How to apply to Sawari Ventures as an African founder

TL;DR

Sawari Ventures invests in sector-agnostic companies at Seed, Series A, and Series B+, writes cheques of $1M -- $10M+ (varies by stage and fund), and takes applications through direct outreach to the team.

Who Sawari Ventures is

Sawari Ventures is a North Africa and Pan-African investor headquartered in Cairo, with team in Tunis. The fund describes its mandate as sector-agnostic. The thesis, in the fund's own words: We believe the best way to tackle these transformations is to pair the best talent with smart capital.

On the ground, Sawari Ventures operates as a Seed, Series A, and Series B+ investor with an Africa focus described as "North Africa primary (Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco), expanding East and West Africa". The fund's partner and chairman is Ahmed El Alfi, alongside Hany Al Sonbaty (Managing Partner) and Ibrahim Ramadan (Partner).

What they invest in

Stages: Seed, Series A, and Series B+
Sectors: Sector-agnostic. The fund calls itself sector-agnostic, but its actual portfolio tells a more concentrated story: 26% of classified portfolio companies are in Fintech, and 21% are in E-commerce.
Cheque size: $1M -- $10M+ (varies by stage and fund)
Geography focus: North Africa and Pan-African / Yes -- North Africa primary (Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco), expanding East and West Africa

How to apply

Sawari Ventures's application path is: "mailto:Support@sawariventures.com". This reads as direct outreach rather than a public form, which means the fund is more reachable through a warm introduction or a well-targeted cold message than through a portal. Ahmed El Alfi (Partner and Chairman) is the name most associated with the fund publicly, and a specific, well-prepared message referencing why you fit their stated thesis is a better opener than a generic pitch blast. Check https://sawariventures.com/ first in case a form or dedicated email address has since gone live.

Portfolio pattern

Sawari Ventures's portfolio, as listed in their Trampoline fund page, includes:

MoneyFellows (Egypt): Digital money circles (ROSCA) for financial inclusion, Pre-Series C ($13M)
SWVL (Egypt/Kenya): Tech-enabled mass transit, NASDAQ-listed, Growth
blnk (Egypt): Buy-now-pay-later for merchants, Series A
Si-Ware (Egypt): Single-chip MEMS spectrometer (lab-on-a-chip), Growth
Pearl (Egypt): Fabless semiconductor, high-performance timing chips, Early stage

That spread gives you a sense of what a real check from Sawari Ventures has funded, not just what the thesis claims it funds.

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 traction, not slides
Cap table
A one-line description of what your company does
A short, specific note explaining why you fit their stated thesis, ready to send cold or through a warm intro

FAQ

Does Sawari Ventures have a sector focus?

Sawari Ventures describes its mandate as sector-agnostic, meaning it does not restrict itself to a fixed list of sectors.

What stage does Sawari Ventures typically write cheques at?

Sawari Ventures invests at Seed, Series A, and Series B+, with cheque sizes of $1M -- $10M+ (varies by stage and fund).

Do you need a warm intro to apply to Sawari Ventures?

Sawari Ventures's application path is direct outreach rather than a public form, so a warm introduction generally carries more weight than a cold message, though it is not stated as a hard requirement.

Does Sawari Ventures invest outside North Africa and Pan-African?

Sawari Ventures's Africa focus is described as "North Africa primary (Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco), expanding East and West Africa". Check the full fund profile for the exact geographic boundaries before you apply.

Is Sawari Ventures a remote or in-person fund?

Sawari Ventures's format is listed as Hybrid.