We’ve invested in Synapse Analytics’ $13 million Series A round, led by Partech, alongside Silicon Badia. The company uses AI to help financial institutions make better credit and risk decisions across the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.

Founded by Ahmed Abaza and Galal Elbeshbishy, Synapse helps lenders draw insights from traditional and alternative data to build a fuller picture of a borrower’s creditworthiness. Its platform gives credit and risk teams direct control over lending policies via a natural language interface. Teams can experiment with different credit parameters and test against historical data before applying them. The AI runs within each institution’s own infrastructure, keeping sensitive data under its control.

With some of Egypt’s most successful lenders in our portfolio, we’ve seen firsthand the challenges Synapse is addressing. Gaps in credit information can make it difficult to assess borrowers and extend financing, creating a need for technology that helps lenders make better use of the data available to them.

“Working closely with lenders in our portfolio helped us understand the value of Synapse when we met the team,” said Laila Hassan. “They’re tackling problems we’ve seen firsthand, with applications well beyond Egypt. Leading banks have already signed with Synapse, and the company has a strong pipeline. That combination of a clear need and demonstrated demand gives us confidence in the opportunity ahead.”

Synapse has supported more than $200 million in lending and helped clients reduce non-performing loans by up to 40%. The new funding will help the team grow, accelerate product development and expand into more markets.

We look forward to working with Ahmed, Galal and the Synapse team as they bring their technology to more financial institutions.

Read more about the announcement here.