First Circle | Activity

Milestone

Portfolio company TurnStay processed $61.5M in travel payments in 6 months, demonstrating strong growth in the African travel payments sector.

TurnStay

TurnStay First Circle

disruptafrica.comAUG 12, 2026

AUG 12, 2026

Investment

Portfolio company MNZL secures $3.5M to transform asset-backed lending in Egypt.

MNZL

MNZL First Circle

firstcircle.capital

Added recently

Press

Selma Ribica gave an interview to Disrupt Africa discussing First Circle Capital's strategy, fundraise progress ($25M committed toward $30M target, closing Q2 2026), and portfolio of 16 companies. LPs include IFC, DGGF, and MSMEDA.

First Circle Capital

First Circle CapitalFirst Circle

disruptafrica.comFEB 23, 2026

FEB 23, 2026

New Fund

Dutch Good Growth Fund announced a $3M seed-capital investment in First Circle Capital to support African fintech pre-seed and seed investing.

First Circle Africa Fund I

First Circle

agenceecofin.comFEB 17, 2026

FEB 17, 2026

Essay

First Circle Capital published a thought leadership piece on mobilizing local capital from pension funds, insurers, and domestic asset managers for African tech ecosystems.

First Circle Capital

First Circle CapitalFirst Circle

firstcircle.capitalJAN 8, 2026

JAN 8, 2026

Essay

Published a primer arguing that local pension funds, insurers, and domestic asset managers are critical to durable African technology ecosystems.

Venture in Africa: A Primer for Pension Funds

First Circle

firstcircle.capitalJAN 8, 2026

JAN 8, 2026

Essay

First Circle Capital published a founder resource article explaining the importance of vesting agreements for startup success in Africa.

First Circle Capital

First Circle CapitalFirst Circle

firstcircle.capitalDEC 4, 2025

DEC 4, 2025

New Fund

IFC-backed First Circle Capital launched a $30M early-stage venture fund to support high-growth FinTech startups across Africa, targeting pre-seed and seed-stage companies. The fund plans a portfolio of 24 companies with 15 investments made to date across 8 African markets.

First Circle Capital

First Circle CapitalFirst Circle

ibsintelligence.comNOV 21, 2025

NOV 21, 2025

Essay

First Circle Capital published a thought leadership piece analyzing whether mobile money operators face a 'Nokia moment' as fintech challengers and smartphone adoption reshape the market.

First Circle Capital

First Circle CapitalFirst Circle

firstcircle.capitalNOV 18, 2025

NOV 18, 2025

New Fund

Secured $6M from IFC (World Bank Group) to expand early-stage fintech investments across Africa, part of $30M fund deployment.

IFC backing and fund growth

First Circle

fintechnews.aeNOV 2025

NOV 2025

News

First Circle Capital announced its commitment to back high-growth fintech across Africa, outlining its investment thesis and strategy.

First Circle Capital

First Circle CapitalFirst Circle

docsend.comOCT 29, 2025

OCT 29, 2025

Essay

First Circle Capital published a 'Why We Invested' essay explaining its investment in Power, an earned wage access platform providing financial resilience for Africa's workforce.

Power

Power First Circle

firstcircle.capitalAUG 15, 2025

AUG 15, 2025

Investment

First Circle Capital led a $2M seed round in TurnStay, a South African travel fintech streamlining cross-border payments in the travel sector.

TurnStay

TurnStay First Circle

startupnewswire.comAUG 5, 2025

AUG 5, 2025

First Circle Activity

Portfolio company TurnStay processed $61.5M in travel payments in 6 months, demonstrating strong growth in the African travel payments sector.

Portfolio company Expensya (Tunisian-born) acquired by Sweden's Medius for nine figures.

Portfolio company MNZL secures $3.5M to transform asset-backed lending in Egypt.

Selma Ribica gave an interview to Disrupt Africa discussing First Circle Capital's strategy, fundraise progress ($25M committed toward $30M target, closing Q2 2026), and portfolio of 16 companies. LPs include IFC, DGGF, and MSMEDA.

Dutch Good Growth Fund announced a $3M seed-capital investment in First Circle Capital to support African fintech pre-seed and seed investing.

First Circle Capital published a thought leadership piece on mobilizing local capital from pension funds, insurers, and domestic asset managers for African tech ecosystems.

Published a primer arguing that local pension funds, insurers, and domestic asset managers are critical to durable African technology ecosystems.

First Circle Capital published a founder resource article explaining the importance of vesting agreements for startup success in Africa.

IFC-backed First Circle Capital launched a $30M early-stage venture fund to support high-growth FinTech startups across Africa, targeting pre-seed and seed-stage companies. The fund plans a portfolio of 24 companies with 15 investments made to date across 8 African markets.

First Circle Capital published a thought leadership piece analyzing whether mobile money operators face a 'Nokia moment' as fintech challengers and smartphone adoption reshape the market.

Secured $6M from IFC (World Bank Group) to expand early-stage fintech investments across Africa, part of $30M fund deployment.

First Circle Capital announced its commitment to back high-growth fintech across Africa, outlining its investment thesis and strategy.

First Circle Capital published a 'Why We Invested' essay explaining its investment in Power, an earned wage access platform providing financial resilience for Africa's workforce.

First Circle Capital led a $2M seed round in TurnStay, a South African travel fintech streamlining cross-border payments in the travel sector.