• Zazu raised $1 million in pre-seed funding to enter South Africa and Morocco ahead of a 2026 Africa-wide rollout.

• Over 1,000 SMEs are on the waiting list to access the full version of the platform, with 50 already testing the beta.

• The founders, former Solarisbank executives, aim to build an operating system for African SMEs.

Zazu raised $1 million in pre-seed funding to accelerate its expansion into South Africa and Morocco, according to media reports obtained by Ecofin Agency on Monday, December 1, 2025.

The raise prepares a broader Africa rollout starting in 2026. The fintech chose South Africa and Morocco as initial markets because of the weight of their small and medium-sized enterprises, the growth of their entrepreneurial ecosystems and the presence of structured fintech infrastructure.

South Africa gives the company direct access to markets in Southern Africa. Morocco opens pathways to North and West African markets. Zazu plans to launch a seed round in early 2026 to strengthen its footprint, expand into additional African countries and introduce new financial products tailored to entrepreneurs.

Rinse Jacobs and Germain Bahri, two former Solarisbank executives, founded Zazu in 2024. The company positions itself as an operating system for SMEs by offering accounts, cards and transfers on a single platform. The system relies on integrations that allow direct links with business tools such as accounting software, tax management, payroll solutions and cap-table management. Zazu aims eventually to integrate e-commerce tools, HR software and customer-relationship systems.

More than 50 SMEs already use the solution in beta, while over 1,000 companies remain on the waiting list. Zazu said it wants to serve the “missing middle”—companies that lack access to financial services adapted to their size and structure. African and European investors funded the round, including Plug and Play Ventures along with several business angels and fintech founders. The company said this first raise forms the base of its expansion ahead of the planned 2026 seed round.

Chamberline Moko