Skip to content
PaySika CEO Roger Nengwe/Photo courtesy of PaySika

What: Toulouse-based Fintech PaySika is developing a banking app for French-speaking African markets. PaySika's mobile banking service has an app but also uses a chatbot that works via Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Telegram. Customers can conduct transactions via any of those channels.

Why: According to PaySika, 80% of Africans don't have access to banking services. But mobile penetration is high, and the founders are hoping to leverage that to make financial services more widely available.

Who: Co-founders are Roger Nengwe and Stezen Bisselou-Nzengue.

Seed round: €300,000

Investors: Business angles included Benjamin Chemla, founder of Stuart; Damien Guermonprez, the executive chairman of Lemonway; Charles Edouard Bouée, former CEO of Roland Berger; Didier Valet, former Deputy-CEO of Groupe Société Générale; Charlie Delingpole, CEO of ComplyAdvantage; Oliver Tilloy, Founder of Techmind; Adedayo Amzat, Managing Director of Zedcrest Capital; and Thibault Poutrel, Founder of Fonds de Dotation Thibault Poutrel.

Next: PaySika says it already has 20,000 pre-registrations in Cameroon and Gabon where it plans to start testing the app in the first quarter of 2022. Of those, 90% are between the ages of 18 and 35. If initial tests are successful, the team will start rolling it out to other territories.

Comments

Latest

🤖 La Machine #36: Tilt Energy + Altertable Target Smarter Grids And Data Stacks With AI 🤖

🤖 La Machine #36: Tilt Energy + Altertable Target Smarter Grids And Data Stacks With AI 🤖

Altertable emerges from stealth to build an AI-native data stack; Tilt Energy wants to use AI to bring 'flexibility' to the grid. Plus, Genesis Robotics raises $85M, Asterion backs deeptech AI, H Company COO exits, France targets AI in justice and music, and Google eyes a French data hub.

Members Public
French Tech Funding Wire June 27: Zama, Orus, Melvan & More!

French Tech Funding Wire June 27: Zama, Orus, Melvan & More!

17 companies raised a total of €177.08 million last week. Other startups that raised a round between June 23 and June 27 include: Ever Dye, Policloud, Le Drive tout nu, Wilgo, Qomon, DejaBlue, GeodAlsics, Waypoint AI, Oria Bioscience, Altertable, Vipali, Hydroclimat, Stairling, and Winalist.

Members Public