Saviu Ventures’ Early Bet on Lapaire Pays Off with a Major Exit

Saviu Ventures, a leading venture capital firm focused on Francophone Africa, has successfully exited its investment in Lapaire, a fast-growing pan-African eyewear company. The firm sold its 22% stake to Creadev, a private equity investment firm based in Paris, France and backed by France’s Mulliez family, known for owning the Auchan supermarket chain and other major brands.
This milestone marks the culmination of a six-year partnership that saw Lapaire grow from a small Kenyan startup into a dominant player in Africa’s optical industry with Saviu’s early bet on Lapaire proving to be a major catalyst for the growth.
The Early Bet That Changed Everything
Founded in 2018 by CEO Jérôme Lapaire, the company set out to solve a major healthcare challenge; 80% of visually impaired people in Africa do not receive proper care, according to the World Health Organization.
For many, the problem wasn’t just a lack of awareness—it was affordability, access, and the simple fact that no one had ever told them they could see the world more clearly.
Lapaire set out to tackle this issue by offering free eye tests and affordable, stylish eyeglasses starting at just USD 30, with flexible payment plans designed for low- and middle-income consumers, many of whom lack health insurance. According to its claims, 70% of Lapaire’s customers are first-time eyeglass wearers.
At a time when few investors were looking at Africa’s underserved eye care sector, Saviu Ventures saw an opportunity and played a pivotal role in expanding the company into Francophone West Africa, where demand for affordable vision care is immense.
In 2018, Saviu became Lapaire’s first institutional investor, backing the company at the pre-seed stage and later participating in follow-on funding rounds. The firm’s EUR 10 M (USD 10.4 M) Saviu I fund, launched in 2018, is sector-agnostic and invests from seed to Series A stages in African early-stage startups, with a strong focus on Francophone Africa.
Over the years, Saviu participated in multiple funding rounds—starting with an undisclosed pre-seed investment, followed by a USD 200 K seed round in late 2018, and another undisclosed round in 2019. But Saviu wasn’t just writing checks. They were hands-on, helping Lapaire expand into West Africa, refine its business model, and build a leadership team that could scale the company. One of their biggest moves was introducing Louis Gascoin as COO and co-founder, whose experience in Francophone Africa’s retail sector proved invaluable.
With Saviu’s backing, Lapaire went from a handful of branches in Kenya to nearly 90 optical branches across Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin, Togo, and Uganda, with a team of 400+ eye care professionals. The company has now served over 300,000 consumers and raised over USD 7 M in equity and debt from major investors like AfricInvest, Proparco, I&P, AAIC, and Beyond Capital.
A New Era with Creadev
Now, after six years of partnership, Saviu Ventures has passed the baton. Its 22% stake in Lapaire was acquired by Creadev, an investment firm backed by France’s Mulliez family. Creadev’s expertise in scaling consumer-focused businesses is expected to support Lapaire’s next phase of growth.
The partnership with Creadev signals a new phase—one where Lapaire can optimize its supply chain, reach new underserved markets, and bring life-changing vision care to even more people.
For Saviu, this isn’t just an exit—it’s proof that investing in impact-driven, scalable businesses in Africa pays off. The firm returned multiple times its investment and is now raising its second fund, Saviu II, which has already secured its first close of EUR 12 M (USD 12.5 M) toward a target of EUR 30-50 M (USD 31 – 52M) by 2025.
Despite the Lapaire exit, Saviu’s portfolio remains strong, including Workpay, Talent2Africa, Rubyx, Waspito, Paps, Julaya, Anka, Wallets.Africa, Kamtar, and others—further reinforcing its role as a key player in Africa’s venture capital landscape.