Ian Lessem built HAVAÍC around the idea that founders should stay in control of their companies, keeping the fund's stake under 24.9% and starting the firm with his own and his partners' money before growing a network of more than 100 co-investors. His decade in investment banking across Africa, Europe, and the Middle East shaped how he judges which African companies can succeed abroad, and he's known for steering founders away from strategies copied from other markets that don't fit local business realities.
About their Fund
Sectors
Fintech, SaaS, Health, Data, Marketplaces
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Notable Investments
HAVAÍC focuses on post-revenue African startups, offering corporate advisory, capital-raising support, and non-dilutive mezzanine funding alongside hands-on help like leading cross-border funding rounds, moving IP offshore, and brokering deals that extend a company's runway. The firm typically takes 10%-20% stakes while leaving founders in control, has chosen to hold onto investments it believed still had more upside rather than selling early, and has backed high-profile exits such as RapidDeploy's sale to Motorola Solutions and hearX's merger with Eargo, supported by an LP base that includes traditional institutional investors like Sanlam.
Notable Fund
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Popular Investors
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Deeptech / Hardware
Robotics
Biotech
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12
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Unknown
Pre-Seed - Seed
Unknown
$400K - $2M
Unknown
Defense
Deeptech / Hardware
Energy
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7
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Unknown
Pre-Seed - Series A
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$100K - $5M
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Defense
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7
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Unknown
Pre-Seed - Series A
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$100K - $5M
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Biotech
Health
Deeptech / Hardware
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2
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Unknown
Pre-Seed - Seed
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$250K - $2M
Unknown
Climate
Deeptech / Hardware
Materials
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4
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Unknown
Pre-Seed - Seed
Unknown
$400K - $1.5M
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Deeptech / Hardware
Robotics
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7
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Unknown
Pre-Seed - Seed
Unknown
$400K - $2M
Unknown
Deeptech / Hardware
Robotics
Biotech
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2
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Unknown
Pre-Seed - Seed
Unknown
~$750K
Unknown
Fintech
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2
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Unknown
Pre-Seed - Series A
Unknown
$250K-$1M
Unknown
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