Senegal Launches USD 50 M Catalyst DER/FJ Fund For Pre-Seed & Seed Startups

Senegal’s Rapid Entrepreneurship Delegation for Women and Youth (DER/FJ) has launched the Catalyst DER/FJ Fund, a USD 50 M investment vehicle to finance Senegalese startups at the pre-seed and seed stages.

The fund was announced by Aida Mbodji, DER/FJ’s General Delegate, during VivaTech 2026 in Paris. Based in Dakar, Senegal, DER/FJ is a government agency established in 2018 to promote entrepreneurship and improve access to finance for women and young entrepreneurs.

The fund aims to address the severe shortage of early-stage capital in Africa, where seed funding accounts for just 1.5% of startup investment. By using public capital to attract private investors, Senegal hopes to strengthen its startup ecosystem and improve the competitiveness of local innovators.