Botswana Tech Fund Aims to Transform Southern Africa’s Tech Landscape
The Botswana Tech Fund is making a strategic investment in one of Africa’s most underappreciated emerging markets, believing that southern Africa could be the next breeding ground for multibillion-dollar technology enterprises.
For years, venture capital activity in Africa has been largely concentrated in four key markets: Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. In 2025, these countries collectively secured over 80% of the continent’s venture capital investments for the seventh consecutive year. Notably, South Africa accounted for 19% of the total funding, capturing nearly a third of all equity deals across Africa.
This concentration has left regions such as Gaborone, Lusaka, Windhoek, Maputo, Luanda, and Harare with minimal access to essential start-up capital. Consequently, many entrepreneurs in these cities find themselves relocating, seeking funds from South African investors, or structuring exits through Johannesburg.
The Botswana Tech Fund aims to change this narrative.
Headquartered in Guernsey but operating out of Botswana, the fund has successfully secured £10 million ($13.5 million) in committed capital, with an initial closing of £5 million ($6.7 million). British billionaire Stephen Lansdown, co-founder of Hargreaves Lansdown, is a key backer and has maintained an investment presence in Botswana since 2007.
In collaboration with Launch Africa, a prominent seed-stage venture capital firm that has invested in over 130 startups, the fund’s management team includes Martin Davis, a British technology investor, and Florence Vananandan, Launch Africa’s head of platform and operations. Their goal is to channel funds into a market that has long been overlooked by many investors.
Rather than focusing on the traditional VC hotspots of Lagos, Nairobi, Cairo, and Cape Town, the Botswana Tech Fund aims to address what it identifies as the region’s “digital gap.” This encompasses markets characterized by growing youth populations, increasing smartphone adoption, and a rising demand for digital services, all while grappling with a scarcity of startup capital.
The fund’s investment strategy unfolds in three phases. Initially, it plans to launch a pre-seed accelerator to provide £100,000 to approximately 100 Southern African start-ups over a five-year timeline. Following this, the fund will make larger investments during the growth phase, ranging from £500,000 to £2 million. Lastly, it intends to acquire secondary stakes in emerging companies within Africa’s more established markets.
This investment model allows the fund to connect early with budding entrepreneurs while also enabling participation in more mature businesses throughout the continent. The founders believe that digitalization represents one of Africa’s most significant economic opportunities. They assert that countries like Botswana, Zambia, Namibia, Mozambique, Angola, and Zimbabwe could experience substantial growth if local entrepreneurs receive sufficient funding and infrastructural support.
The founders contend that enhancing the startup ecosystem can stimulate job creation and wealth generation locally, ultimately reducing economic migration. They envision a future where young talent can launch companies within their own countries rather than relocating to larger cities in Europe or other African nations.
Their principal concern centers around access to capital rather than talent. In their view, the absence of adequate funding stifles promising entrepreneurs from scaling their transformative ideas. The Botswana Tech Fund seeks to bridge this funding gap before more established markets establish dominance.
As global investors increasingly search for new growth markets, southern Africa may soon emerge as one of the continent’s vital startup arenas, with the Botswana Tech Fund aspiring to lead the charge.
