Updated:
Savannah Fund
Savannah Fund is a seed capital fund investing US$25,000 to US$500,000 in early-stage technology startups in sub-Saharan Africa. The fund focuses on East...
Savannah Fund
Savannah Fund is a seed capital fund investing US$25,000 to US$500,000 in early-stage technology startups in sub-Saharan Africa. The fund focuses on East Africa, bridging the investment gap between angel and venture capital. It combines capital with mentor networks from Silicon Valley and East Africa via an accelerator program.
General information
Firm type
Private Equity
Year founded
2012
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
Africa
Country
Mauritius
City
Quatre Bornes
Corporate office
Quatre Bornes, Mauritius
Principals
Mbwana Alliy
Managing Partner
Paul Bragiel
General Partner
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Savannah Fund?
Managing Partner Mbwana Alliy and General Partner Paul Bragiel are the named principals. Alliy has previously held product and engineering roles at Microsoft and UK defense contractor QinetiQ, and earned an MBA from Stanford. Bragiel is a co-founder of the San Francisco accelerator i/o ventures. The partnership draws on both Silicon Valley venture experience and deep operational familiarity with East African markets.
What investment stages does Savannah Fund target?
The firm targets pre-seed and seed-stage rounds, with initial commitments ranging from $50,000 to $1 million. Its public materials emphasize early-stage, high-growth technology startups, and it has supported portfolio companies that later raised follow-on capital at the Series A stage and beyond.
Which countries does Savannah Fund invest in?
The firm has disclosed investments in sub-Saharan Africa, specifically naming Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and South Africa on its website. The registered office is in Mauritius, a common domicile for funds deploying across the continent.
Is Savannah Fund a single family office or a traditional venture firm?
Savannah Fund is structured as an asset manager — specifically a seed capital fund — not as a family office. It raises capital from limited partners to deploy into early-stage African technology startups.
How does Savannah Fund support its portfolio companies beyond a check?
The firm operates a post-investment program called Value+, which provides hands-on mentorship and functional expertise in marketing, design, and engineering. This is intended to help founding teams avoid common startup mistakes and scale across African markets, as well as connect them to broader global networks.
Does Savannah Fund make direct investments or participate in follow-on rounds?
The firm leads and participates in seed-stage direct investments. Its website tracks over $200 million in follow-on capital raised by portfolio companies, which indicates that the firm's model is to write early checks and support syndicated rounds led by others at later stages.
How is Savannah Fund related to i/o ventures?
General Partner Paul Bragiel co-founded the San Francisco accelerator i/o ventures before helping launch Savannah Fund. Managing Partner Mbwana Alliy was an Entrepreneur in Residence at i/o ventures when he founded the firm, making i/o ventures part of the partnership's origin story rather than a parent entity.
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 private equity firms?
Altss delivers:
Prefer a guided tour?
We’ll walk you through: