AHL Venture Partners is a Canada-based African impact investment company focused on high-impact and high-growth businesses in a range of countries on the continent. It invests in industries such as clean energy, fintech, agriculture, human capital and the frontier markets. Through the efforts of an award-winning team on the ground in East, West, and Southern Africa, AHL Venture Partners enjoys ongoing support from investors across the continent who are aligned with the company’s mission of driving African development forward. AHL Venture Partners is known as one of Africa’s leading venture capital firms. 

Brief History

Since it was founded in 2008, AHL Venture Partners has committed to investments amounting to over USD 60 million across various African countries. AHL Venture Partners was started with a strong belief in supporting the development of progressive SMEs on the continent and in offering opportunities for local economies to establish strong economic foundations. Just over a decade later, investments made by AHL Venture Partners have produced significant financial gains. These investments have also made a positive social impact by providing employment to more than 11,000 locals and improving services and goods available to over 10 million people at the lower end of the economy.

Geographically

AHL Venture Partners is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, but the company’s investment activities are focused in Africa, particularly in 27 countries: Burkina Faso, Senegal, Tunisia, Nigeria, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Cote ‘D Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, Benin, Togo, DRC, Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, Gabon, Congo, Tanzania, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, Comoros, Madagascar, Rwanda, and Uganda.

Significant Investments

AHL Venture Partners has made several noteworthy investments into Africa’s energy sector, particularly in clean energy. Investments include M-KOPA Solar, Powergen Renewable Energy, Burn and the responsibility Access Fund, a fund available to SMEs in the renewable energy sector in Africa. Other major investments made by AHL Venture Partners include:
• Sidai Africa – A livestock delivery service located in Kenya. AHL led the venture investment round in 2019 during which US$2.3 million was raised.
• Rent to Own Africa – An agriculture company based in Zambia. AHL joined in the seed investment round in 2018 in which US$1.1 million was raised.
• Tulaa – A Kenya-based mobile commerce solution for farmers. AHL led the seed investment round in 2018 and managed to raise US$627,000.
• Twiga Foods – An e-commerce grocery shopping company located in Kenya. AHL invested in the series A investment round of funding in 2017 during which time US$10.3 million was raised.

AHL Venture Partners Group in the News

Disrupt Africa featured an article on Ben Peterson and AHL Venture Partners in November 2018. The article showcased Peterson and AHL as the impact investor of some of the top African tech startups including Twiga Foods, Zoona, and M-KOPA Solar. In July 2018, Ventureburn reported closing a deal worth USD 627,000 for Tulaa, a company based in Nairobi that provides local farmers with access to financial services.