How to apply to Quona Capital as an African founder

TL;DR

Quona Capital backs fintech companies serving underserved consumers and small businesses across emerging markets, with a genuine on-the-ground Cape Town office. Portfolio includes Yoco, Lulalend, Wasoko, and Cowrywise. Pitch via quona.com/contact.

Who Quona is

Quona invests in fintech for financial inclusion across Latin America, India, Southeast Asia, and EMEA, with local presence in cities including Cape Town, Bangalore, Mexico City, Singapore, Sao Paulo, and Dubai. The firm reports its portfolio companies reach 31.5 million customers, 87% of them underserved.

What they invest in

Stage: Seed through Series B+
Sectors: Fintech, specifically financial inclusion for underserved SMEs and consumers
Cheque size: Not publicly disclosed
Geography: Africa alongside Latin America, India, and Southeast Asia, with a standing Cape Town office

How to apply

Reach out via quona.com/contact. Quona's local team means founder-level relationships built through African fintech and inclusion-finance events are a genuine path, not just a formality; the firm's stated approach is to "roll up its sleeves" with founders rather than stay purely capital-side.

Portfolio pattern

Yoco (South Africa, digital payments), Lulalend (South Africa, SME lending), Wasoko (pan-East Africa, embedded finance for informal retail), Cowrywise (Nigeria, savings infrastructure). Each targets a specific underserved SME or consumer segment rather than building a general-purpose fintech product.

Before you apply

Have these ready before you reach out:

Deck: Check your readiness first so you know where the gaps are
Metrics dashboard: Set up your metrics dashboard so you can show real customer reach, not slides
A clear articulation of who specifically is underserved by existing financial products in your market
Cap table

FAQ

Does Quona have a real African presence or is this a fly-in fund?

Quona maintains a standing Cape Town office as part of its core team structure, alongside offices in Bangalore, Mexico City, Singapore, Sao Paulo, and Dubai.

What's Quona's investment bar beyond "fintech"?

An explicit inclusion lens: the firm evaluates whether a company genuinely serves underserved consumers or businesses, not just whether it's a fintech product.

What stage does Quona typically invest at?

Seed through Series B+, based on its disclosed African portfolio.