Silverbacks Holdings

What Silverbacks Holdings does

Silverbacks Holdings is a Mauritius-based alternative investment firm, founded in 2019, that deploys capital into Africa-related high-growth companies across Tech, Sports, Entertainment, Fashion, Fintech, E-commerce, Logistics, B2B SaaS, and Digital Health sectors. The firm operates three investment approaches — Indirect, Direct, and Fully Owned — and reports 20 core investments, 228 indirectly held or third-party managed investments, 10 profitable exits, a $30 million single largest follow-on investment, and total consolidated portfolio valuations exceeding $10 billion. The portfolio includes Cape Town Tigers, African Warriors Fighting Championship, NERGii, Forever 7 Entertainment, Armando Cabral, Flutterwave, Moove Africa, Omnibiz Africa, Yobante Express, Amaka Studio, Vanhu Vamwe, and The Rad Black Kids, among others.

The firm positions itself as a partner to founders who have already achieved product-market fit, providing growth capital, governance improvement, and amplified cross-border reach, with a stated target return of 2x to 5x per investment. Deal sourcing is conducted through a privileged network of seasoned professionals and ecosystem partners rather than traditional outbound channels, and the firm supplements its investment activity with the "IN THE VALLEY" podcast hosted by Executive Chairman Ibrahim Sagna as a top-of-funnel thought-leadership channel distributed across YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Anghami, Audiomack, Omni Audio Africa, and Qatar Airways IFE.

Revenue mechanics are consistent with those of a small alternative asset manager — management fees and carried interest on deployed capital — but no fees, AUM, or revenue figures are publicly disclosed. The firm is privately held, headquartered in Port Louis, Mauritius, operates with a lean core team, and is supported by a multi-committee advisory board spanning finance, technology, sports, entertainment, and governance. Recent strategic activity includes preliminary talks with the NBA for an African league franchise (January 2026) and a joint investment with ImpactHER through Afreximbank's CANEX platform in two African fashion brands (September 2025).

Name

Silverbacks Holdings

Legal name

Silverbacks Holdings

Website

https://silverbacks.holdings

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Silverbacks Holdings is a Mauritius-based alternative investment firm founded in 2019 that deploys capital via Direct, Indirect, and Fully Owned approaches into Africa-focused high-growth companies across Tech, Sports, Entertainment, Fashion, Fintech, Logistics, and Digital Health sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Alternative Investments

NAICS

Other Financial Investment Activities (5239), All Other Financial Investment Activities (52399), Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)

SIC

Finance Services (6199), Investors, Nec (6799)

akta.pro primary industry

Business Services (B2B) Growth Equity (FSANACAD)

Keywords

• Venture capital
• Private equity
• Growth capital
• Alternative investments
• Creative economy

Headquarters

HQ city

Ebène

HQ country

Mauritius

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Investment Returns and Capital Gains: Silverbacks Holdings generates returns through equity investments in Africa-focused high growth companies. The firm targets an average return of 2x to 5x on investments and has achieved 10 profitable exits often beyond those levels since inception in 2019.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Silverbacks Holdings is a Mauritius-based alternative investment firm that deploys capital into Africa-related high-growth companies in Tech, Sports, Entertainment, and the creative economy. The firm operates three investment approaches — Indirect, Direct, and Fully Owned — and targets an average return of 2x to 5x, having completed 20 core investments, 10 profitable exits, and 228 indirectly held or third-party managed positions with consolidated valuations above $10 billion.

Product overview

Silverbacks Holdings is an alternative investment firm, not a technology product company. It operates a unified investment platform offering three approaches (Indirect, Direct, and Fully Owned) to invest in African high-growth companies. The firm also produces the 'IN THE VALLEY' podcast as a media offering. The investment platform spans multiple sectors including Sports, Media & Entertainment, Fashion & Lifestyle, Fintech, E-Commerce, E-Logistics, B2B SaaS, and Digital Health through its portfolio companies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IN THE VALLEY: A podcast bridging the worlds of VC, tech, sports, media & lifestyle in Africa, hosted by Executive Chairman Ibrahim Sagna.

Products and services

• Silverbacks Holdings Investment Platform An alternative investment platform deploying capital across Indirect, Direct, and Fully Owned approaches into Africa-related high-growth companies in Tech, Sports, Entertainment, and creative economy sectors; serves founders and operators from product-market fit through global dominance.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10 profitable exits since inception in 2019
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• ImpactHERcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 September 2025Silverbacks Holdings and ImpactHER announced a joint strategic investment in two African fashion brands, Vanhu Vamwe and The Rad Black Kids, through Afreximbank's CANEX platform. ImpactHER is a platform supporting women entrepreneurs in Africa.
• National Basketball Association (NBA)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSilverbacks Holdings has entered preliminary talks with the NBA to purchase a franchise in the NBA's planned African league. The NBA is seeking 12 franchise buyers for its continental expansion.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ingressive Capital: Pan-African pre-seed and seed venture firm backing tech-enabled founders; comparable in target segment (tech-enabled African founders) and early-stage focus.
• TLcom Capital: Africa-focused early-to-growth-stage venture firm deploying from dedicated Africa funds; comparable in target geography, stage, and sector focus on tech-enabled African founders.
• 4DX Ventures: Africa-focused venture firm investing in early-stage technology businesses across the continent; comparable in geography, stage, and tech/consumer emphasis.
• Future Africa: Africa-focused venture firm backing early-stage tech founders across the continent; comparable in Africa founder thesis and seed/Series A stage.
• Novastar Ventures: Africa-dedicated venture firm investing in early- and growth-stage businesses across the continent; comparable mission, check size, and sector mix.
• Aruwa Capital: Lagos-based growth equity firm focused on Nigerian and West African businesses; overlaps with Silverbacks' growth-stage, Africa-focused, consumer-and-services orientation.
• Microtraction: Nigeria-based pre-seed venture firm; comparable in Africa-focused, founder-first, early-stage investment approach.
• Partech Africa: Pan-African venture fund backed by Partech, investing in tech-enabled businesses across multiple African markets; directly comparable in thesis, stage, and target founder profile.

Broad incumbents

• Helios Investment Partners: Large Africa-focused private equity firm operating across multiple sectors and stages; comparable Africa focus but at materially larger scale and broader mandate than Silverbacks.

Others

• ImpactHER: Strategic partner and co-investor with Silverbacks on women-led African businesses; adjacent ecosystem player in Africa-focused, founder-supporting capital rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@In_TheValley
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/silverbacks-holdings

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments71 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Silverbacks Holdings