Village Capital

Village Capital is a Washington, D.C.-based venture capital firm founded in 2009 that focuses on early-stage and seed investments in sectors such as agriculture, education, energy, financial services, and healthcare. The firm aims to empower entrepreneurs by employing a unique peer-support model, allowing entrepreneurs to select the ventures that receive pre-committed seed funding at the conclusion of its programs. Village Capital connects high-potential entrepreneurs with essential resources, fostering innovation and growth. It operates both a nonprofit that provides training for founders and a for-profit investment fund that invests in top program graduates, having supported over 1,000 entrepreneurs and more than 550 enterprises across various global regions. The firm has achieved notable success, with its alumni generating significant revenue and creating thousands of jobs, while maintaining a high recommendation rate among participants.

Focus

Seed Round Early Venture Grant Pre Seed Round E-Learning Show more

http://vilcap.com/

https://crunchbase.com/organization/village-capital

https://facebook.com/villagecapital

https://linkedin.com/company/village-capital

https://signal.nfx.com/firms/village-capital

https://twitter.com/villagecapital

https://www.capitaliq.com/CIQDotNet/company.aspx?companyId=247542096

https://www.privateequityinternational.com/database/#/profile?id=16873

Adedana Ashebir

Regional Manager

Allie Burns

Chief Executive Officer

Allyson Burns

CEO

Daniel Cossío

Manager, Programs and Partnerships

Apoorv Karmakar

Senior Director

Rachel Schwartz

Senior Associate FP&A

Ben Wrobel

Director of Communications

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.

ICT for Development

Non Equity Assistance in 2021

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

Angaza Elimu

Non Equity Assistance in 2021

Angaza Elimu is primed to transform education across Kenya and the entire African continent by addressing the problem of inefficient classrooms and inadequate educational material. At Angaza Elimu, we enhance the classroom experience and strengthen the student-teacher bond. By combining a comprehensive e-Learning platform with a simple classroom setup, Angaza Elimu eases the administrative burden of teachers and frees them to spend more time teaching substantive material. Additionally, Angaza Elimu encourages children to further engage with technology with a Student Portal that challenges them to think critically. We also offer supplemental training on STEM to plant the seed of innovativeness in the young African learner.

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.

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.