Outlierz, a seed investment fund dedicated to providing smart capital to African startups, has launched in Morocco.
The Outlierz fund is backed by some of the world’s most respected angel investors and venture capitalists, including Michael Seibel of Y Combinator and Hassan Haider of 500 Startups, as well successful tech entrepreneurs such as Hicham Oudghiri, co-founder of Enigma.io.
The firm will invest time and money at pre-seed and seed stage, with ticket sizes ranging between US$50,000 and US$200,000. Outlierz aims to provide entrepreneurs with smart capital through its unique network, mindset and advice.
“We started from a simple yet striking conclusion: too many startups fail at the pre-seed and seed stages because of a lack of appropriate resources. We intend to change that by providing smart capital to the continent’s most promising companies,” said founder and managing director Kenza Lahlou.
“The target outcome will be a stronger pool of high potential startups that are ready for subsequent investment and, in the end, lead to success stories that are uniquely African.”
Outlierz considers pre-seed stage startups with an MVP or a prototype that demonstrate they can execute. Seed stage startups that are expanding and raising their next round of funding are also eligible. Before investing, Outlierz will run a qualification phase to work closely with entrepreneurs, provide them with advice and validate their ability to execute.
Applications are open for startups based anywhere in Africa.
