Wave

Private

Wave is a mobile money platform building affordable, accessible financial services across Africa. Founded by the creators of Sendwave (YC W12, sold to WorldRemit for $500M), Wave offers cash deposits, withdrawals, peer-to-peer payments, and business payments through a network of over 150,000 agents across eight West African markets. Starting in Senegal, Wave became the country's largest mobile money provider and the first unicorn from Francophone Africa. The platform serves more than 20 million monthly active users.

Founders Drew Durbin, Lincoln Quirk
CEO Drew Durbin

Company

Founded
2018
Headquarters
Dakar, SN
Employees
1001-5000

Financials

Total Funding
$441M
Last Valuation
$1.7B
Sectors
Fintech Payments
www.wave.com

Funding History

4 rounds
Debt Jun 30, 2025
$136M
Credit facility (debt, not equity). Not included in total funding.
Rand Merchant Bank (Lender) British International Investment Finnfund Norfund
Debt Jul 6, 2022
$92M
Credit facility (debt, not equity). Not included in total funding.
IFC (Lender) Symbiotics BlueOrchard responsAbility Lendable Finnfund Norfund
Series A Sep 7, 2021
$200M
Sequoia Heritage (Lead) Founders Fund (Lead) Stripe (Lead) Ribbit Capital (Lead) Partech Sam Altman
Seed Jan 1, 2019
$14M
Partech (Lead) Founders Fund Stripe Sam Altman

Funding data is compiled from multiple independent sources including company announcements, press coverage, and regulatory filings. While we strive for accuracy, amounts and dates may reflect reported figures at time of announcement.