Cascador, an Africa-focused platform for growth-stage founders building businesses with social impact, has deployed over US$5 million into seven innovative startups at its second annual pitch day.
Disrupt Africa reported last March that Cascador had announced the launch of its Catalytic Fund, a US$2 million annual initiative providing tailored financial support to Cascador alumni companies. Since its founding in 2019, Cascador has supported over 60 entrepreneurs who have collectively raised more than US$55 million in capital. The company hosted its second annual on June 3, where over US$5 million of growth capital was deployed to seven innovative African entrepreneurs, who pitched their vision and growth strategies before an influential audience of business leaders and a distinguished panel of judges.
The funding recipients included Agriarche, which secured US$1.7 million in debt funding; Koolboks, which banked US$1.4 million in debt; Powerstove, which secured debt funding worth US$1.2 million; and First Electric, which raised US$357,000 in debt.
The other funded ventures were Fortics, which raised US$142,000 in debt; Stears, which banked US$450,000 in equity funding; and Indigenius AI, which raised US$250,000 in equity investment.“In just two years, Pitch Day has awarded more than US$9 million to growth-stage African founders, helping to build a new generation of entrepreneurs equipped to scale transformative businesses. We’re now looking for the next cohort of exceptional founders to join our 2026 ScaleUp programme and hope to see them on stage at the next Pitch Day,” said Dave DeLucia, founder of Cascador.
“Cascador’s ScaleUp programme built upon my team’s ability to translate learning into action by helping us refine our message and market position, adjust our funding strategy, and adapt without defensiveness. The Catalytic Fund due diligence team assessed Agriarche’s financial strength, resourcefulness, and track record of success, and they rewarded our high-potential for scale and impact today by awarding a new NGN2.5 billion credit facility to power our growth,” said Deina Mayaki of Agriarche, the largest funding recipient from the 2026 Catalytic Fund.