Saviu Ventures, a Francophone Africa-focused venture capital firm, has completed another significant exit by selling the majority of its shares in the Ivorian digital logistics platform Kamtar to Logidoo, a pan-African logistics giant.
The deal is Saviu’s second big portfolio exit of the year and continues the company’s trend of profitable returns. In January, it sold its entire interest in the eyewear business Lapaire to the international investment firm Creadev.
These back-to-back sales highlight how Saviu’s portfolio is maturing as the company simultaneously uses funds from its second fund, which closed recently.
About Kamtar
Kamtar was established in Côte d’Ivoire in 2018 and has since developed a successful digital platform that effectively links industrial businesses with a strong network of independent truck drivers, greatly enhancing freight transport operations.
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The startup has served more than 40 corporate clients during its existence, generating a total revenue of more than €17 million.
The acquisition of Kamtar is essential for Logidoo, the acquiring company, to consolidate key trade corridors.
Regarding the acquisition, Logidoo’s founder and CEO, Tamsir Ousmane Traoré, said: “Integrating Kamtar allows us to consolidate strategic trade corridors from Morocco to Abidjan and offer our clients reliable, competitive, and efficient road transport solutions.”
Saviu Ventures Managing Partner Benoît Delestre highlighted Kamtar’s technological influence, stating, “Kamtar is a prime example of how African entrepreneurs are addressing complex logistics challenges through technology. We are pleased to see Kamtar enter a new phase of growth alongside Logidoo.”
Exit of Saviu from Lapaire
Saviu successfully exited Lapaire, a pan-African eyewear company first backed in 2018, just nine months before the Kamtar sale. The 22 per cent stakeholder Saviu claimed to have received a “several times” return from its original investment.
Lapaire grew rapidly under Saviu’s direction, going from having just three locations in Kenya to almost 90 in six countries. Notably, the company’s primary revenue source was Francophone West Africa.
The company has over 400 employees and has conducted over 500,000 eye exams. Creadev’s acquisition is intended to support Lapaire’s next stage of growth. Creadev is the investment arm of the Auchan family, which owns the retail behemoth.
As Saviu deploys capital from its second vehicle, Saviu II, these consecutively successful exits give it a lot of momentum. With the support of prominent institutional investors such as the Dutch Good Growth Fund (DGGF), Proparco, and AXIAN Investment, the firm announced the fund’s second close in February at €25 million.
Saviu II aims for a final close between €30 million and €50 million. The company will maintain its primary approach of investing between €500,000 and €3 million in tech-enabled and early-stage (Seed to Series A) businesses throughout the region.
Saviu’s investment in expanding startups
The fund has already invested in several rapidly expanding startups, such as Julaya (Ivory Coast), a B2B neobank for businesses; Waspito, a platform for digital health in Cameroon; Rubyx (Senegal), a fintech platform that offers lending as a service; and Workpay (Kenya), a SaaS platform for payroll and human resources.
The tech scene in Africa frequently celebrates large fundraising rounds, but exits like Saviu’s are a far more critical sign of a robust and developing ecosystem. Exits give founders and early investors liquidity, confirm the market for international buyers, and produce profits that can be reinvested in new businesses.
Saviu’s ability to secure two strategic exits in a single year demonstrates a clear and tested route from investment to return in Francophone Africa. Compared to Anglophone countries like Nigeria and Kenya, this region has historically drawn less venture capital. Attracting more institutional capital to the continent and confirming the long-term sustainability of its tech startups depend heavily on this track record.