They are some of the biggest household names in global technology, and they are putting their money into African tech startups. The likes of Bill Gates, Steve Case and Tim Draper are leading an growing movement towards backing digital startups on the continent, using their money not only to cure social ills, but also to tap into the myriad opportunities offered by an economically developing Africa and a young, tech-savvy population.

Microsoft founder Gates, through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has supported the likes of Ghanaian fintech startup expressPay and Kenyan bitcoin company Bitsoko. AOL founder Case, alongside wife Jean, has invested in Kenyan companies BRCK and M-KOPA Solar, active in the connectivity and energy spaces.