What is Deeptech?
Deeptech companies build their moat on fundamental science and engineering breakthroughs; think novel MEMS chips, AI protein‑design models, or quantum‑grade materials; not on incremental app features.
Africa offers a unique foundation for deeptech innovation. The region is home to world-class yet undervalued talent; Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, and Nigeria collectively graduate over 70,000 STEM students each year, with total engineering costs under 40% of what Silicon Valley demands. This technical strength is paired with underserved challenges, such as water stress, agritech hurdles, and infectious disease burdens, which provide ideal testing grounds where breakthrough science can generate immediate real-world impact.
Moreover, low valuation pressure in the region allows specialist funds to secure meaningful ownership stakes without getting caught in heated bidding wars, often before global investors take notice. Finally, rising sovereign catalysts are accelerating growth: Pan-African AI campuses and Gulf-funded mega-projects are pouring billions into hard-tech infrastructure. According to magnitt.com, AI funding in MENA rose 66% year-over-year in 2024; a clear signal that the momentum is here.
Africa’s deep-tech momentum is being reinforced by a set of mutually reinforcing flywheels. On the capital front, new AI and frontier-tech funds are emerging across Egypt, Morocco, and the Gulf. Notably, the share of Series A AI deals in MENA rose from 14% to 38% in 2024, according to magnitt.com, highlighting growing investor appetite. On the talent side, institutions like UM6P, AIMS, and AU centers are successfully turning PhDs into startup founders, while AfriLabs now counts over 500 innovation hubs; many equipped for wet-lab or fab-lab R&D (linkedin.com). From a policy perspective, governments are lowering innovation friction through progressive frameworks: Rwanda’s drone delivery sandbox, Egypt’s Supreme Council for Nanotechnology, and Morocco’s StartGate campus are standout examples. Finally, events and recognition are fueling visibility. The Deep Tech Summit 2025 in Benguérir drew over 1,000 delegates, and Sawari Ventures was awarded the VC Prize; Honorable Mention for its leadership in African deep-tech investing (Mentioned previously).
Is there an opportunity in the market?
|
Proof point |
Technology |
What happened |
Why it matters |
|
Si‑Ware → BÜCHI (2025) |
First single‑chip NIR spectrometer |
Swiss lab‑equipment leader acquires NeoSpectra platform si-ware.com |
Confirms global buyers will pay for MEMS innovation born in Cairo. |
|
Kngine → Samsung (2017) |
Semantic‑search AI engine |
Samsung NEXT bought 100 % to power Bixby samenacouncil.org |
Africa‑built AI can become core IP inside a top‑3 handset maker. |
|
Proteinea × Golden Ticket (2023) |
Insect‑larvae protein factories & “ankh” protein‑language model |
Won Amgen–LabCentral “Golden Ticket” partnership linkedin.com |
Big‑pharma validation of African computational‑biotech talent. |
|
InstaDeep → BioNTech (£562 m, 2023) |
Decision‑making AI & protein‑design platform |
BioNTech acquired Tunis‑born InstaDeep to anchor its AI‑drug‑discovery stack instadeep.com |
Africa can create—and exit—globally strategic AI platforms. |
What’s our role as a VC and why does the Deeptech prize matter?
At Sawari Ventures, we have industrialised “value creation.” We lead Series A rounds, secure IP, embed global governance, and arrange follow-on funding and strategic exits. The VC Prize honour at UM6P validates a playbook that has delivered: Samsung–Kngine (AI), BÜCHI–Si-Ware (semiconductors), Proteinea scaling toward pharma, and a growing AI/ML, semiconductor, and biotech portfolio.
Africa’s next deep-tech champions are already in labs, cloud GPU clusters from Cairo to Kigali. The opportunity is bigger than ever. Deep tech isn’t the future of African tech, it’s the present, hidden in plain sight. We’re proud to help the world see it.