216 Capital
216 Capital is a Tunis-based pre-seed and seed venture capital firm investing in early-stage technology companies across Africa and MENA, deploying a €10M fund across 15+ startups in fintech, insurtech, agritech, healthtech, legaltech, SaaS, and logistics, with co-investment partnerships spanning Plug and Play, Bpifrance, and pan-African funds.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersTunis, Tunisia
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What 216 Capital does
216 Capital is a Tunis-headquartered venture capital firm founded in 2021 that invests at the pre-seed and seed stages in technology companies across Africa and MENA. The firm launched its inaugural €10M fund in August 2022 under Tunisia's Startup Act, which permits foreign-currency investment vehicles, and deploys capital via an average ticket of approximately €250,000. As of the most recent reporting, it has invested roughly €3M across 15+ startups spanning fintech (ProXalys, My Easy Transfer, Cynoia), insurtech (EYST, AVIDEA), agritech (RoboCare, Wattnow, Beekeeper Tech), healthtech (eSteps), legaltech (Juridoc), EdTech (Deplike/Chordie AI), retail SaaS (Winshot, Talenteo), logistics (Logidoo), travel-tech (Arcube), and AI/media (Imaginario AI). The team — Partner and founder Dhekra Khelifi and Principal/Investment Manager Hassen Arfaoui — provides not only capital but also fundraising support via partner networks, strategic advice toward milestones, and introductions to customers, suppliers, and product partners.
The firm operates an enterprise-style direct-investment GTM targeting startup founders, with deal sourcing via an in-house network that has scouted 1,000+ startups across four continents and an investment footprint spanning Tunis, Paris, London, Marseille, and Dakar. Its core technology is the venture investment platform itself; revenue derives from management fees on the €10M fund and (when realized) carried interest from exits — typical VC economics, with no disclosed per-deal pricing to founders beyond equity terms. Co-investment partners include Plug and Play (co-branded 216 Capital Venture Accelerator), Bpifrance, Techstars, Comcast NBCUniversal, Katapult Climate, Maroc Numeric Fund II, Gullit VC, Founder Factory Africa, Oman Technology Fund, Digital Africa, and ANAVA Fund of Funds, among others.
The firm is currently raising a second fund to support startups in more advanced funding stages, signaling AUM expansion beyond Fund I. Strategic positioning emphasizes Africa/MENA tech with a development-finance and diaspora-founder lens, partnerships with development institutions (GIZ, Westerwelle Foundation, Digital Africa), and integration into global VC infrastructure through the Plug and Play co-branded accelerator. The narrow concentration of leadership (1–10 employees) and the early stage of Fund I deployment (~30% of €10M AUM) point to a still-formation-stage asset manager scaling its platform.
216 Capital firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- 216 Capital
- Legal name
- 216 Capital
- Website
- https://216capital.vc
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- 216 Capital is a Tunis-based pre-seed and seed venture capital firm investing in early-stage technology companies across Africa and MENA, deploying a €10M fund across 15+ startups in fintech, insurtech, agritech, healthtech, legaltech, SaaS, and logistics, with co-investment partnerships spanning Plug and Play, Bpifrance, and pan-African funds.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
216 Capital industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Other Financial Investment Activities (5239)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB)
Keywords
Where 216 Capital is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tunis
- HQ country
- Tunisia
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices6 records
Markets served
216 Capital business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Venture Capital Fund Management: 216 Capital operates as a seed/pre-seed VC firm. Started investing in August 2022 through a fund of 10 million euros. Average ticket size is around 250,000 euros. As of the article, invested 3 million euros in 15 startups from different countries.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Seed/Pre-seed stage investments in tech startups |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
216 Capital product offering
Product offeringCore offering
216 Capital is a Tunis-based venture capital firm that invests pre-seed and seed equity (average ticket ~€250,000) into early-stage technology companies across Africa and MENA. The firm operates a €10 million inaugural fund (launched August 2022) and supplements its capital deployment with fundraising support, strategic advice, partnership introductions, and a six-month accelerator program co-run with Plug and Play. Beyond capital, 216 Capital helps portfolio companies scale regionally and globally through partner networks and ecosystem access.
Product overview
216 Capital is a Tunis-based venture capital firm investing across sectors in early-stage technology companies across Africa. The firm's portfolio encompasses a diverse range of AI-powered and technology-driven products and services. Key offerings include: Chordie AI for gamified music education; Addvocate.AI for sales intelligence; Talenteo for HR/payroll management; Winshot for retail execution; Avidea's DigiClaim/DigiFraud for insurance; Youree for EV charging; Wattnow for energy management; Drest.tn for e-commerce; Actum Group for private equity analytics; My Easy Transfer for diaspora payments; Cynoia for business collaboration; Imaginario AI for video content processing; Logidoo for logistics; ProBoutiK for informal commerce invoicing; eSteps for health monitoring; Arcube for airline loyalty; Juridoc for legal research; SmartBee for beekeeping; EYST for instant insurance claims; and RoboCare for precision agriculture. The portfolio demonstrates 216 Capital's focus on transformative technology companies addressing African market needs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- 216 Capital Venture Accelerator: Six-month accelerator program in partnership with Plug and Play supporting pre-seed tech companies in Tunisia with €50,000 funding, mentorship, and investor access.
Products and services
- 216 Capital Pre-Seed and Seed Investment Fund Equity capital fund of €10 million providing pre-seed and seed-stage investments averaging ~€250,000 per deal (range €100,000–€1.5M) into early-stage technology startups across Africa and MENA. Designed to solve the foreign-currency funding gap for startups under the Tunisian Startup Act. Includes co-investment support and hands-on venture assistance (fundraising, strategic advice, partner introductions, expansion support). For pre-seed and seed-stage tech startup founders building transformational businesses.
- 216 Capital Venture Accelerator by Plug and Play Six-month accelerator program co-run with Plug and Play (Silicon Valley) supporting up to 20 Tunisian startups per cohort. Each participating startup receives €50,000 in initial funding, customized mentoring, investor meetings, and direct access to Plug and Play's global innovation network. Backed by Smart Capital / ANAVA Fund of Funds. For pre-seed Tunisian tech startups seeking to become investment-ready and scale to regional and global markets.
Companies that use 216 Capital
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
216 Capital technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability25 records
216 Capital partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Plug and PlaycorePartnership with Silicon Valley innovation powerhouse to create the '216 Capital Venture Accelerator by Plug and Play', a six-month program supporting up to 20 Tunisian startups with €50,000 initial funding, mentoring, and access to Plug and Play's global network.
- GIZminorListed as a partner organization in 216 Capital's ecosystem.
- AntlerminorListed as a partner organization in 216 Capital's ecosystem.
- GreenTec CapitalminorListed as a partner organization in 216 Capital's ecosystem.
- Lionstech (Lionstechinvest)minorListed as a partner organization in 216 Capital's ecosystem.
- Westerwelle FoundationminorListed as a partner organization in 216 Capital's ecosystem.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
216 Capital competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Partech: Global VC with a dedicated Africa fund (Partech Africa) investing from seed to growth. Larger and broader incumbent competing for the same African founder pipeline.
- Plug and Play: Silicon Valley-based accelerator and CVC platform. 216 Capital's co-branded accelerator is built on Plug and Play's platform, and the firm sits adjacent in the global accelerator-plus-investment ecosystem.
- 500 Global (500 Startups): US-based global seed VC and accelerator program. 500 Global co-runs the Stanford VC Unlocked program where 216 Capital's Principal was a 2026 scholar, indicating direct ecosystem overlap.
Direct peers
- Antler: Global early-stage VC that runs cohort-based residencies and invests at pre-seed/seed. Antler is a listed 216 Capital ecosystem partner and shares the same day-zero founder-investing playbook across multiple geographies.
- Wamda Capital: MENA-focused early- and growth-stage VC. Comparable through geographic focus and pre-seed-to-Series A investment mandate across the region.
- Seedstars: Swiss-headquartered emerging-markets VC and accelerator active across Africa, MENA, and Asia. Comparable through its seed-stage accelerator programs and pan-emerging-market investment thesis.
- Flat6Labs: MENA's leading early-stage seed VC and accelerator. Flat6Labs runs multi-week seed programs and invests pre-seed/seed across the region — directly comparable to 216 Capital's stage, geographic focus, and accelerator-plus-fund model.
- Sawari Ventures: Egypt- and North Africa-focused early- and growth-stage VC investing in tech-enabled startups. Shares 216 Capital's North African focus and pre-seed-to-Series A ticket range.
Regional players
- Novastar Ventures: East Africa-focused early- and growth-stage VC. Operates in a complementary African geography with similar sector-agnostic technology investing.
- Algebra Ventures: Egypt-focused early-stage VC. Operates in an adjacent MENA geography with similar stage and sector orientation to 216 Capital's portfolio companies.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
216 Capital social profiles
Digital presence216 Capital financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
216 Capital leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
216 Capital funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
216 Capital M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments25 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about 216 Capital
What does 216 Capital do?
216 Capital is a Tunis-based venture capital firm that invests pre-seed and seed equity (average ticket ~€250,000) into early-stage technology companies across Africa and MENA. The firm operates a €10 million inaugural fund (launched August 2022) and supplements its capital deployment with fundraising support, strategic advice, partnership introductions, and a six-month accelerator program co-run with Plug and Play. Beyond capital, 216 Capital helps portfolio companies scale regionally and globally through partner networks and ecosystem access.
Is 216 Capital a public or private company?
216 Capital is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was 216 Capital founded?
216 Capital was founded in 2021. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is 216 Capital based?
216 Capital is headquartered in Tunis, Tunisia, in the Africa region.
How does 216 Capital make money?
One revenue line is on record: venture Capital Fund Management.
Who are 216 Capital's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Partech, Plug and Play and 500 Global (500 Startups). Direct peers are Antler, Wamda Capital, Seedstars, Flat6Labs and Sawari Ventures. Regional players are Novastar Ventures and Algebra Ventures.
Does 216 Capital have an API?
No public API is recorded for 216 Capital.
What industry is 216 Capital in?
216 Capital's product category is Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAB, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B). Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.