Entrepreneurship-driven investment
Building for the seventh generation.
One vehicle, a few long and concentrated bets — Africa’s next great companies, authored from the inside out.
The thesis
The world is being rewired by new technology, and the next decade will build a new generation of billion-dollar companies. With the youngest, fastest-growing population on earth, Africa is where many of them should be built. We exist to build them on purpose — deliberate, long-horizon bets on the industries that will define the future.
The model
Founded 2015
Alternative Circle was built as a holding company from day one — not a single-product startup that pivoted into a group. Central capital allocation, distributed execution: each venture is run by operators, while the capital, partnership architecture, and long-term thesis sit at the centre.
Ten years in, the portfolio has facilitated over six million loans, served tens of thousands of riders in the informal transport economy, and is building premium Kenyan agri-export brands for new markets. The thesis — that African ventures must own their operating layer to survive — has gone from contrarian to consensus.
7th-Generation principle
We weigh every decision against its impact seven generations forward. It’s why we take long-hold positions, build for durability over optionality, and back companies designed to leave the next generation better off.
Where we look
ACTS VentureLabs
Have an idea worth building? Bring it to the circle.
Submit your idea for review. The ones we believe in get more than a cheque — they get capital and operating partnership for the long haul.
Submit your idea →