We build the platforms.
Local CEOs run the business.
Fottal is a venture builder for sub-Saharan Africa. We design software and hardware platforms centrally, then deploy them country by country with CEO-partners who hold equity and own their market.
What we do
One platform, many markets, real owners in every country.
Most companies expanding into Africa try to run everything from one HQ. That works until it doesn't. Regulations differ. Payment rails differ. Customer expectations differ. You can't manage Lagos from London.
Fottal takes a different approach. We build the technology once, in Philadelphia. Then we find exceptional operators in each market, give them equity, and let them run it. They know the customers. They know the regulators. They have the relationships.
We handle product, engineering, and capital. They handle customers, revenue, and growth. It works because both sides have skin in the game.
The opportunity
Sub-Saharan Africa is the last large market where basic infrastructure is still being built.
That means first-movers in logistics, fintech, healthtech, and agriculture don't just win customers. They become the infrastructure. The companies being built today will be the rails everything else runs on for decades.
1.4B
people, median age 19
The youngest population of any major region. A workforce and consumer base that is growing, urbanizing, and coming online fast.
600M+
mobile subscribers
Smartphone adoption is climbing 20% year over year. Mobile money already processes billions annually across West and East Africa.
$3.4T
single market under AfCFTA
The African Continental Free Trade Area connects 54 countries into one trade zone. Cross-border commerce is about to change completely.
12+
target markets
We focus on West Africa first: Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, Guinea, Mali, and Benin. From there we expand into high-opportunity markets across East and Southern Africa.
The model
CEO-partners are not employees. They are founders with a head start.
What the CEO-partner does
You run your country. You hire the team, close the deals, navigate the regulators, and build the customer relationships. You own the P&L. You hold real equity.
This is not a franchise. You are building a company, with a technology platform and capital behind you from day one. The hard parts that usually take two years of fundraising and development are already done.
We are looking for operators with deep local networks, commercial instincts, and the drive to build something that lasts. People who know their market better than anyone sitting in a different timezone ever could.
What Fottal provides
The platform. Software and hardware, built for African infrastructure realities. Mobile-first, offline-capable, multi-currency. Ready to deploy.
Capital. Seed funding and working capital for the launch phase, so you can focus on customers instead of fundraising.
The playbook. Go-to-market strategies tested across markets. Shared learnings from every country we operate in. You benefit from what works everywhere else.
Ongoing support. Product roadmap, engineering, partnerships, and strategic guidance. You are not alone, but you are in charge.
Ready to build something real?
We are looking for CEO-partners across West Africa and high-growth Sub-Saharan markets. From Nigeria and Ghana to Senegal, Mali, Guinea, Kenya, and beyond. If you know your market and want to own a tech-backed venture in it, let's talk.