Investment Firm TLcom Capital Deploys $2.5 Million to Boost Emerging African Businesses in their Early-stage Growth Cycle
TAPSI Invests in South African Travel Payment Platform TurnStay
TLcom Capital's TAPSI fund, a $5 million pre-seed vehicle launched in 2022, has made a significant stride with its recent investment in TurnStay, a travel payment platform based in South Africa. The investment marks a key milestone for TAPSI as it has now deployed 50% of its capital.
TAPSI, established by TLcom Capital, offers up to $200,000 in funding to pre-seed ventures across Africa. The fund provides early-stage African startups with access to TLcom’s global network, operational expertise, and over two decades of African venture investment experience.
The portfolio of TAPSI is pan-African and sector-agnostic, with investments in companies like Talstack (Nigeria, edtech/HR tech), Bright Financial (fintech in Sudan and Ethiopia), Tradehub (Egypt, B2B e-commerce), Agrails (Kenya, agtech), and TurnStay (South Africa, travel payment).
Importantly, TAPSI has also invested in three female-led ventures through a partnership with First Check Africa, demonstrating its commitment to supporting diverse founding teams and promoting female entrepreneurship on the continent.
TAPSI serves as an upstream feeder into TLcom’s larger $154 million TIDE Africa Fund II, creating a structured pipeline for companies to scale to bigger funding rounds. By the end of 2026, TLcom plans to close about 10 more pre-seed investments, focusing on Africa’s major innovation hubs and maintaining a focus on underserved markets and diverse teams.
TurnStay recently secured a $2 million seed round, and this investment from TAPSI will undoubtedly help the travel-related tech startup in its growth journey. The strategic fund acts as a vital stepping stone for promising startups, feeding into TLcom’s larger TIDE Africa Fund II for follow-on rounds.
In summary, TAPSI is actively building a diverse, early-stage portfolio with significant exposure to female-led startups, continuing TLcom Capital’s broader mission to empower African entrepreneurs from the formative stages of their ventures onward.
- TAPSI's recent investment in TurnStay demonstrates the fund's active role in investing in technology-focused startups, such as the travel payment platform, across Africa, as they have already deployed 50% of their capital.
- With TAPSI's investment in TurnStay, the travel-related tech startup will likely benefit from not only the funds but also the connections and extensive African venture investment experience provided by TLcom Capital, aiming to support diverse founding teams and promote female entrepreneurship on the continent.
