Editor’s note: African-Startups is a sister publication of EU-Startups, bringing trusted coverage of startups, venture capital, and innovation across Africa.
Nigeria’s angel investment collective, Lagos Angel Network (LAN), has announced an investment in Midddleman Technologies Inc., an AI-powered trade infrastructure platform building what it describes as the operating system for Africa-China commerce.
The deal brings not just capital but also strategic support and network access to a startup that has quietly racked up over $1.6 million in payment volume since launching its payments product in May 2024.
Co-founded by Adeola Owosho and Omolara Sanni in 2023, Midddleman aims to solve one of the most persistent pain points facing African small and medium enterprises: sourcing goods reliably and affordably from China. The platform brings together an AI-powered sourcing assistant, a vetted network of China-based procurement agents, integrated Naira-to-RMB payment rails, and third-party freight partnerships to give African SMEs a single, end-to-end solution to source, pay for, and ship goods from China.
Since going live with its payments feature, the startup has grown to more than 12,500 registered users and earned recognition as a 2025 Top AI Startup by Google for Startups. It is now preparing to expand into Ghana and Kenya, with a Guangzhou operational presence also on the horizon.
“The Africa-China trade corridor is only going to grow, and we believe the next decade belongs to platforms that are building for it intentionally. What impressed us most about Midddleman was the founders’ long-term thinking, their deep market knowledge, and the preparedness and responsiveness they demonstrated throughout our process,” said Dr. Solomon King, Executive Director of Lagos Angel Network.
Beyond the capital, LAN’s partnership will provide Midddleman with mentorship and access to a network of operators, technologists, and investors. In a LinkedIn post, LAN says the backing will help Midddleman accelerate the buildout of its AI sourcing and procurement portal, deepen its China-side agent network ahead of its planned Guangzhou office opening, and sharpen its go-to-market strategy as it enters Ghana and Kenya.
“LAN’s backing means we’re not just funded, we’re supported by people who understand what it takes to build infrastructure in this market,” said Owosho, co-founder and CEO of Middleman.
The investment reflects a growing conviction among African investors that the Africa-China trade corridor represents one of the continent’s most underleveraged commercial opportunities. China is already Africa’s largest trading partner, yet the experience for most African SMEs remains largely informal and high-risk.
The difficulty lies in navigating language barriers, opaque supply chains, currency friction, and unreliable freight. Midddleman’s bet is that a purpose-built, tech-enabled platform can bring transparency and scale to a corridor that has long operated on relationships and guesswork. Lagos Angel Network, made up of seasoned individuals and corporate investors committed to backing early-stage ventures, appears to agree that the timing is right.
