twitteryou tubeacpRSS Feed

GOODsoil VC, an Africa-focused early-stage venture capital firm headed by a diverse team of entrepreneurial investors, fulfils its mission to drive financial inclusion across the continent by injecting US$940,000 seed capital into Ghana’s fintech company Zeepay

Founded in 2017 by Charmaine Hayden, Orla Enright, Ashley Thompson-MacCarthy and Richard Mensah, GOODsoil comprises 50% female and 75% black partners, all young serial entrepreneurs eager to become economic growth catalysts for minority founders across Africa.

“There are clear barriers to entry for tech startups to scale, and our vision is to level the playing field. We go by the dictum that talent is evenly distributed; opportunities are not,” explained Charmaine Hayden. The company is the perfect fit for entrepreneurs, markets and industries that may typically be overlooked by other VC firms, added Orla Enright.

Zeepay focuses on digital rails to connect digital assets. The company has a footprint on more than 20 African markets. In April 2020, the company became the first indigenous company to be granted an Electronic Money Issuer (EMI) license to operate as a mobile financial services company under the banking and financial services regulator of the Bank of Ghana.

GOODsoil’s investment will enable Zeepay to continue to expand and roll out its services across the continent and expand its global reach by launching in the UK in 2021.

“We are delighted to have GOODsoil on board,” said Zeepay co-founder and managing director Andrew Takyi-Appiah. “We believe with their strong brokerage background, with leading Ghanaian brokerage firm Obsidian Achernar in their portfolio, we will be able to attract good pricing on Foreign Exchange for our wholesale clients.” 

Empowering girls through innovation in education across Africa. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

(L-R): Dr Diane Karusisi, CEO, Bank of Kigali and Dr Reda Helal, group managing director – processing, Africa and co-head group processing, Network International. (Image source: Network International)

Kagiso Mothibi, MTN SA’s general manager for fintech products and services. (Image source: MTN)

Huawei Cloud pledges US$10mn in credits, aims to support 100 Nigerian startups, fostering innovation & digital transformation. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

Orange Digital Center and Coursera join forces to offer free certification courses for new digital professions. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

Africa Data Centres & DPA SA pioneer solar farm for sustainable data solutions in South Africa. (Image source: African Data Centres)

MTN leads South Africa's mobile networks with exceptional speeds, while Vodacom excels in 5G. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

Debbie Beech, country manager: SA and SADC at cybersecurity expert, Exclusive Networks Africa. (Image source: Exclusive Networks Africa)

MTN & Airtel create APEP to boost mobile money in Congo. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

By TechScan Africa and PayTechAfrica - Unveiling Africa's digital payment shift. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

Dietmar Siersdorfer, managing director at Siemens Energy Middle East and Africa. (Image source: Siemens Energy)

In the MENA region, cybersecurity is crucial amidst rising digitalisation and state-sponsored cyber threats, met by BBS Technology's comprehensive solutions. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

MTN's Bayobab expands fiber network across Africa, boosting connectivity. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), the leading ANSI-accredited standards development body for the ICT Industry, recognises Siemon for outstanding engagement, both as an individual and a company. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

Check Point & NVIDIA collaborate on Check Point AI Cloud Protect, enhancing security for AI workloads in the cloud amid rising cyber threats. (Image source: Adobe Stock)