Tunisia-based VC firm 216 Capital Ventures has raised $9.6 million in the first tranche of its 216 Capital Fund, of which $6.4 million was secured from Smart Capital’s ANAVA fund of funds.
The fund will target investments in local early-stage startups in Tunisia with an average ticket size of $107,000.
216 Capital Fund I, whose first close is for 9 million Euros, is a generalist fund that aspires to invest primarily in pre-seed and seed-stage startups with average ticket sizes of 100,000 Euros. The fund will invest in around 50 Tunisian startups as well as foreign startups that employ more than half of their personnel in Tunisia.
“This initial investment marks the introduction of the ANAVA fund of funds into its investment phase, following just over a year of its debut,” said Alaya Bettaeb, Managing Director of Smart Capital. “The fund of funds intends to invest in at least 13 investment funds dedicated to financing at least 350 companies at various stages of development during the next five years (seed, growth, and international expansion).”
“We are very thrilled to be the first of 13 underlying funds that will undoubtedly enrich the investment ecosystem in Tunisia,” said Dhekra Khelifi, Partner at 216 Capital Ventures. “We are also conscious of the purpose we have set for ourselves: to assist innovative firms in the early stages of their development and to be more than just a financing vehicle, but a partner in their success. We are confident, and we have already begun our entry investment phase with two commitments in two businesses in order to send a strong and comforting signal to Tunisian founders and, more importantly, to reposition Tunisia on the radar of international players.”
