First Check Africa

First Check Africa is an early-stage venture capital firm based in Lagos, Nigeria, that provides pre-seed and seed funding to technology startups across the African continent with a specific mandate to back underrepresented, female-led, and diverse founding teams. The firm operates with a sector-agnostic investment strategy, primarily allocating capital toward high-growth industries such as financial technology, retail, consumer goods, life sciences, and healthcare. To date, the organization has deployed over $9.2 million in capital across an estimated 14 portfolio companies, writing initial checks that typically range from under $100,000 up to $1 million. The firm's active investment portfolio features several notable regional startups, including construction technology platform Jumba, payment infrastructure provider MoneyHash, digital banking service provider Cleva, and procurement platform VendEase. First Check Africa was officially established in 2021 by co-founders Eloho Omame and Odunayo Eweniyi.

FirstCheck Africa operates as an early-stage venture capital fund, strategically deploying capital into technology-driven startups across the African continent. The firm provides "high conviction first checks" at the pre-seed and seed stages, supporting diverse teams focused on building scalable and sustainable ventures. Its investment thesis centers on identifying and nurturing promising businesses poised for significant growth, with a particular emphasis on fostering a robust ecosystem for early-stage innovation.

The company was co-founded by Eloho Omame and Odunayo Eweniyi in 2021. Their foundational insight stemmed from the observed gender funding gap within Africa's venture capital landscape. They recognized a clear opportunity to empower female high-growth entrepreneurs, driven by the conviction that the continent's most successful future companies will feature diverse leadership, with women playing a pivotal role.

FirstCheck Africa serves female-led technology entrepreneurs in Africa, specifically startups with at least one female founder or co-founder. The firm's overarching vision is to generate strong financial returns from commercially-driven technology ventures, while simultaneously addressing the systemic underrepresentation of female founders in venture capital. It aims to propel long-term success by investing in exceptional female leadership building impactful companies across various sectors.