lead GetVocal AI’s €2.7M pre-seed round alongside Elaia. Learn more in the comments below! ⬇

Yokoy joins forces with TravelPerk to build the ultimate travel & expense solution. Just five years after its founding, Lars, Philippe, and the Yokoy team are achieving their mission of global zero-touch spend management by uniting with TravelPerk, a leader in travel management. Together, they will create a best-in-class T&E solution that’s headquartered in Europe and built to serve businesses worldwide. Tom Filip Lesche, Partner with our Growth investment team, says: “We at Speedinvest are incredibly proud to have supported Yokoy on its journey to becoming a leader in corporate spend management. As enthusiastic users of both Yokoy and TravelPerk, we’ve experienced firsthand the exceptional value these platforms bring. This partnership is a perfect match, and we’re excited to see the impact it will have on the future of business travel and expense management." The acquisition of Yokoy comes as TravelPerk announces $200M in new funding led by Atomico and EQT Growth. CNBC has more on the merger, funding round, and future plans ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/eHsJAZj9