COREangels MEA, operated under PTS Holdings, has been named as “Best Angel Network in Africa” at the AESIS 2025 Awards, hosted during the ABAN Congress — Africa’s most influential gathering of investors, innovators, and ecosystem leaders.
This milestone recognizes COREangels MEA’s exceptional role in building a safe, transparent, and effective bridge between Africa’s promising startups and global investors, enabling founders and unlocking new pathways for sustainable growth across the continent.
COREangels MEA is a $10 million pre-seed fund dedicated to supporting early-stage innovation across the Middle East and Africa (MEA). Operating through a collaborative venture studio model, it connects global investors with high-potential startups, combining smart capital, mentorship, and impact-driven growth.
In 2025, COREangels MEA led the groundbreaking Investment-Ready Bootcamp, which attracted over 800 applications from early-stage startups across Africa. From these, 20 promising ventures were selected for a fully funded acceleration journey, where they received hands-on mentorship, governance training, and investor-readiness support. The program culminated in three exceptional founders earning a fully sponsored opportunity to pitch face-to-face with international investors during the COREangels Global Investment Committee — a defining moment that showcased the innovation potential of Africa on the world stage.
This initiative went beyond capacity building; it became a living example that structured, impact-driven angel investing can unlock both trust and transformation. By combining due diligence, mentorship, and global connectivity, COREangels MEA proved that early-stage investing in Africa can be both safe for investors and life-changing for founders.
“This award reflects our belief that Africa’s innovators deserve a global stage,” said Maha Mandour, Executive Chairperson of PTS Holdings and Founding Partner of COREangels MEA. “Through PTS Holdings, we’ve built an ecosystem that merges innovation, investment, and impact — operating COREangels MEA, Kemtix Ventures, and ORO E-Ventures to empower founders, support investors, and deliver meaningful, lasting value.”
“Access and trust go hand in hand,” added Rui Falcão, Founder & President of COREangels International and PhD in Angel Investing. “At COREangels MEA, we’re building bridges — between ecosystems, between investors and founders, between the known and the hidden. Because innovation in Africa and the Middle East deserves international visibility — and smart capital needs local wisdom.”
As part of the COREangels International network — bringing together 300+ angels across 40+ countries — COREangels MEA embodies a global model of structured angel investing tailored to local realities. Its venture studio framework ensures every investment is purpose-driven, de-risked, and designed for measurable social and economic impact.
“This recognition belongs to our incredible team and to every founder, investor, and partner who shares our mission,” Mandour concluded. “Together, we’re proving that Africa’s next global success stories are already being built — with structure, trust, and purpose.”
Through PTS Holdings, which operates COREangels MEA, Kemtix Ventures, and ORO E-Ventures, the group continues to champion responsible, high-impact investing, transforming ideas into ventures and ventures into catalysts for sustainable development across the Middle East and Africa.
