What CRE Venture Capital does

CRE Venture Capital is an early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2015 that invests in tech companies levered to Africa. The firm is headquartered in New York, incorporated in Delaware as CRE Venture Capital, Inc., and is registered as an investment adviser with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. CRE manages pooled investment vehicles that make direct equity investments in African and Africa-adjacent technology startups across sectors including payments, fintech, mobile gaming, digital identity, HR tech, B2B commerce, conversational commerce, legal tech, construction technology, and critical minerals supply chain.

The firm's disclosed portfolio comprises 16 named companies, with flagship holdings including Flutterwave (payments and remittances), Yoco (South African payments), Carry1st (mobile gaming and payments), Andela (technical talent marketplace), Stitch (payment orchestration), Smile ID (digital identity verification), and Sabi (B2B commerce and supply chain infrastructure). CRE does not build proprietary technology; its product is capital allocation, portfolio support, and ecosystem connectivity, with portfolio companies frequently forming cross-portfolio partnerships and integrations across payments, identity, CRM, and cloud-native infrastructure stacks.

CRE's business model is standard emerging-market venture capital: management fees on committed or invested capital across pooled investment vehicles, supplemented by carried interest on realized gains. The firm restricts offerings to accredited investors, qualified purchasers, and qualified clients under U.S. federal securities laws and communicates primarily through its website and news platform. Operations are lean, with a 1–10 employee footprint led by Managing Partner Pardon Makumbe, supported by a Chief of Staff and a Head of Compliance, Legal and Operations, which is consistent with a focused, conviction-driven emerging-market fund rather than a diversified multi-stage platform.

Name

CRE Venture Capital

Legal name

CRE Venture Capital, Inc.

Website

http://www.cre.vc/

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CRE Venture Capital is a New York-based, SEC-registered early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2015 that invests in tech companies levered to Africa. It manages pooled investment vehicles across a 16-company portfolio spanning payments, fintech, gaming, identity, and B2B commerce.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Investment Management: SEC-registered investment adviser managing pooled investment vehicles that invest in African tech startups. Generates returns through equity investments in portfolio companies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

CRE Venture Capital is an SEC-registered investment adviser that manages pooled investment vehicles providing early to growth-stage equity capital to visionary founders building category-defining technology companies levered to Africa. The firm invests across fintech, payments, gaming, digital identity, B2B commerce, HR tech, and AI, while offering portfolio companies strategic support and ecosystem connections. Capital is raised from accredited investors, qualified purchasers, and qualified clients under U.S. federal securities laws.

Product overview

CRE Venture Capital is a venture capital firm that invests in visionary founders building category-defining tech companies in Africa. The firm does not offer its own products or services; instead, it provides investment capital and support to portfolio companies operating across various sectors including payments, fintech, gaming, digital identity, B2B commerce, and talent platforms. The portfolio includes companies such as Flutterwave (payments for businesses and remittances), Stitch (payment orchestration), Yoco (payments for small businesses in South Africa), Carry1st (mobile gaming publisher), Andela (technical talent marketplace), Smile ID (digital identity verification), Definely (legal technology), Sabi (B2B commerce and supply chain infrastructure), Sukhiba (conversational commerce via WhatsApp), and Matta (B2B chemicals marketplace).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers16 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Stellar Gate GamescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarry1st expanded its Pay1st payment platform to the MENA region through a partnership with Stellar Gate Games. The collaboration enables players to use local payment methods including digital wallets and bank transfers for seamless in-game payment experiences for Blood Strike players.
• ExiPaycoreOthersStitch acquired ExiPay to expand into in-person payments, enabling unified commerce by integrating online and in-person payments into one platform.
• ASAPP (Association of South African Payment Providers)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYoco joined ASAPP as a founding member to champion direct participation of non-banks in shaping South Africa's digital payments landscape alongside industry leaders.
• MastercardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmile ID and Mastercard collaborated to accelerate merchant onboarding in Africa, enabling secure and efficient identity verification for merchants.
• AudiomackcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarry1st partnered with music streaming platform Audiomack, enabling African users to purchase subscriptions using local payment methods through Pay1st platform.
• Snowball HoldingscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSabi announced strategic partnership with Snowball Holdings to aggregate lithium from small-scale miners across Nigeria, ensuring steady supply with export logistics, quality control, and sustainability compliance.
• Transition ResourcescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSabi partnered with Transition Resources as part of global mineral processing expansion, aggregating lithium from small-scale Nigerian miners with value-added services.
• MinespidercoreTechnology or IntegrationSabi announced strategic collaboration with Minespider to launch blockchain-enabled traceability for African commodities bound for OECD markets, providing digital product passports and supply chain transparency.
• Microsoft Partner NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAndela joined Microsoft Partner Network (MPN) to expand access for its global talent marketplace, providing opportunities for technologists to develop and implement cloud solutions using Microsoft's platforms.
• CNCF (Cloud Native Computing Foundation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAndela partnered with CNCF and Linux Foundation Education to train 20,000 to 30,000 African technologists in cloud-native development skills, opening doors to global job opportunities.
• Linux FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAndela partnered with Linux Foundation Education as part of initiative to train 20,000-30,000 African technologists in cloud-native development skills.
• Circle (Circle Internet Financial)coreTechnology or IntegrationFlutterwave joined Circle Payments Network (CPN) to enable real-time settlement of cross-border payments using regulated stablecoins via SendApp, its remittance product.
• NewzoocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarry1st collaborated with Newzoo for annual statistical analysis revealing Africa's gaming market reached $1.8bn with sixfold growth vs global average, driven by 32 million new gamers in 2024.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• TLcom Capital: Africa-focused early and growth-stage VC firm investing in tech-enabled businesses across the continent. Highly comparable to CRE given its Africa-only thesis and stage focus, making it the closest direct peer for deal flow, LP profile, and competitive positioning.
• Microtraction: Nigeria-based pre-seed and seed VC firm investing in African tech startups at the earliest stages. Comparable to CRE in Africa focus and founder-first approach, though typically investing at earlier stages than CRE's growth-stage leanings.
• Partech: Pan-African VC investor through its Partech Africa fund, deploying capital into African tech startups at seed through growth stages. Directly competes with CRE for high-quality African tech deals and comparable LPs targeting Africa exposure.
• Future Africa: Africa-focused VC fund backing early-stage tech companies building for the continent's future. Shares CRE's geographic and stage focus, with overlap in fintech, digital commerce, and consumer-tech investments.
• 4DX Ventures: Africa and diaspora-focused early-stage VC investing in tech-enabled businesses serving African consumers and enterprises. Highly comparable given its geographic focus, stage, and thesis of backing African tech founders.
• Ingressive Capital: Early-stage venture capital firm focused on African tech, providing capital and resources to technical founders. Comparable to CRE in stage, geography, and focus on category-defining African tech investments.
• Novastar Ventures: Africa-focused VC firm backing early and growth-stage consumer-facing businesses. Shares CRE's African tech thesis, similar stage orientation, and comparable portfolio construction around category-defining companies.
• Launch Africa Ventures: Pan-African early-stage VC fund investing in tech-enabled businesses across Africa. Comparable to CRE given its Africa-only thesis, similar ticket sizes, and focus on backing African tech founders.
• Aruwa Capital: Early-growth stage VC firm investing in consumer and business-facing businesses across Africa. Comparable to CRE given its Africa focus, stage profile, and emphasis on backing category leaders across fintech, commerce, and consumer sectors.

Emerging players

• Speedinvest: European early-stage VC with growing Africa exposure through dedicated Africa-focused investments and partnerships. Partial overlap with CRE's thesis on African tech, though primarily Europe-based with Africa as an emerging mandate.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CRE_VC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cre-venture-capital

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments69 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CRE Venture Capital