Venture capital firm TLcom Capital, with offices in Nairobi, Lagos, and London, has reached a significant investment milestone. The firm has deployed 50% of its $5 million pre-seed fund, TAPSI (TIDE Africa Pre-Seed Investments), as of mid-August 2025.
Recent Investment Puts TAPSI at Halfway Mark
The firm achieved this halfway point with its latest investment in TurnStay, a South African travel-payment platform that recently closed a $2 million seed round.
About TAPSI (TIDE Africa Pre-Seed Investments)
- Launch & Purpose: Initiated in 2022, TAPSI is TLcom’s dedicated pre-seed vehicle, providing early-stage African startups with up to $200,000 in funding. In addition to capital, it offers access to TLcom’s global network and operational expertise. The fund is designed to act as an “upstream feeder” to TLcom’s larger early-stage vehicle, TIDE Africa Fund II ($154M).
- Strategic Role: TAPSI enables TLcom to identify promising startups early and validate their business models. This could help them secure follow-on funding from TIDE II.
TAPSI’s Portfolio & Impact
Alongside TurnStay, TAPSI has seeded several other promising ventures across the continent:
- Talstack — Nigeria (edtech/HR-tech)
- Bright Financial — Sudan and Ethiopia
- Tradehub — Egypt
- Agrails — Kenya
- Three female-founded startups through a partnership with FirstCheck Africa
Notably, Talstack progressed from TAPSI’s pre-seed support to a seed round funded by TIDE II in 2024.
Forward Vision
TLcom plans to remain active in pre-seed investing, targeting up to ten additional pre-seed deals by the end of 2026. The firm maintains a strong commitment to diversity and aims to spread its investments across a range of founding teams and African innovation hubs.
Strategic Context and Risks
TLcom’s early-stage focus comes at a time when parts of its portfolio face headwinds, including the shutdown of Okra and operational difficulties at Kobo360 and Vendease. These challenges reflect the volatility of the African tech ecosystem.
TAPSI acts as a strategic buffer, enabling TLcom to back companies early, secure favorable entry points, and build deep, long-term relationships that help identify high-potential winners in a challenging environment
Conclusion
Reaching the 50% deployment mark is a pivotal moment for TLcom Capital as it cements its position as a multi-stage investor in Africa. Through TAPSI, TLcom is creating a pipeline that moves promising ideas from conception to scale, strengthening the continent’s tech ecosystem and setting the stage for the next wave of African success stories.
