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Why is Japan s Samurai Incubate interested in Egypt?
Last week, Japan-based venture capital firm Samurai Incubate closed its second $18.6 million Africa fund and for the first time, the fund will be deployed in Egypt. The news follows the announcement of two new funds in Egypt from Algebra Ventures and Sawari Ventures and while Samurai’s foray is a small one, it nonetheless highlights global interest in the country’s startups.
Founded in 2008 by Kentaro Sakakibara, Samurai Incubate has invested in 140 companies in Japan. In July 2018, it began investing in Africa by establishing subsidiary, Leapfrog Ventures (now Samurai Incubate Africa), which has so far invested in 26 startups across Africa.
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Japanese VC Samurai Incubate closes $18.6M fund for African startups
Samurai Incubate, a Tokyo-based venture capital firm, announced today it has closed its “Samurai Africa 2nd General Partnership” fund, totalling 2.026 billion yen (~$18.6 million).
According to the firm, the fund was oversubscribed as it targeted 2 billion (~$18.4 million) and a total of 54 investors joined as LPs. One notable LP is the Toyota Tsusho Corporation, which has a diverse network across the continent. The firm founded Mobility 54, a corporate venture capital (CVC) looking to invest $45 million into African mobility, logistics, and fintech startups.
Kentaro Sakakibara founded Samurai Incubate, and in 2018, the firm began investing in Africa by establishing a subsidiary called Leapfrog Ventures. From August 2018, Samurai Incubate invested $2.5 million in 20 African startups via the newly established firm. Then in June 2019, renamed itself Samurai Incubate Africa.