About Baobab
Baobab is a Financial Services company based in Paris (France) founded in 2001, and was acquired by Beltone in December 2024. Tailored financial solutions are offered to underserved entrepreneurs and SMEs. Baobab has raised $16.67 million across 5 funding rounds from investors including Gojo, Beltone and IFU. Its chief executive, as recorded, is Philip Sigwart. Its website baobab.com draws about 48 thousand monthly visits. Its focus areas include FinTech, Alternative Lending, Online Lenders and Diversified. Its competitors include Bpifrance, Avanseo and Cofiloisirs.
Company details
Baobab was founded in 2001 as a financial services company based in Paris, France. Operations are focused on Africa and China, where tailored financial solutions are provided to underserved entrepreneurs and small to medium-sized enterprises. Emphasis is placed on financial inclusion within these regions. The company is led by CEO Philip Sigwart.
- Headquarters Paris, France
- Stage Acquired
- SectorsFinancial Services
- Website category Business and Consumer Services · Business Services
- Emailβ’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’
- Phoneβ’β’β’β’ β’β’β’β’
- Website baobab.com
- Social LinkedIn X Facebook
- Acquired by Beltone (Dec 2024)
Funding Insights of Baobab
Baobab has successfully raised a total of $16.67M across 5 strategic funding rounds. This substantial capital infusion reflects strong investor confidence in the company's business model, growth potential, and market opportunities. The funding enables strategic expansion, product development, market penetration, and operational scaling to drive long-term value creation and competitive advantage.
- Total Funding $16.67M
- Total Rounds 5
- Investors Count 4
All 5 funding rounds of Baobab with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2024 | Series A | β | β | ||
| Dec 2015 | Private Equity Round | β | Apis Partners | β | |
| Jun 2015 | $16.67M | Series A | β | IFU | β |
| Jun 2014 | $1.99M | Debt – Conventional | β | β | |
| Oct 2012 | Seed | β | β | β |
5 investors in total: 5 institutional.
Investors in Baobab
Baobab has secured backing from 5 investors, including institutional and venture fund investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Gojo, Beltone and IFU.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Private equity and venture capital asset management firm | apis.pe | London, United Kingdom | ||
Private equity investment firm | 1967 | ifu.dk | Copenhagen, Denmark | |
Private equity and funds of funds | bio-invest.be | Brussels, Belgium | ||
Microcredit is extended to individuals and businesses in need. | 2014 | gojo.co | Shibuya, Japan | |
Disruptive financial services are provided across the MENA region. | 2002 | beltoneholding.com | Cairo, Egypt |
Investor details for Baobab
The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.
- Complete investor list
- Round participation
- Investor portfolios
- Co-investor network
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People of Baobab
53 people are tracked at Baobab (20 in leadership, 33 in team).
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Philip Sigwart | CEO | Leadership |
Alabi Damilare Oladimeji Acib | Country Head, Information Technology & Systems - Digital Platforms, Innovation & Enterprise Systems | Leadership |
Sarah Tanc Watteeuw | DRH Groupe | Group Head Of Human Capital | Leadership |
Ke Jia | China CFO | Leadership |
Miora R. | Group Marketing Director - Operations | Leadership |
Mouhamadou Moustapha Keita | Group Head Of IT Operations | Leadership |
Guillaume Villa | Head Of Transformation & Digital | Leadership |
Michael Bonhomme | RSSI Groupe / Head Of IT Security | Leadership |
Anonymous | Group CEO | Leadership |
Abdoulaye Gueye | Group Head Of Financial Planning And Analysis | Leadership |
Abass Ndao | Head Of Operations | Leadership |
Emmanuel Signou | Group Business Development Director | Leadership |
Olivia Taleng | Group Head Of Compliance | Leadership |
Christina Reifschneider | Group Chief Financial Officer | Leadership |
Cécile Chahid-Nouraï Clerc | Group COO | Leadership |
Guillaume Lesay | Group Chief Risk Officer | Leadership |
Esso Bataba | Group Head Of Accounting/consolidation And Tax | Leadership |
John Ugwuanya Bsc | Head Of Corporate Services (executive Position) | Leadership |
Serigne Ndiaye | Group Head Of Infrastructure | Leadership |
Anne Delvern Beaulieu | Group Training Director | Leadership |
33 more people are available in the full profile.
Complete people profiles for Baobab
Full employee and board profiles, team structure, tenure and professional contact details require an active premium plan.
- Full employee list
- Team structure
- Board tenure
- Professional contacts
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Timeline of Baobab
4 dated milestones of Baobab across 23 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded Baobab is founded.
- Funding First funding round.
- Funding Latest funding round, Series A,.
- Exit Acquired by Beltone.
Competitors of Baobab
Baobab has 3 listed competitors in our database. They include Bpifrance, Avanseo and Cofiloisirs.
| Company Name | Domain | Founded | HQ Location | Total funding | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| bpifrance.com | 2012 | Maisons Alfort, France | Corporate consultancy, advisory, and funding services are provided to businesses. | |||
| avanseo.eu | 2017 | Puteaux, France | Business loans are offered through an online lending platform. | |||
| cofiloisirs.com | 1973 | Paris, France | Specialized lending for film and TV projects is offered. |
Detailed competitors of Baobab
The full competitor set, operating metrics and side-by-side benchmarks require an active premium plan.
- Full competitor set
- Operating metrics
- Benchmarks
- Competitive positioning
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Web traffic of Baobab
The website of Baobab (baobab.com) receives about 47.6K visits a month and ranks #730,788 among all websites worldwide, #5,857 in Business Services.
- Monthly visits47.6K
▲ 12.4% vs previous month
- Unique visitors17.5K
per month
- Global rank#730,788
among all websites
- Category rank#5,857
Business and Consumer Services · Business Services
- Bounce rate43%
- Pages per visit2.1
- Average visit16 sec
- DevicesDesktop 31% Β· Mobile 69%
Websites whose visitors overlap most with Baobab. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.
| Website | Domain | Audience affinity | Monthly visits | Global rank | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
republik-it.fr | republik-it.fr | 100% | #3,464,663 | β | |
baomix.com | baomix.com | 54% | β | ||
baoil.com | baoil.com | 48% | β |
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Related news about Baobab
Complete news archive for Baobab
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Frequently Asked Questions about Baobab
Baobab was founded in 2001 and raised its 1st funding round 11 years after it was founded.
Baobab is headquartered in Paris, France.
Philip Sigwart is the CEO of Baobab, as recorded in our data.
Baobab is a funded company, having raised a total of $16.67M across 5 funding rounds to date.
Baobab was founded in 2001 as a financial services company based in Paris, France. Operations are focused on Africa and China, where tailored financial solutions are provided to underserved entrepreneurs and small to medium-sized enterprises. Emphasis is placed on financial inclusion within these regions. The company is led by CEO Philip Sigwart.
Baobab's top competitors include Bpifrance, Avanseo and Cofiloisirs.
Baobab has 5 investors. Key investors include Gojo, Beltone, IFU, Apis Partners, and BIO Invest.
Yes. Baobab was acquired by Beltone in December 2024.

