Ventures Platform
About Ventures Platform
Ventures Platform Fund is a prominent early-stage venture capital firm based in Abuja, Nigeria, with a strong presence in Lagos. Founded in 2016, the firm focuses on investing in mission-driven African technology entrepreneurs who are creating capital-efficient platforms. Their investment strategy is guided by the principle of addressing non-consumption problems, aiming to improve access to essential products and services for underserved populations across Africa.
The firm has invested in over 90 technology companies across seven African countries, with a commitment to democratizing prosperit
Kola Aina founded Ventures Platform in 2016 and is listed as founding partner. Before formalizing his investing through the firm, he had been an angel investor in Nigerian tech. Dotun Olowoporoku is listed as a general partner. The firm's first institutional fund, Fund I, was reported at $46 million and closed in 2022. Fund II was reported at $84 million, with some outlets reporting $83 million. It opened with a $64 million first close in November 2025 against a $75 million target. Reported backers include IFC, British International Investment, Standard Bank, and Nigeria's iDICE program, which was the first direct Nigerian government investment in a VC fund.
Fund II's stated sectors include AI alongside fintech, healthtech, agritech and edtech. Kola Aina has said the firm wants AI that materially lowers operating costs, eases labour shortages, or makes services workable at scale in African markets, not AI added as a feature to an existing product. Ventures Platform is one of the African VC firms in Google's Africa Applied AI Lab, which gives selected founders access to Google DeepMind models, Google Research mentorship and Google Cloud credits. Public reporting did not name specific AI portfolio companies at the time of research.
Fund I focused on pre-seed and seed rounds with an average check of about $50,000, according to a 2021 TechCrunch report. Fund II extends into Series A, where the firm can invest more than $1 million in a company including follow-on rounds. Reported Fund II check sizes go up to $3 million across early-stage fintech, healthcare, SaaS and AI-enabled startups. Investors in the portfolio have also included Kenya, South Africa and Egypt alongside Nigeria.
- techpoint.africa/news/ventures-platform-venture-capital
- ecofinagency.com/news-finances/0711-50246-nigerian-vc-firm-ventures-pl
- dabafinance.com/en/news/ventures-platform-second-fund-64m-raise
- dabafinance.com/en/news/ventures-platform-closes-84-million-fund-for-a
- techcabal.com/2025/11/06/ventures-platform-64m-fund-nigeria-government
- techcrunch.com/2021/12/16/ventures-platform-announces-first-close-of-i
- venturesplatform.com/stories/ai-wont-just-change-african-businesses-it
- investorsking.com/2026/08/26/nigerias-ventures-platform-raises-84-mill
Investing activity
Ventures Platform is listed on Lounge as a venture capital investor based in USA. The deals desk records Series A and later AI rounds and seeds over $10M, so smaller checks may not show here yet.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Ventures Platform
Does Ventures Platform invest in AI startups?
Yes. Its second fund names AI among its target sectors, and the firm says it prefers AI that lowers costs or enables business models that are hard to scale otherwise. Public reports did not name specific AI portfolio companies.
How much does Ventures Platform invest in a startup?
Fund I averaged about $50,000 per deal at pre-seed and seed. Reports on Fund II put check sizes at up to $3 million for early-stage companies.
Where is Ventures Platform based and when was it founded?
The firm is headquartered in Abuja, Nigeria, and was founded in 2016 by Kola Aina. It invests across Africa.
How big is Ventures Platform's current fund?
Fund II was reported at $84 million after a $64 million first close in November 2025. Some outlets report $83 million, so figures should be checked against the firm's own announcements.
Does Ventures Platform invest outside Nigeria?
Yes. Fund II is pan-African, and reports say it has invested in Kenya, South Africa and Egypt in addition to Nigeria.
Where is Ventures Platform based?
Ventures Platform is based in USA.
How can founders reach Ventures Platform?
Founders on Lounge can see Ventures Platform's contact details in AI Investor Contacts (paid plans), check for a warm introduction through members who worked with the firm under Warm Paths, and add Ventures Platform to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.