Village Capital

Village Capital is a Washington, D.C.-based venture capital firm founded in 2009, focused on early-stage and seed investments in sectors such as agriculture, education, energy, financial services, and healthcare. The firm aims to empower entrepreneurs by fostering a unique peer-selection model, allowing participants to award pre-committed seed funding to the top ventures identified during their programs. Village Capital supports entrepreneurs globally, with a significant presence in regions including North America, Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East. Through its programs, the firm has engaged over 1,000 entrepreneurs and has facilitated the growth of more than 550 enterprises, leading to substantial job creation and revenue generation. Village Capital also operates a nonprofit to provide training for founders and investors, and manages a for-profit investment fund that invests in top graduates of its programs. Its innovative approach to investment and support has garnered recognition, including the M-Prize for innovation.

Heather Matranga

Vice President

Past deals in Kenya

Tustawi

Non Equity Assistance in 2021
Tustawi is an e-learning specialist for professional development in Kenya, using technology to develop job-specific and market-relevant customized training.

Angaza Elimu

Non Equity Assistance in 2021
Angaza Elimu is an ed-tech company focused on transforming education in Kenya and across Africa by addressing challenges in classroom efficiency and access to educational resources. The organization provides a comprehensive e-Learning platform that simplifies classroom management, allowing teachers to dedicate more time to effective instruction. It features a Student Portal designed to engage learners and foster critical thinking skills. Angaza Elimu also emphasizes skill-based learning to prepare African youth for success in a digital economy. Additionally, the company offers supplemental STEM training to cultivate innovation among young learners and operates an Internet of Things (IoT) school to provide hands-on training in hardware engineering, enabling students to learn both in and out of the classroom at their own pace.

Emploi

Non Equity Assistance in 2021
Operator of an online job marketplace intended to fast-track the landing of employment opportunities that match competencies. The company's portal addresses junior-level job seekers' career progression needs by providing a mixture of technical skills assessment tools and personalized career services, enabling employers and employees to find a match and offer many opportunities in one single platform.

Eneza Education

Non Equity Assistance in 2021
Eneza Education Limited, founded in 2011 and based in Nairobi, Kenya, specializes in providing mobile technology-based education services. The company offers a virtual tutor and teacher's assistant, enabling students and teachers to access curriculum-aligned courses, assessments, and interactive support from live instructors via mobile devices. Its platform includes locally-adapted tutorials, tips, assessments, and features such as a leaderboard and live teacher chat, accessible through various formats including USSD/SMS, a web app, an offline desktop app, and an Android app. Eneza Education targets individual parents, students, and teachers with subscription-based access to its educational resources, ensuring that learners across Kenya, from urban centers to rural areas, can benefit from comprehensive, on-demand educational support.

ICT for Development

Non Equity Assistance in 2021
ICT for Development Kenya reaches out to undeserved communities in East Africa offering Technology literacy.

Tulaa

Seed Round in 2018
Tulaa combines mobile technology and last mile agent networks to connect agri-input suppliers, financial service providers and commodity buyers to smallholder farmers. The aim is to lower the cost and risk for the partners to do business with farmers.

Annona

Seed Round in 2018
Annona is the select tool for creating a traceable global food ecosystem. Annona is a mobile and web-based platform that global suppliers use to manage their farmer supplies, payments and aggregate crop production.

Olivine Technology

Seed Round in 2017
Olivine Technology, established in January 2010, is a software company that focuses on creating automated data capture tools designed to streamline data management processes for small and medium-sized enterprises. The company's solutions integrate with leading third-party systems such as Quickbooks, Sage Evolution, SAP Business 1, SPSS, and Mpesa, addressing challenges related to the high costs and lengthy durations typically associated with data capture, transmission, organization, reporting, and analysis. Olivine's applications facilitate real-time monitoring of inventory and sales across various distribution sites, including warehouses, stores, and sales vans, enabling seamless connectivity between multiple locations and their respective head offices.

PayGo Energy

Seed Round in 2017
PayGo Energy is a company based in Kenya that specializes in developing metering systems for pre-paid cooking gas. Founded in 2014, the company aims to provide clean cooking fuel through a pay-as-you-go model, which allows customers to purchase gas gradually using mobile money. Its patented device connects a gas cylinder to a cloud service, enabling real-time monitoring of gas consumption and predicting when refills are needed. This innovative approach addresses the challenges associated with traditional cooking fuels, which often have detrimental environmental and health impacts, particularly in underserved communities. By offering an accessible and efficient energy solution, PayGo Energy seeks to improve the quality of life for millions who rely on inefficient biomass fuels.

PayGo Energy

Convertible Note in 2016
PayGo Energy is a company based in Kenya that specializes in developing metering systems for pre-paid cooking gas. Founded in 2014, the company aims to provide clean cooking fuel through a pay-as-you-go model, which allows customers to purchase gas gradually using mobile money. Its patented device connects a gas cylinder to a cloud service, enabling real-time monitoring of gas consumption and predicting when refills are needed. This innovative approach addresses the challenges associated with traditional cooking fuels, which often have detrimental environmental and health impacts, particularly in underserved communities. By offering an accessible and efficient energy solution, PayGo Energy seeks to improve the quality of life for millions who rely on inefficient biomass fuels.

EDOM Nutritional Solutions

Seed Round in 2013
EDOM is a Kenya-based fortified flour and enriched porridge producer mitigating malnutrition in Sub-Sarahan Africa through a BoP-targeted sales strategy. The business has achieved a 68% revenue CAGR since inception, 4-fold net margin increase in 2013, and has a 4,000+ smallholder farmer network in Uganda and Kenya. With I-DEV support, EDOM has engaged a leading global impact investor to secure the first tranche of a multi-stage investment which will be used to provide WC and M&E financing to double production and extend BoP outreach.

Lipisha

Grant in 2012
Lipisha is a Nairobi-based company that specializes in mobile payment solutions for businesses in Africa. It develops a platform that allows small business owners to automate the processing of non-cash payments, such as mobile money and card transactions, directly into their bank accounts. The platform supports various mobile money channels and incorporates advanced data encryption and anti-fraud measures to ensure secure transactions. Additionally, Lipisha provides users with robust reporting tools that enable them to analyze and manage their payment data effectively. By facilitating the integration and automation of mobile payments, Lipisha aims to enhance financial efficiency for its clients.

Access Afya

Seed Round in 2012
Access Afya is focused on enhancing healthcare accessibility for low-income populations in Kenya through its innovative mini-clinic model. By leveraging advanced health technologies, Access Afya provides a modern healthcare operating system designed specifically for emerging economies. The clinics offer a wide range of primary care services, including authentic medication, immunization, family planning, and care delivered by qualified clinicians. This approach enables residents of slum communities to receive timely and effective healthcare services, addressing critical health needs in underserved areas.
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