We catalyze early stage investments to unlock innovation in Congo’s nascent startup ecosystem

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Congo River Capital is a venture building firm bridging the gap between entrepreneurs and funders in Africa's most resource-rich country, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Our mission is to address DRC's critical needs of food security, financial inclusion, and healthcare accessibility through strategic early investments that create enduring and sustainable impact.
We are transforming fundamental societal challenges into venture-ready startups through robust leadership and a standardized path from ideation to launch.
01
Agritech
Bring food security to 27 million Congolese who suffer from food insecurity
03
HEALTHTECH
Triple the ratio of physicians per 1000 inhabitants from 0.36/1000 to 1/1000
02
Fintech
Facilitate the flow of money for the 90.4% of the population who are unbanked
03
HEALTHTECH
Triple the ratio of physicians per 1000 inhabitants from 0.36/1000 to 1/1000
Social capital
Connect founders and startups to relevant stakeholders
Technical capital
Provide teams with the human capital needed to develop their ideas
Financial capital
Unlock access to the funding necessary for growth
Market intel
Highlight opportunities and map out the ecosystem with real-time data
Deepay is a digital payment company enabling users and merchants to settle transactions by leveraging mobile money wallets.
MedSync leverages AI to revolutionize healthcare across Africa with secure, intuitive electronic health record systems tailored to diverse care settings.
Colette Bishogo
Partner
Colette is an impact investor with experience in the humanitarian and investment banking sectors. She recently spent two years working for GiveDirectly in rural DR Congo delivering cash payments through mobile money to vulnerable people. Previously, she worked on the Bloomberg 2020 presidential campaign. Colette began her career at Citigroup. She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and received her bachelor degree from Harvard College.
Milain Fayulu
Partner
Milain is an entrepreneur with venture building experience in proptech and consumer products. His latest venture, Congo Clothing Company, supports job-skills training for women in DR Congo. He is a strategy fellow of the Harambean Entrepreneur Alliance and a Legatum Fellow. Milain holds a BA in economics from the University of Miami and an MS in Political Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). His graduate research focused on networks and venture capital flows in Africa.
Serges Saidi
Partner
Serges is a software engineer with experience expanding high-tech and its benefits to parts of the world that have been left behind current technology dynamics. He Co-founded GESI Technologies, a scientific research group to teach local students in Goma, DR Congo, practical engineering skills and to create innovative solutions to local engineering problems. He currently works at Blackrock where he is an investment systems engineer. Serge holds a BA in computer science from Harvard College.
Charles Kabwende
Head of Platforms
Charles is a technology entrepreneur and a cybersecurity architect. He founded the Africa Tech Invest Conference, an annual event for tech enthusiasts. Charles holds a B.Eng. in Electronics and Information from Beihang University and an M.Eng. in Business Informatics from Riga Technical University. His graduate research focused on the security requirements for applying blockchain technology for mineral traceability in the Congolese mining industry.
Ed-Martin Fayulu
Head of Partnerships
Ed-Martin is a serial entrepreneur with a diverse portfolio that spans hospitality, agriculture, and fast-moving consumer goods. He leads a dynamic team of 30 employees operating across the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ed-Martin studied Economics at La Sorbonne University in Paris.
Colette Bishogo
Colette is an impact investor with experience in the humanitarian and investment banking sectors. She recently spent two years working for GiveDirectly in rural DR Congo delivering cash payments through mobile money to vulnerable people. Previously, she worked on the Bloomberg 2020 presidential campaign. Colette began her career at Citigroup. She is a current MBA student at Harvard Business School and received her bachelor degree from Harvard College.
Milain Fayulu
Milain is an entrepreneur with venture building experience in proptech and consumer products. His latest venture, Congo Clothing Company, supports job-skills training for women in DR Congo. He is a strategy fellow of the Harambean Entrepreneur Alliance and a Legatum Fellow. Milain holds a BA in economics from the University of Miami and an MS in Political Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). His graduate research focused on networks and venture capital flows in Africa.
Serges Saidi
Serges is a software engineer with experience expanding high-tech and its benefits to parts of the world that have been left behind current technology dynamics. He Co-founded GESI Technologies, a scientific research group to teach local students in Goma, DR Congo, practical engineering skills and to create innovative solutions to local engineering problems. He currently works at Blackrock where he is an investment systems engineer. Serge holds a BA in computer science from Harvard College.
Charles Kabwende
Charles is a technology entrepreneur and a cybersecurity architect. He founded the Africa Tech Invest Conference, an annual event for tech enthusiasts. Charles holds a B.Eng. in Electronics and Information from Beihang University and an M.Eng. in Business Informatics from Riga Technical University. His graduate research focused on the security requirements for applying blockchain technology for mineral traceability in the Congolese mining industry.
Ed-Martin Fayulu
Ed-Martin is a serial entrepreneur with a diverse portfolio that spans hospitality, agriculture, and fast-moving consumer goods. He leads a dynamic team of 30 employees operating across the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ed-Martin studied Economics at La Sorbonne University in Paris.
Startups
If you’re building something in the fintech, agtech or healthtech space, or interested in addressing a critical challenge and need support, we’d love to chat.
Get In Touch
Funders
If you are interested in driving impact and meaningful change in one of the world’s most consequential country for the 21st century, let's team up.
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