Two Venture Funds Close in Africa and Italy as Local Capital Takes Lead
DPI Venture Capital closed its $112 million Nclude Fund with 93% of capital from Africa, while Italy's Z_One Fund raised over €35 million at first close.
AfroEuropa Newsroom
AfroEuropa desk
Two venture capital funds on separate continents have reported fresh closings, each drawing heavily on domestic and regional institutional investors.
DPI Venture Capital, the early-stage arm of Development Partners International, reached a final close of more than $112 million for its Nclude Fund, according to TechCabal. Development Partners International is a private equity firm managing over $3 billion in assets across Africa. Ashley Lewis, managing partner and head of DPI Venture Capital, told TechCabal that nearly all of the capital came from financial services institutions, with 93% sourced from within Africa. By comparison, African investors accounted for 37% of funding raised by the continent's startups in the first half of 2026, per TechCabal Insights.
Keep reading
European PropTech Startups Lette and Cortas Raise Fresh Funding for Property Management AI
Lette secured $6.5M in seed funding for UK and European expansion, while Copenhagen's Cortas raised €1.47M in pre-Seed capital.
Other highlights
NBA Names Kalshi and Polymarket as Preferred Prediction Market Exchanges
The NBA has partnered with Kalshi and Polymarket and signed a cooperation agreement with the CFTC as scrutiny over prediction-market integrity grows.
Follow the story
One newsletter, two continents
The Bridge brings you the tech, startups, and leaders moving between Africa and Europe in one sharp email each morning. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
