25 African startups to watch in 2026 highlight innovation across critical sectors

Bloomberg has released its second edition of “African Startups to Watch,” profiling 25 startups across the continent that are building solutions to some of Africa’s most persistent infrastructure and systems challenges.

The list features startups operating in sectors such as healthcare, fintech, logistics, climate resilience, artificial intelligence, and secure technology, with companies from countries including Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Egypt, Ghana, Tanzania, and Cameroon.

According to the report, these startups are responding to gaps in healthcare access, financial inclusion, transportation inefficiencies, and security concerns in environments where public infrastructure has not kept pace with population growth and demand.

Funding shifts and local capital drive startups’ growth

The report highlights that global economic pressures and shifting aid flows have increased the urgency for African governments and businesses to rely more heavily on domestic capital formation.

Nearly half of the funding raised by companies on the list reportedly came from African investors, reflecting a gradual shift toward local financing ecosystems.

It also notes that venture capital activity has declined in equity funding terms, even as debt financing across African startups nearly doubled in 2025. Despite this trend, international investors such as Google and venture capital firm 8VC, linked to Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale, continued to back select African startups.

Healthcare and fintech dominate Africa’s innovation landscape

Several featured companies are focused on healthcare innovation, including Nigeria’s 10mg Health, which is building healthcare financing infrastructure to help hospitals and pharmacies access credit and improve service delivery in cash-constrained markets.

In the same sector, companies like Remedial Health in Nigeria and Waspito in Cameroon are working to improve medicine distribution, telemedicine access, and healthcare delivery in underserved communities.

Fintech remains the most represented sector, with startups such as Black Swan in Tanzania using alternative data to expand credit access, HUB2 in Ivory Coast building unified payment systems across fragmented networks, and Sycamore in Nigeria offering digital lending and investment services.

Other notable companies include BuuPass in Kenya, which is digitising transport bookings across Africa’s informal mobility sector, and Oye, which links insurance access to fuel purchases for motorcycle taxi drivers.

Beyond financial services and healthcare, the list also features startups tackling environmental and infrastructure challenges.

Amesect in South Africa is converting organic waste into fertilizer and animal feed, while Ecosom in Somalia is producing biochar and eco-friendly fuel alternatives to address soil degradation and climate stress.

In the security and infrastructure space, companies such as Aura in South Africa are building emergency response networks through digital platforms, while Terra Industries in Nigeria is developing drone and secure technology systems in response to rising security threats in parts of West Africa.

Across the featured startups, a common theme is the creation of business models designed specifically for environments where traditional systems are weak or unavailable.

From telemedicine platforms like Telemedan in Chad to solar-powered hearing aids from Deaftronics in Botswana, the report shows how African founders are increasingly building technology that adapts to real-world constraints rather than imported assumptions.

Bloomberg notes that many of these companies are not only addressing immediate local needs but are also positioning themselves for scalable growth across the continent, particularly as demand for digital infrastructure continues to rise.

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