Startbutton, a Norrsken-backed startup that helps businesses expand abroad without physical offices, is launching in seven Francophone African countries—Benin, Togo, Senegal, Mali, Guinea Conakry, Burkina Faso, and Cameroon—to enable more companies to enter these markets and accept local payments.
Startbutton’s expansion to Francophone is crucial for startups looking to expand their reach in Francophone Africa without needing to set up physical offices. Francophone Africa has been a significant destination for African startups due to its rising middle-class population with disposable income. MDaaS, a healthcare startup and Omniretail recently expanded into the Francophone region. Ivorian fintech HUB2 also raised $8.5 million in Series A in 2024 to continue its expansion across the region.
Despite these opportunities, foreign businesses often struggle with complex regulations, language barriers, and limited payment infrastructure, especially when trying to accept local mobile money or settle transactions in foreign currencies. Startbutton addresses these pain points by helping companies accept local payments and charge in foreign currencies.
This approach accelerates market entry, streamlines compliance, and unlocks a fast-expanding customer base eager to transact online.
“We are leveraging local partnerships (with banks) to drive adoption, ensuring we work with trusted financial and business networks, said Malick Bolakale, StartButton CEO. “ Additionally, we will 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 the Francophone expansion, StartButton now operates in 15 countries, with a key focus 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. They also have to price in EUR or USD, which can deter customers accustomed to transacting in their local currency. StartButton’s Direct Currency Converter (DCC) solves this by allowing companies to maintain foreign currency pricing while letting end users pay in local currencies. This localized payment flow not only removes friction for customers, but also helps businesses overcome the accessibility challenges that have long hindered market entry and growth in Francophone Africa.
In its move to Francophone Africa, Startbutton will compete with DLocal–local payment methods—and other local payment companies, like Julaya. 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.
“Our differentiation lies in compliance-first expansion—helping businesses navigate complex regulatory landscapes while streamlining their payment flows,” Bolakale added. “Unlike pure payment processors, we enable businesses to operate legally and seamlessly, ensuring they don’t just process payments but also meet local tax and regulatory requirements.
Startbutton claims it has processed over $5 million since inception, earning a 0.5-1% commission on each transaction. Bolakale expects Startbutton to process an additional $2 million in the Francophone market.
The startup serves over 100 businesses across 20 countries. Most of its customers are in the aviation, gaming, and e-commerce sectors. Last year, the startup secured an International Money Transfer Operator (IMTO) license in Nigeria and a Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) license in the UK.
“The next phase is about expanding beyond payments to becoming the default infrastructure for business expansion in Africa, ensuring companies can pay, get paid, and operate seamlessly across borders,” Bolakale said.