Startups On Our Radar spotlights African startups solving African challenges with innovation. In our previous edition, we featured 5 game-changing startups pioneering financing, mobility, music, and logistics. Expect the next dispatch on September 26, 2025.
This week, we explore seven African startups in the fintech and logistics/mobility sectors and why they should be on your watchlist. Let’s dive into it:
1. Swiftway wants to simplify cargo shipping for African businesses (Logistics, Ghana)
When you think of logistics, what almost always comes to mind is the image of delivery bikes zig-zagging across city traffic. Swiftway Shippers is tackling the other side of logistics by helping African businesses move cargo across borders by air or sea. For many African companies that import and export goods, the process is usually fragmented. Every stage has its own fees and paperwork. Swiftway integrates all those moving parts into a single platform. Users can request pickup or drop-off, clear goods, and track their cargo in real-time from a single dashboard.
Through its e-shipping platform, Swiftway also provides insights on tariffs and routes, all while ensuring transparency across a network of partners that include airlines, shipping companies, freight forwarders, clearance agents, last-mile delivery companies, and warehouses. In just four months of operations, the company says it has processed over $44,000 in shipment value and generated $5,000 in revenue.
Why we’re watching: Swiftway is looking to build and differentiate itself in a sector that has faced funding and investor pressures, among other challenges, in recent years. Nigeria’s Kobo360 heavily relied on short-term loans to sustain its business and scale. By December 2024, it had all but shut down after investors’ exit. Kenya’s Lori Systems also saw its valuation shrink to $5 million from $120 million because it failed to deliver the technology-driven scale investors expected. Swiftway is focusing on consolidating its operations in Ghana before it considers scaling. The startup is doing this with the $100,000 pre-seed round it is currently raising.
2. Vendai wants to be the AI operating system for African retailers (AI, Kenya)
Vendai is an AI retail assistant designed for small shops, particularly FMCG retailers. Vendai uses LLMs to give shop owners real-time insights into sales patterns and inventory. Retailers can upload inventory using images, and get recommendations to run their shops more efficiently. The company has over 250 businesses in its beta testing phase, with plans to launch in December 2025. Vendai is currently raising a $10,000 pre-seed funding round and has partnered with distributors like Mahitaji Enterprises in Nairobi.
Why we’re watching: Unlike its competitors, Market Force and Twiga, Vendai wants to be a software-only platform. Co-founder Timothy Liede, explains that he has seen competitors struggle with thin profit margins and keeping unit costs down because they include logistics and other components. This is why Vendai wants to be asset-light and focus on software. Vendai is also working towards integrating offline functions into its platforms. This means that traders who do not have access to the internet can still access the features Vendai offers.
3. Tiny Fund wants to help beginners invest without knowing about copy trading (Fintech, Nigeria)
Tiny Fund connects everyday and beginner investors to vetted professional traders in stocks, crypto, forex, and other assets. To access it, users simply fund their wallets, pick a trader based on their risk appetite, and then the system reflects the trade on their dashboard. Tiny Fund has signed up 17 subscribers since the start of its pilot phase in August 2025. It earns $425 in recurring monthly revenue.
Why we’re watching: Copy trading opens up complex markets to retail investors who don’t have the time or knowledge to trade themselves. Tiny Fund is positioning itself as a platform for beginner investors. It claims to be less technical than its competitors, including OctaFX and AvaTrade.
4. Case Radar wants to make access to legal knowledge as easy as a Google search (LegalTech, Nigeria)
Instead of digging through court archives or flipping through large textbooks, Case Radar uses AI to simplify legal research. This platform gives Nigeria-specific legal answers and documents and connects people to legal professionals instantly. Launched in September 2024, the startup says it has over 2,000 active users. Users can access this platform for as low as ₦1,000 ($0.67) per hour. First-time users get three free trials with the AI model. Case Radar already works with legal-aid institutions that use its research tools to triage and prepare matters.
Why we’re watching: Knowledge of legal rights and access to legal aid are some bottlenecks in the legal sector in Nigeria. Case Radar fills that gap by simplifying access to information. While most ordinary Nigerians don’t know their rights, Case Radar’s long-term goal is to raise legal awareness across the country.
5. Paycita wants to be the all-in-one management tool for African businesses (SaaS, Nigeria)
Paycita is building a unified platform where businesses can manage payroll, inventory, vendor payments, expense tracking, and even buy airtime for staff members. Paycita allows SMEs and large businesses to onboard staff, view their attendance in real-time, manage appraisals, and give out loans without jumping through different apps. Subscription plans start as low as ₦7,500 ($49.93) per month, making it accessible to small teams.
Why we’re watching: In Nigeria, SMEs make up 96% of businesses, 84% of employment, and contribute 48% to national gross Domestic Product (GDP). Yet, over 50% fail in their first year due to factors including infrastructural deficits. Paycita is offering an integrated SaaS tool that is aiming to capture Africa’s SME digitisation wave.
6. Midupay allows businesses accept crypto and naira payments with ease (Fintech, Nigeria)
Midupay is a cross-border payments platform that lets businesses set up a free storefront to list their products, and share unique links with customers. Vendors can receive payments in both naira and cryptocurrencies (if products are listed in USD) through bank transfers or wallets like Binance. Beyond payments, Midupay provides businesses with dashboards to manage inventory, sales, customer interactions, and AI-powered insights for predicting sales and crafting marketing strategies. Launched in August 2025, Midupay has onboarded 18 businesses and charges a 1% fee per transaction.
Why we’re watching: The cryptocurrency market in Nigeria was estimated to reach $2.5 billion in 2025. With the recent legalisation of crypto, the opportunities in this market are growing faster. For SMEs who struggle to sell to international customers due to lack of access to a multi-currency wallet, Midupay places itself in that gap.
7. Timeless Healthcare wants to be Nigeria’s online hospital (Healthtech, Nigeria)
Launched in June 2025, Timeless Healthcare is positioning itself as a 24/7 online hospital that connects Nigerians to doctors through video and audio consultation. Users can upload test results, receive virtual prescriptions and pick up medication from partner pharmacies. The platform runs on a subscription basis, with plans starting from as low as ₦1,800 ($1.20) to access services. The startup has recorded 100 sign-ups with 50 paying subscribers.
Why we’re watching: Health accessibility and affordability remain some of Nigeria’s biggest problems. A 2022 study revealed that the ratio of doctors to the population in Nigeria was 1:8,836. Over 190 million Nigerians lack access to health insurance, leaving most people to pay out-of-pocket for care. By combining affordability with its package, Timeless Healthcare bets that its model can give everyday Nigerians consistent access to healthcare.
That’s all for today. Expect our next dispatch on September 26th. Know a startup we should feature next? Please nominate here.
Mark your calendars! Moonshot by is back in Lagos on October 15–16! Meet and learn from Africa’s top founders, creatives & tech leaders for 2 days of keynotes, mixers & future-forward ideas. Get your tickets now: moonshot..com
