StartupBlink

1953 Top startups in Western Africa for July 2026

We rank PalmPay, WAVE and Moove in Western Africa along with 1950 other startups based on an algorithm that scores startups based on total investment, employee count, and quarterly website traffic. The leading startup ecosystem in Western Africa is Nigeria accounting for 1% of all startups in the region.

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Accelerators

Top Unicorn Startups in Western Africa for 2026

Four startups have achieved unicorn status by exceeding USD 1 billion in valuation. Collectively, the top three unicorns in Western Africa have raised more than USD 6.7B.
1st
OPay logo
OPaySB Score: 679

OPay offers a mobile payment service and consumer platform that enables users to send and receive money, pay bills, and order food and groceries. By providing smart financial services, OPay empowers users to manage their finances more effectively and accomplish more with their money.

View Full Page
Website
opayweb.com
Employee range
5,001 – 10,000
Web Traffic (Monthly)
Funding amount
$570M
National Rank(Nigeria)
Regional Rank(Western Africa)
Global Rank(Worldwide)
2nd
Moniepoint logo
MoniepointSB Score: 653

Moniepoint is a financial technology company that provides digital financial services for businesses. The company's services include payment solutions, banking services, credit provision, and business management tools that assist in financial transactions and operations.

View Full Page
Website
moniepoint.com
Employee range
1,001 – 5,000
Web Traffic (Monthly)
Funding amount
$318.1M
National Rank(Nigeria)
Regional Rank(Western Africa)
Global Rank(Worldwide)
3rd
Flutterwave logo
FlutterwaveSB Score: 598

Flutterwave provides a payment infrastructure for merchants and payment service providers. They offer an online marketplace for businesses to list their products and services for sale. They provide payment tools, including a smart payment ordering system for businesses to accept payments.

View Full Page
Website
www.flutterwave.com
Employee range
251 – 500
Web Traffic (Monthly)
Funding amount
$474.4M
National Rank(Nigeria)
Regional Rank(Western Africa)
Global Rank(Worldwide)

Total amount:4

Best Startups in Western Africa for 2026

1st
PalmPay logo
PalmPaySB Score: 635

PalmPay is a fintech company that offers digital payment services for consumers and merchants.

View Full Page
Website
www.palmpay.com
Employee range
1,001 – 5,000
Web Traffic (Monthly)
Funding amount
$140M
National Rank(Nigeria)
Regional Rank(Western Africa)
Global Rank(Worldwide)
2nd
WAVE logo
WAVESB Score: 600

Wave mission is to make Africa the first cashless continent in the world On a continent where more than half of the population does not have a bank account, Wave offers the first network of financial services without account management fees, available instantly and everywhere! Wave is the first Francophone Africa Unicorn.

View Full Page
Website
www.wave.com/fr
Employee range
1,001 – 5,000
Web Traffic (Monthly)
Funding amount
$210M
National Rank(Senegal)
Regional Rank(Western Africa)
Global Rank(Worldwide)
3rd
Moove logo
MooveSB Score: 527

Moove is a mobility fintech that provides revenue-based vehicle financing to mobility entrepreneurs, democratizing vehicle ownership across Africa. The company embeds its alternative credit-scoring technology onto ride-hailing, logistics, and last-mile/instant delivery platforms, which allows access to proprietary performance and revenue analytics of mobility entrepreneurs to underwrite loans.

View Full Page
Website
moove.io
Employee range
1,001 – 5,000
Web Traffic (Monthly)
Funding amount
$193.2M
National Rank(Nigeria)
Regional Rank(Western Africa)
Global Rank(Worldwide)
4th
Phoenix logo
PhoenixSB Score: 523

Phoenix uses tabs to allow you to browse securely and hide your activities from others without leaving a digital trail.

View Full Page
Website
phoenix-browser.com
Employee range
11 – 50
Web Traffic (Monthly)
Funding amount
$100M
National Rank(Nigeria)
Regional Rank(Western Africa)
Global Rank(Worldwide)
5th
RelianceHMO logo
RelianceHMOSB Score: 484

Reliance Health uses technology to make quality healthcare more affordable and accessible in emerging markets. Using an integrated approach that includes affordable health insurance, telemedicine, and a combination of partner and proprietary healthcare facilities.

View Full Page
Website
www.reliancehmo.com
Employee range
251 – 500
Web Traffic (Monthly)
Funding amount
$48.3M
National Rank(Nigeria)
Regional Rank(Western Africa)
Global Rank(Worldwide)
7th
Spironet logo
SpironetSB Score: 477

SpiroNet is an electric motorcycle and scooter company that is revolutionizing the two-wheelers sector in Africa. They offer custom-made ebike solutions that support the specific needs of each country, and they are committed to making better choices than conventional mobility and encouraging mass adoption of electric vehicles.

View Full Page
Website
spironet.com
Employee range
501 – 1,000
Web Traffic (Monthly)
Funding amount
$120M
National Rank(Benin)
Regional Rank(Western Africa)
Global Rank(Worldwide)
8th
Chowdeck logo
ChowdeckSB Score: 473

Chowdeck is a food delivery service and marketplace to buy meals from a wide range of restaurants. The company provides a platform that combines logistics, payments, inventory management, and real-time performance tools that allow businesses to develop a better delivery experience for their customers.

View Full Page
Website
chowdeck.com
Employee range
101 – 250
Web Traffic (Monthly)
Funding amount
$18.4M
National Rank(Nigeria)
Regional Rank(Western Africa)
Global Rank(Worldwide)
9th
mPharma logo
mPharmaSB Score: 472

mPharma offers solutions to health insurance and pharmaceutical companies to make it easier for patients to afford their medications. It aims to increase patient access to high-quality medications. mPharma partners with drug manufacturers, insurance companies, financial institutions, and governments to deliver prescription drugs directly to consumers in emerging markets. They provide doctors, patients, and pharmacists access to a network of high-quality chronic disease medicine at sustainable prices. The company was founded by Gregory Rockson (CEO), Daniel Shoukimas (CPO), and James Finucane (CTO) in 2013.

View Full Page
Website
www.mpharma.com
Employee range
1,001 – 5,000
Web Traffic (Monthly)
Funding amount
$98.6M
National Rank(Ghana)
Regional Rank(Western Africa)
Global Rank(Worldwide)
10th
Autochek logo
AutochekSB Score: 469

Autochek is an automotive technology company that aims to build digital solutions.

View Full Page
Website
autochek.africa
Employee range
251 – 500
Web Traffic (Monthly)
Funding amount
$16.5M
National Rank(Nigeria)
Regional Rank(Western Africa)
Global Rank(Worldwide)
11th
Mono logo
MonoSB Score: 459

Empowering customers in Africa to easily access their data, this startup provides a seamless and secure platform for managing personal information. With a user-friendly interface, it ensures data privacy and convenience for all users.

View Full Page
Website
mono.co
Employee range
11 – 50
Web Traffic (Monthly)
Funding amount
$30.6M
National Rank(Nigeria)
Regional Rank(Western Africa)
Global Rank(Worldwide)

Total amount:962

Most Funded Startups in Western Africa for 2026

The top three most funded startups in Western Africa have raised total funding of more than USD 597M. WAVE has 0.08% more funding than Cashbuddy.
1st
WAVE logo
WAVESB Score: 600

Wave mission is to make Africa the first cashless continent in the world On a continent where more than half of the population does not have a bank account, Wave offers the first network of financial services without account management fees, available instantly and everywhere! Wave is the first Francophone Africa Unicorn.

View Full Page
Website
www.wave.com/fr
Employee range
1,001 – 5,000
Web Traffic (Monthly)
Funding amount
$210M
National Rank(Senegal)
Regional Rank(Western Africa)
Global Rank(Worldwide)
2nd
Cashbuddy logo
CashbuddySB Score: 389

Cashbuddy revolutionizes payment processes for African businesses and individuals, making it easy to send and receive local and international payments. With a focus on revenue assurance, fraud prevention, and customer retention, Cashbuddy simplifies offline payment collection to drive business success.

View Full Page
Website
mycashbuddy.com
Employee range
501 – 1,000
Web Traffic (Monthly)
Funding amount
$193.6M
National Rank(Nigeria)
Regional Rank(Western Africa)
Global Rank(Worldwide)
3rd
Moove logo
MooveSB Score: 527

Moove is a mobility fintech that provides revenue-based vehicle financing to mobility entrepreneurs, democratizing vehicle ownership across Africa. The company embeds its alternative credit-scoring technology onto ride-hailing, logistics, and last-mile/instant delivery platforms, which allows access to proprietary performance and revenue analytics of mobility entrepreneurs to underwrite loans.

View Full Page
Website
moove.io
Employee range
1,001 – 5,000
Web Traffic (Monthly)
Funding amount
$193.2M
National Rank(Nigeria)
Regional Rank(Western Africa)
Global Rank(Worldwide)

Total amount:962

Top Hiring Startups in Western Africa by Employee Number

The top three hiring startups in Western Africa have an median employee size that is between [5001-10000]
1st
Smartcash Payment Service Bank logo

Smartcash PSB is a Payment Service Bank that offers digital financial solutions. The company provides a platform for instant money transfers to any mobile number or bank account. It also allows users to recharge or buy data for themselves and others. Smartcash PSB is a subsidiary of Airtel Africa PLC and operates in the financial services industry. The company also offers support services through phone and email for customer inquiries and fraud reports.

View Full Page
Website
smartcashpsb.ng
Employee range
10,001+
Web Traffic (Monthly)
Funding amount
National Rank(Nigeria)
Regional Rank(Western Africa)
Global Rank(Worldwide)
3rd
Intelics Solutions logo
Intelics SolutionsSB Score: 166

Intelics Solutions is Africa’s largest Information Technology Enabled Services company, a Joint venture between Writer Business Services Private Limited, Asia’s largest & amongst top 7 worldwide Information Management Service provider & IAL Nigeria Limited, Nigeria’s oldest & largest Move Management Company. Through their services they offer business value to their customers by combining operational excellence with deep domain expertise across the entire spectrum of vertical, including Banking & Financial Services, Insurance & Healthcare, Manufacturing & Pharmaceuticals, Retail and Shipping & Utilities. Their Business Process Service offerings helps organizations move faster – by simultaneously being more innovative & efficient. By leveraging their synergies across business processes, technology & consulting services they are able to ensure & deliver customer-centric environments.

View Full Page
Website
www.intelics.com
Employee range
5,001 – 10,000
Web Traffic (Monthly)
Funding amount
National Rank(Nigeria)
Regional Rank(Western Africa)
Global Rank(Worldwide)
4th
PalmPay logo
PalmPaySB Score: 635

PalmPay is a fintech company that offers digital payment services for consumers and merchants.

View Full Page
Website
www.palmpay.com
Employee range
1,001 – 5,000
Web Traffic (Monthly)
Funding amount
$140M
National Rank(Nigeria)
Regional Rank(Western Africa)
Global Rank(Worldwide)

Total amount:1953

Explore More Top Startups

Best Countries for Startups

StartupBlink ranks the startup ecosystems of more than 100 countries and 1,000 cities. Download our latest Global Startup Ecosystem Report.
Global RankCountryTotal ScoreAnnual Growth

Access subscores for 1000 cities and 100 countries

Quantity Score
Quality ScoreBusiness Score
1st
0
United States
314.096
0.0%
00.00
00.00
00.00
2nd
0
United Kingdom
80.114
0.0%
00.00
00.00
00.00
3rd
0
Israel
71.462
0.0%
00.00
00.00
00.00
4th
0
Singapore
68.043
0.0%
00.00
00.00
00.00
5th
0
Canada
49.534
0.0%
00.00
00.00
00.00
6th
0
Sweden
40.781
0.0%
00.00
00.00
00.00
7th
0
Germany
37.644
0.0%
00.00
00.00
00.00
8th
+
1
Switzerland
36.108
0.0%
00.00
00.00
00.00
9th
+
3
Australia
35.438
0.0%
00.00
00.00
00.00
10th
0
The Netherlands
34.514
0.0%
00.00
00.00
00.00
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