Week 45: Africa and Middle East Startup Funding Led by Sentra

This week, Techloy tracked $233.5 million in disclosed funding across startups in Africa and the Middle East, with more than 90% going to two Israeli startups, Sentra and 42AI. Healthtech and fintech startups also drew funding, reflecting continued investor interest in both sectors. 

The Week’s Largest Startup Funding Rounds 

Here are the biggest disclosed startup funding rounds across Africa and the Middle East this week. 

1. Sentra, $150M, Cybersecurity, Israel 

Sentra protects sensitive corporate information from unauthorised access by AI agents, as more businesses deploy autonomous AI systems across their operations. Capital One Ventures led the $150 million Series C, which follows 300% year-on-year growth and takes total funding past $250 million. It will fund expansion of the technology and hiring in Israel and abroad. 

2. 42AI, $62.5M, AI for Finance, Israel 

Newly out of stealth, 42AI builds behavioural AI models for financial institutions. The Tel Aviv company analyses unstructured consumer metadata, such as onboarding workflows, voice sentiment, support history and transaction timings, to simulate how individuals take risks and make decisions.

Infinity Group participated in the $62.5 million seed round, which will scale its world modelling systems, grow its pipeline of global financial clients and fund research combining neuroscience, psychology and predictive analytics. 

3. Ease Holdings, $9.5M, Healthtech, South Africa 

AAFC Group has invested $9.5 million in Johannesburg-based Ease Holdings, bringing its total raised to $24 million. Ease supplies hospitals, clinics and specialist practices with medical equipment through pay-per-use and managed-service models that require little upfront capital. The funds will go to expansion in South Africa and Ghana and to more AI-enhanced devices, such as MRI, CT and PET-CT scanners, surgical robots and radiotherapy systems.