Botswana Tech Fund Targets £50m to Accelerate Digital Growth Across Southern Africa
The fund leverages Botswana’s stable macroeconomic environment, strong governance record, and one of the highest internet penetration rates in Sub-Saharan Africa to back scalable technology-enabled businesses.
The Botswana Tech Fund (BTF) is a multi-stage venture capital fund targeting £50 million in total commitments, designed to accelerate the digitisation of businesses and support entrepreneurs across Southern Africa. The fund leverages Botswana’s stable macroeconomic environment, strong governance record, and one of the highest internet penetration rates in Sub-Saharan Africa to back scalable technology-enabled businesses.
The fund is structured as a strategic partnership between experienced venture capital leaders and established family offices. Launch Africa Ventures serves as the Investment Advisor for Phase One under its managed accounts strategy, while Pula Investments acts as the anchor investor. Leadership includes Martin Davis, Managing Partner and former CEO of FTSE 250-listed Molten Ventures, alongside Florence Bavanandan, General Partner and Head of Platform and Operations at Launch Africa Ventures.
BTF adopts a dual-phase investment strategy aimed at supporting founders from early-stage through to growth-stage expansion. Phase One will deploy £5 million, including £1 million allocated specifically to pre-seed founders, alongside 2 to 4 growth-stage investments across primary and secondary opportunities. The fund’s long-term target remains a total commitment size of £50 million, positioning it as a significant capital pool for regional startup development.
The fund’s investment thesis is anchored in the strong market opportunity across Southern Africa, which is viewed as being at an inflection point in digital transformation. Botswana’s 80% internet penetration rate, combined with its position at the center of the 16-nation SADC bloc serving over 370 million people, creates a strategic gateway for regional scale. However, the ecosystem continues to face a structural capital gap, particularly in the application layer and infrastructure rails, which BTF aims to address. Botswana’s high governance ranking further strengthens its attractiveness as a base for regulated and scalable investment activity.
To ensure consistent deal flow and ecosystem integration, BTF has embedded itself within the local innovation landscape. A key partnership with the Botswana Innovation Hub provides portfolio companies with physical infrastructure, access to proprietary deal flow, and integration into the national innovation ecosystem. In addition, operational support from Launch Africa Ventures gives startups access to expertise and systems that have contributed to over $3 billion in market capitalization across previous fund activities.
