Flat6Labs / F6 Ventures

Flat6Labs is one of Africa and the Middle East's most prolific startup platforms, founded in Cairo in 2011 by Sawari Ventures' Ahmed El Alfi and Hany Al-Sonbaty. With over 411 companies invested in across 14 countries, it has grown from an Egyptian accelerator into a pan-continental engine for early-stage founders. In August 2025, the organization restructured under F6 Group, splitting into two distinct arms: Flat6Labs continues as the accelerator and ecosystem platform (now led by CEO Yehia Houry), while F6 Ventures operates as the dedicated seed-stage VC firm co-founded by Dina el-Shenoufy and Ramez El-Serafy as General Partners.

The big move for African founders came in March 2023, when Flat6Labs announced a $95M Africa Seed Fund targeting 160 pre-seed to pre-Series A startups across Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, and Senegal. The fund is backed by IFC (which committed up to $6M) and aims to create 14,000+ jobs while maintaining at least 20% female founder participation. Christine Namara joined as Partner for Africa, based in Nairobi, to lead Sub-Saharan dealflow.

F6 Ventures now manages six funds totalling over $90M in AUM, with a target to reach $200M and invest in 200+ companies within five years. The broader Flat6Labs ecosystem has supported over 2,900 startups through 39 programs with 1,250+ mentors. Notable alumni include Instabug (clients include Samsung, PayPal, Lyft), Brimore (raised $3.5M Pre-Series A), and MoneyFellows ($4M Series A from Partech and Sawari).