Updated:
FirstCheck Africa
FirstCheck Africa is an early-stage venture capital fund investing in technology-driven startups in Africa with at least one female founder or co-founder.
FirstCheck Africa
FirstCheck Africa is an early-stage venture capital fund investing in technology-driven startups in Africa with at least one female founder or co-founder. It invests at the pre-seed and seed stages and writes high conviction first checks for diverse teams. The firm is mission-driven and sector-agnostic, focused on backing exceptional female-led startups across Africa.
General information
Firm type
Venture Capital
Year founded
2021
Location
Region
Africa
Country
Nigeria
City
Lagos
Corporate office
Lagos, Nigeria
Principals
Eloho Omame
Co-Founder & GP
Odunayo Eweniyi
Co-Founder & GP
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who makes investment decisions at FirstCheck Africa?
Co-founders and General Partners Eloho Omame and Odunayo Eweniyi lead all investment decisions. Omame brings institutional VC experience from TLcom Capital and Endeavor Nigeria; Eweniyi contributes operator perspective as Co-Founder and COO of PiggyVest. The lean team structure means decisions are made directly by the GPs without an extended investment committee.
How does FirstCheck Africa source its deal flow?
The firm accepts direct applications through its website — all founders fill the same intake form regardless of introduction source — and receives warm referrals from portfolio founders and investors in its network. The GPs' combined networks across Nigerian fintech, Pan-African VC, and women-in-tech communities generate a funnel concentrated in Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Egypt, and Ghana.
What is FirstCheck Africa's relationship to TLcom Capital and PiggyVest?
GP Eloho Omame is concurrently a Partner at TLcom Capital, a seed-to-growth VC firm active across Africa. GP Odunayo Eweniyi is Co-Founder and COO of PiggyVest, a Nigerian fintech platform. These affiliations give the fund direct lines to later-stage capital and deep operational expertise in African fintech, but FirstCheck Africa operates as an independent legal entity with its own investment process and portfolio.
What are FirstCheck Africa's known post-investment support mechanisms?
The firm structures support around monthly 45-minute office hours between founders and the GPs, problem-specific working sessions, a curated cross-functional expert network, peer community coordination among portfolio founders, and active assistance with follow-on fundraising strategy and investor introductions. The philosophy is 'pull, not push' — founders request the support they need.
How does FirstCheck Africa address the gender funding gap as an investment thesis rather than an impact thesis?
The firm explicitly states it is mission-driven — not an impact fund. It benchmarks performance against mainstream early-stage VC funds and targets market-rate returns. The GP thesis holds that the systematic under-allocation to female founders in Africa creates a pricing and selection advantage, not a concessionary return profile.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
Need institutional-grade insight on venture capital firms?
Altss delivers:
Prefer a guided tour?
We’ll walk you through: