Can Czechia Build a Startup Bridge to Africa?

For Czech startups looking to expand internationally, the usual destinations have long been European markets, the United States, and increasingly Asia. Africa, despite its growing technology ecosystems and business opportunities, has rarely featured prominently in their expansion strategies.

Yet countries such as South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, and Egypt have established themselves as important technology and investment hubs. According to the Partech Africa Tech VC Report 2025, these four markets accounted for 72% of the continent's total tech funding in 2025, with Kenya alone attracting $1.04B.

Czechia is now looking to strengthen its connections with these markets, building on decades of diplomatic and commercial relationships while exploring new opportunities for cooperation between startups, investors, and innovation ecosystems.

Speaking to The Recursive, Matěj Prokop, Director of Startup Acceleration at CzechInvest, discussed the country's efforts to build a stronger bridge between Czech and African entrepreneurs.

"For us, we believe that Africa is not just a market for Czech startups. We try to think about Africa more as an international innovation partner, and we believe that Czech entrepreneurs have as much to learn from African founders as African founders can gain from connecting with Europe and with Czechia."

A business relationship that predates the startup ecosystem

Czechia's interest in African markets is not new. Its economic and diplomatic relationships with countries across the continent date back to the Czechoslovak period, when cooperation developed in industries including engineering, agriculture, mining, and infrastructure.

Back in September 2022, the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs published its strategy, Engaging in Africa: Czechia's Strategy, outlining plans to deepen economic, political, and technological cooperation.

The document highlighted the growing commercial importance of African markets. According to the ministry's figures at the time, Czech exports to Africa had doubled over the preceding decade, reaching €2.2 billion (CZK 53B) in 2021.

The strategy also identified opportunities for Czech businesses in healthcare, agriculture, energy, water management, IT, cybersecurity, and industrial technologies.

The geographic priorities included South Africa, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, and Zambia, among other countries.

For Prokop, Czechia's historical relationships provide a foundation for a new phase of cooperation focused on entrepreneurship and innovation. He also believes the country's lack of a colonial history in Africa could be an advantage when developing partnerships.

"Czechia is a mid-scale country with no colonization history in Africa. In my point of view, it has much easier access there because there is not that bad time of history. And we can serve as a mediator for these exports in Europe."

However, the transition from established industrial and diplomatic cooperation to a functioning startup bridge is still at an early stage.

From diplomatic connections to startup partnerships

One of the more recent efforts to connect the ecosystems took place during Czech Startup Week in October 2026.

The event Scaling Up Europe, Africa and Beyond, held during Czech Startup Week, brought together Czech startups, investors, and ecosystem stakeholders with African entrepreneurs and innovation leaders. It was linked to the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Cool Czechia programme, which promotes international cooperation.

According to Prokop, the delegation included ten participants from countries including Ghana, Egypt, Senegal, Zambia, and Kenya, representing startup founders, engineers, journalists, and community leaders. The aim was to encourage knowledge exchange and establish longer-term business relationships between the two ecosystems.

"We try to connect our startups, our startup ecosystem, with these ecosystem builders from Africa and try to make them learn from each other."

Prokop explained that while Cool Czechia had existed for some time, its direct connection with CzechInvest's startup activities was a newer development.

Why Africa is entering the conversation for Czech startups

Africa's technology ecosystem is far from homogeneous. Its markets differ considerably in infrastructure, regulation, access to capital, and the maturity of their startup communities.

Nevertheless, several countries have established themselves as important technology and venture capital hubs. "I would say South Africa definitely, Egypt, Kenya or Nigeria, for example. Those are countries that are more abundant in tech funding. Other countries can be interesting, but for the beginning, I would say these countries may be the most interesting," explained Prokop.

He sees potential across multiple sectors rather than in one particular industry. Healthcare technology is one example, especially solutions supporting hospitals and medical services. HR technology and fintech are other areas where Czech companies could explore opportunities.

Yet Prokop argues against narrowing the discussion to a handful of established verticals. "I wouldn't focus only on fintech. I think the scale of the sectors that startups can succeed in there is much broader."

Czechia's central European location, industrial base, research capabilities, and access to the EU single market could make it an attractive destination for African companies looking to establish a European presence.

South Africa provides one example of this potential. Existing business relationships between the two countries are rooted in automotive manufacturing, mining, and industrial technology, while newer areas of cooperation include green energy, hydrogen technologies, and cybersecurity.

For South African companies, Czechia can offer a base for research, development, and access to European industrial supply chains. For Czech businesses, South Africa represents a possible entry point into a major African economy.

Still, these opportunities depend on companies identifying specific customers, partners, and commercially viable routes to market.

What Czech founders can learn from African entrepreneurs

Beyond market access, Prokop believes the exchange could influence how Czech founders approach entrepreneurship.

In his view, African startups frequently operate under constraints that require them to develop solutions with fewer resources, less developed infrastructure, or more challenging market conditions.

"In many cases, African founders have to build with fewer resources, less infrastructure, and really different market conditions. And this creates a tremendous ability to adapt, to innovate, and do more with less."

He argues that Czech entrepreneurs could benefit from exposure to these approaches, particularly when developing products for international markets.

The exchange, however, is not without practical questions. For companies considering expansion, access to qualified talent, local infrastructure, and regulatory expertise matters as much as entrepreneurial resilience.

Asked whether Czech companies could find the engineering talent needed to establish operations in African markets, Prokop pointed to the universities and technical expertise available in larger cities and more established ecosystems.

He acknowledged, however, that he did not have comparative data on engineering capabilities across African and Czech markets. His broader argument is that the relationship should move beyond the traditional perception of Africa primarily as a destination for development assistance.

"I think Europe has long viewed Africa as only a development region, but I think right now Africa is not that anymore."

This article is part of The Recursive's Czech Tech Growth Story, an editorial series exploring the founders, investors, companies, and trends shaping Czechia's technology ecosystem. Through independent reporting, the series highlights opportunities, challenges, and stories often underrepresented in English-language media.