Startbutton, a startup backed by Norrsken, has announced its expansion to seven Francophone African countries, including Benin, Togo, Senegal, Mali, Guinea Conakry, Burkina Faso, and Cameroon. This move aims to facilitate market entry for businesses looking to tap into the growing economies of Francophone Africa, without the need for physical offices.

Francophone Africa has become an attractive destination for startups, driven by its rising middle-class population with increasing disposable income. Recent examples of startups expanding into the region include MDaaS, a healthcare startup, and Omniretail. Additionally, Ivorian fintech HUB2 raised $8.5 million in Series A funding in 2024 to continue its expansion across the region.

However, foreign businesses often face significant challenges when entering these markets, including complex regulations, language barriers, and limited payment infrastructure. Startbutton addresses these pain points by enabling companies to accept local payments and charge in foreign currencies, thereby accelerating market entry, streamlining compliance, and unlocking a fast-expanding customer base eager to transact online.

According to Malick Bolakale, CEO of Startbutton, the company is leveraging local partnerships with banks to drive adoption and ensure trusted financial and business networks. The startup will also execute direct outreach to high-growth businesses, educate the market through strategic content, and position Startbutton as the default choice for businesses expanding into Francophone Africa.

With this expansion, StartButton now operates in 15 countries, focusing on the travel, education, and digital services sectors in French-speaking markets. In these industries, businesses often face two major hurdles – language barriers and difficulties reaching local customers who primarily use mobile money rather than international payment methods. StartButton's Direct Currency Converter (DCC) solves this by allowing companies to maintain foreign currency pricing while letting end users pay in local currencies.

In the Francophone African market, Startbutton will compete with other local payment companies, such as DLocal and Julaya. However, unlike its competitors that focus primarily on payment processing, Startbutton offers additional features like local tax compliance, removing a major operational barrier for foreign businesses looking to enter and scale in the region.

Startbutton claims to have processed over $5 million since its inception, earning a 0.5-1% commission on each transaction. Bolakale expects the startup to process an additional $2 million in the Francophone market. With over 100 businesses across 20 countries already using its services, Startbutton is well-positioned to become the default infrastructure for business expansion in Africa, ensuring companies can pay, get paid, and operate seamlessly across borders.

The startup's long-term vision is to expand beyond payments to become the go-to platform for businesses looking to enter and operate in Africa. With its IMTO license in Nigeria and FCA license in the UK, Startbutton is poised to make a significant impact in the region's fintech landscape.