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nourserghini

Foundation Ventures closes its debut fund to invest in early-stage Egyptian startups - 0 views

www.menabytes.com/foundation-ventures-first-fund

Capiter Investors Foundation Ventures Egypt

shared by nourserghini on 13 Feb 21 - No Cached
  • First investmentsFoundation Ventures has already made four investments – only one of which has been announced publicly. It led or co-led all the four rounds it invested in. The investments include:Capiter: A B2B ecommerce marketplace co-founded and led by Swvl’s co-founder and former COO Mahmoud Nouh. The startup had started with a lending product, offering cash flow solutions to small retailers but has recently expanded its offering to launch a B2B marketplace as well for grocery stores in Egypt. Foundation Ventures led Capiter’s recently closed investment round.
    • nourserghini
      nourserghini on 13 Feb 21
       
      This article is very interesting because it states that Foundation Ventures invested in the Capiter startup and that will most certainly help Capiter expand its activities and enhance its models.
kenza_abdelhaq

AgroCenta raises US$ 790k of Pre-Series A Working Capital & Development Funding From Sh... - 0 views

medium.com/...unding-from-shell-7db364912b9f

AgroCenta Ghana Specialized financing

shared by kenza_abdelhaq on 13 Feb 21 - No Cached
  • Francis Obirikorang, AgroCenta’s CEO and Co-Founder Michael Ocansey highlight the importance and criticality of this investment: “This is a significant milestone for AgroCenta, having the support of leading institutions, particularly with the COVID-19 backdrop, underlining the strength of AgroCenta and the importance of its mission. The demand for agricultural raw materials from offtakers in the brewery, manufacturing and consumer sector is increasing exponentially because of the easing of the COVID-19 restrictions that were put in place by the government of Ghana, hence this capital injection will help to secure purchases at fair and transparent prices from smallholders — a much needed lifeline for many who are at the proverbial bottom of the pyramid”.
    • nouhaila_zaki
      nouhaila_zaki on 13 Feb 21
       
      This excerpt is important because it highlights how the investments received by AgroCenta from investors and partners (UK charity Shell Foundation, the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), AV Ventures and Rabo Foundation) helped the company mitigate the impact of the covid-19 pandemic, and allowed for its operations to continue and frow.
  • This funding, secured from UK charity Shell Foundation, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), AV Ventures and Rabo Foundation, will enable AgroCenta to further develop its smallholder farmer inclusion programmes and procure crops at transparent and fair market prices to service offtake contracts.
    • kenza_abdelhaq
      kenza_abdelhaq on 13 Feb 21
       
      Agrocenta receives funding from diverse global institutions in order to invest in its inclusion programs.
  • In addition, lacking adequate infrastructure, logistics and transportation also limits their access to larger urban markets, where they could obtain much better pricing for their crops. Furthermore, the lack of basic data that enables KYC (Know Your Customer) and a limited or non-existent credit history means that smallholders have very limited access to finance. This prevents them from being able to utilise all of their land for growing crops or forces them to resort to using lower quality inputs — leading to stagnation at the bottom of the pyramid.
    • kenza_abdelhaq
      kenza_abdelhaq on 13 Feb 21
       
      AgroCenta doesn't only help smallholder farmers to have access to markets and financing, but it also supports them with logistics, transportation, and infrastructure.
ghtazi

AV Ventures Invests in AgroCenta, Supporting Digital and Financial Inclusion of Ghanaia... - 0 views

www.acdivoca.org/...f-ghanaian-smallholder-farmers

Agrocenta COVID19 Security

shared by ghtazi on 12 Feb 21 - No Cached
  • AV Ventures, ACDI/VOCA’s impact investing subsidiary, recently completed its investment in AgroCenta, a technology-driven agricultural platform provider in Ghana. The funding made by AV Ventures is part of a US$790,000 pre-Series A investment round with other participating international institutions, including Shell Foundation, the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and Rabo Foundation, with support from AgroCenta’s strategic advisor, Qbera Capital.
    • tahaemsd
      tahaemsd on 12 Feb 21
       
      With the newly secured funding, agrocenta will widen the reach of its smallholder farmer financial inclusion programs
  • The digital services AgroCenta provides along the selected cereals value chain also improve the repayment of loans by smallholder farmers. The services provide farmers with an end market through the offtaking of produce and through facilitating the provision of high-quality agricultural inputs, which maximize their yields and productivity. To date, the average farmer on CropChain has increased their income by 35 percent and their crop yields by 40 percent, while reducing their food waste by 25 percent. AgroCenta has also made strides to promote gender and social inclusion; nearly half of its CropChain users and more than half of its microloan borrowers on LendIt are female smallholder farmers. 
    • nouhaila_zaki
      nouhaila_zaki on 13 Feb 21
       
      This excerpt is important because it introduces the results of using AgroCenta on smallholder farmers, ranging between the maximization of productivity, of income, reduction of food waste,to gender and social inclusion.
  • Founded in 2016, AgroCenta operates two integrated digital platforms in Ghana, CropChain and LendIt, to help address challenges related to smallholder farmers’ access to markets and financial services.
    • kenza_abdelhaq
      kenza_abdelhaq on 13 Feb 21
       
      Since 2016, AgroCenta operates 2 digital platforms: - CropChain: integrated agricultural supply chain management platform. - LendIt: allowing access to financial services like mobile payments, microloans, crop insurance.
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • Poor infrastructure and logistics prevent many smallholder farmers in Ghana from accessing large, urban markets where they could obtain better prices for their crops. Many of these farmers lack information on fair market prices, which leaves them susceptible to selling at low prices to middlemen. Without a strong credit history, many of them also have limited access to finance for purchasing high-quality agricultural inputs that would enable them to scale beyond subsistent production.  
    • sawsanenn
      sawsanenn on 13 Feb 21
       
      this excerpt shows reasons why smallholder farmers should consider agrocenta to increase their profitability and their revenues
  • For AV Ventures, the investment is part of its long-term strategy of providing innovative and catalytic capital to support growth-oriented small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) like AgroCenta that make up the “missing middle” of investment — too large for microfinance but too small or too early-stage to attract private equity investors. These SMEs are often the backbone of economies and potential drivers of innovation, but too often they miss out on financing that could enable their growth and longevity.  
    • hibaerrai
      hibaerrai on 13 Feb 21
       
      Agrocenta attracts more investors as it is considered among small and medium businesses that promote innovation. In fact, the fintech is specialized in agricultural loans, something not that common in the country.
  • CropChain is an integrated agricultural supply chain management platform that provides smallholder farmers with access to markets. Farmers use the platform to advertise their produce, while large offtakers or buyers of selected cereals use it to make purchases or enter long-term offtaker purchase contracts with AgroCenta. AgroCenta leverages the platform to source cereals directly from smallholder farmers to supply to large offtakers who have contracts with the company. This allows AgroCenta to earn margins between the price it pays farmers and the contractually agreed upon price with offtakers.
    • mbellakbail69
      mbellakbail69 on 13 Feb 21
       
      Agrocenta draws even more investment amongst SMEs that promote innovation. This extract shows some of the reasons why smallholders should consider Agrocentra for increasing the profitability and income .
  • “This is a significant milestone for AgroCenta, having the support of leading institutions, particularly with the COVID-19 backdrop, underlining the strength of AgroCenta and the importance of its mission. The demand for agricultural raw materials from offtakers in the brewery, manufacturing, and consumer sector is increasing exponentially because of the easing of COVID-19 restrictions that were put in place by the government of Ghana. Hence, this capital injection will help to secure purchases at fair and transparent prices from smallholders — a much needed lifeline for many who are at the proverbial bottom of the pyramid.”
    • ghtazi
      ghtazi on 13 Feb 21
       
      in this excerpt, we can see how agrocenta takes the pandemic situation and what are the solutions that the company adopts to face it.
mehdibella

Ghanaian Agritech startup, Agrocenta raises $790k pre-series A - Techpoint Africa - 1 views

techpoint.africa/...agrocenta-raises-790k

ghana Fintech Agrocenta

shared by mehdibella on 12 Feb 21 - No Cached
  • In 2018, Agrocenta won the Seedstars World competition — an early-stage startup pitching competition –, receiving $500k in equity funding. By December of the same year, the company closed a seed round of equity and non-equity funding to scale its operations. 
  • Ghanaian Agritech startup, Agrocenta has raised $790,000 pre-series A funding. The investors that took part in the round include Shell Foundation, FCDO, AV Ventures and Rabo Foundation.
  • The latest funding takes Agrocenta’s total disclosed funding to $1.9 million.
  • ...5 more annotations...
    • nouhaila_zaki
      nouhaila_zaki on 12 Feb 21
       
      This article is important because it reflects the/some sources of funding, namely grants from competitions or series A equity, that AgroCenta is using to finance its operations.
  • “This is a significant milestone for AgroCenta, having the support of leading institutions, particularly with the COVID-19 backdrop, underlining the strength of AgroCenta and the importance of its mission.”
    • kenzabenessalah
      kenzabenessalah on 12 Feb 21
       
      I feel grateful to know that AgroCenta is being supported by leading institutions. During this pandemic, farmers need all the support they can get.
  • Ghanaian Agritech startup, Agrocenta has raised $790,000 pre-series A funding. The investors that took part in the round include Shell Foundation, FCDO, AV Ventures and Rabo
  • The company claims the registered farmers on its app, CropChain, has rapidly grown from 3,000 to 48,000. These farmers handle crops like maize, rice, soybean, cowpeas, and sorghum.
  • “This is a significant milestone for AgroCenta, having the support of leading institutions, particularly with the COVID-19 backdrop, underlining the strength of AgroCenta and the importance of its mission.”
    • mehdibella
      mehdibella on 13 Feb 21
       
      Ghanaian Agritech startup, Agrocenta has raised $790,000 pre-series A funding. The investors that took part in the round include Shell Foundation, FCDO, AV Ventures and Rabo
nourserghini

Foundation Ventures powers up Egypt's entrepreneurship ecosystem with 4 new investments - 0 views

adigitalboom.com/ntures-egypt-4-new-investments

Capiter Competitor Fintech Egypt

shared by nourserghini on 13 Feb 21 - No Cached
  • The fund is backed by some of the largest family offices and business leaders from Egypt and the MENA region​.​The strategy is the first of its kind in Egypt, utilizing local know-how and private capital to support & build solid foundations for its portfolio.FV has Lead and Co-Lead four highly sought after deals during its initial deployment, investing in two Fintech companies, Capiter & Nowpay, one in consumer internet/entertainment, Minly, and one in logistics (operating in stealth).
    • nourserghini
      nourserghini on 13 Feb 21
       
      This article explains that the invested fund in Capiter is backed by important entities in Egypt and the MENA region. It also states Capiter and Nowpay as two similar fintechs which might suggest that Nowpay is a competitor of Capiter.
mehdibella

Goldman Sachs cash confirms Jumo as fintech heavyweight - 1 views

www.theafricareport.com/...ms-jumo-as-fintech-heavyweight

Jumo Fintech finance SouthAfrica

shared by mehdibella on 11 Feb 21 - No Cached
  • Created in 2015 in Cape Town by Andrew Watkins-Ball, the company, which specializes in savings, loans and insurance for people and small businesses far from the traditional banking system, has raised $55 million (50 million euro) in debt and venture capital from the American bank.
    • samielbaqqali
      samielbaqqali on 11 Feb 21
       
      The company asked for a big amount from an American bank in order to perfect their investment.
  • Created in 2015 in Cape Town by Andrew Watkins-Ball, the company, which specializes in savings, loans and insurance for people and small businesses far from the traditional banking system, has raised $55 million (50 million euro) in debt and venture capital from the American bank.
  • The company has raised nearly $146 million since its creation from renowned players such as Google, which integrated Jumo into its accelerator in May 2017, the Mastercard foundation, development institutions such as Finnfund and Proparco (the private branch of the French Development Agency).
  • ...9 more annotations...
  • Goldman Sachs cash confirms Jumo as fintech heavyweight
  • By entering Jumo's final $55 million round of financing, the US bank Goldman Sachs is raising the South African fintech's profile
    • mehdibella
      mehdibella on 13 Feb 21
       
      the company has taken millions of dollars to secure the continuation of this project
  • Jumo is connected to continental telecom operators such as Tigo, Airtel, and MTN as well as traditional banks such as Letshego in Ghana and Barclays in Zambia, to integrate its offers with those of its partners.
    • mehdibella
      mehdibella on 13 Feb 21
       
      it made a lot of partnerships arround many companies that would make transactions easier
  • Since 2018, the start-up has partnered with Uber in Nairobi to provide drivers with access to loans for the purchase of cars based on their rating and with flexible repayment options.By 2019, the start-up, claimed to have provided more than $bn in loans to 15 million customers, and to employ 300 people across 11 countries.
  • Since 2018, the start-up has partnered with Uber in Nairobi to provide drivers with access to loans for the purchase of cars based on their rating and with flexible repayment options.
    • ghtazi
      ghtazi on 13 Feb 21
       
      this is once again a smart move from jumo, they diversify their activity, which can be more than benefic for them.
  • Jumo is already active in Ghana, Kenya, Pakistan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia and has representation in Cape Town, New Delhi, London, Mumbai, Nairobi, Porto, and Singapore, where its founder is now based.
    • nouhaila_zaki
      nouhaila_zaki on 13 Feb 21
       
      This excerpt introduces us to the geographical scope of Jumo, which appears to be pretty large (in Africa and Asia).
  • By 2019, the start-up, claimed to have provided more than $bn in loans to 15 million customers, and to employ 300 people across 11 countries.
    • nouhaila_zaki
      nouhaila_zaki on 13 Feb 21
       
      This excerpt is important because it gives us a measurement of how active Jumo is in providing customers with loans (one of their products). It also gives us an idea about the size of the company (300 employees accross 11 countries).
  • Jumo is connected to continental telecom operators such as Tigo, Airtel, and MTN as well as traditional banks such as Letshego in Ghana and Barclays in Zambia, to integrate its offers with those of its partners. Since 2018, the start-up has partnered with Uber in Nairobi to provide drivers with access to loans for the purchase of cars based on their rating and with flexible repayment options.
  • With this new round of financing — its fourth since April 2018 — the company, which targets emerging markets and is part of the very select club of African start-ups active beyond the continent’s borders, now intends to conquer Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, as well as Bangladesh and India
    • sawsanenn
      sawsanenn on 13 Feb 21
       
      this countries can bring new options to jumo, not only new customers but also new services. These new entrances can bring to Jumo high revenues as well
  • hichamachir on 12 Feb 21
     
    JUMO is opting for a good strategy which is doing a partnership with Google. Partnerships with giant companies like google are always beneficial because they offer you great technology and a big capital to improve your business.
  • mohammed_ab on 13 Feb 21
     
    I like the way JUMO chose its partners in the telecommunication industry. Partnering with MTN that is the first telecom operator in Africa and also a big fintech advocate is a good decision for JUMO to grow.
mehdi-ezzaoui

Ethiopia' - 0 views

image

started by mehdi-ezzaoui on 12 Feb 21 no follow-up yet
hibaerrai

Ghana's AgroCenta raises US$ 790k to scale its Agri-tech ecosystem - 0 views

africabusinesscommunities.com/...-scale-its-agri-tech-ecosystem

shared by hibaerrai on 12 Feb 21 - No Cached
  • Through AgroCenta’s CropChain platform, smallholder farmers can execute transactions with accurate information. Since the app’s launch, the average CropChain farmer’s income has increased by circa 35%.  AgroCenta says it has managed to reduce food waste by 25%.
    • tahaemsd
      tahaemsd on 12 Feb 21
       
      via an all encompasing ecosystem approach, agrocenta blends cutting edge digital innovation with traditional on the ground operations to transform the lives of smallholder farmes in Ghana
  • Agriculture accounts for circa. 17% of Ghana’s GDP. Through its outreach and services, AgroCenta has increased crop yields of farmers by 40% thereby contributing to Ghana’s economy at large.
    • kenza_abdelhaq
      kenza_abdelhaq on 13 Feb 21
       
      AgroCenta contributes to Ghana's economy by providing support to smallholder farmers along the value chain.
  • This funding was secured from UK charity Shell Foundation, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), AV Ventures and Rabo Foundation. “This is a significant milestone for AgroCenta, having the support of leading institutions, particularly with the COVID-19 backdrop, underlining the strength of AgroCenta and the importance of its mission. The demand for agricultural raw materials from offtakers in the brewery, manufacturing and consumer sector is increasing exponentially because of the easing of the COVID-19 restrictions that were put in place by the government of Ghana, hence this capital injection will help to secure purchases at fair and transparent prices from smallholders — a much needed lifeline for many who are at the proverbial bottom of the pyramid”. Francis Obirikorang, AgroCenta’s CEO and Co-Founder Michael Ocansey said while highlighting the importance and criticality of this investment.
    • hibaerrai
      hibaerrai on 13 Feb 21
       
      After the Covid-19 Outbreak, the situation in farms was quite challenging as lockdowns were imposed. Now with easier restrictions, AgroCenta raised a huge amount of funds in order to cover for the losses and develop its fintech more and more. This money should be used to develop programs and services that support financial inclusion.
  • kenza_abdelhaq on 13 Feb 21
     
    "Agriculture accounts for circa. 17% of Ghana's GDP. Through its outreach and services, AgroCenta has increased crop yields of farmers by 40% thereby contributing to Ghana's economy at large."
mehdibella

Kenyan agri-tech startup FarmDrive secures latest funding round - 0 views

disrupt-africa.com/...e-secures-latest-funding-round

Fintech Farmdrive kenya funds

shared by mehdibella on 12 Feb 21 - No Cached
  • Kenyan agri-tech startup FarmDrive has accessed further financing as it expands operations to provide access to credit for three million smallholder farmers.
    • tahaemsd
      tahaemsd on 12 Feb 21
       
      the investment from strategic investors enabled farmdrive to build financial identities for more smallholder businesses
  • Founded by Peris Bosire and Rita Kimani, FarmDrive delivers productive digital loans and lay away savings products to smallholder farmers in Kenya, helping them grow their incomes and resilience.
  • Having previously raised funding from the likes of Safaricom and EWB Canada, FarmDrive has now secured further investment. EWB Canada is again involved in the round, which also includes AK Impact Investors, 1 to 4 Foundation, ADAP Seed Fund 2, The Lakes Charitable Foundation and Sunu Capital.
    • mehdibella
      mehdibella on 13 Feb 21
       
      The follow-on investment will allow FarmDrive to scale to US$13 million of loan, with minimal losses and exceptional returns
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • Using a combination of agriculturally relevant data, Know Your Customer (KYC) data, and advanced behavioral analytics, the startup has developed a proprietary lending engine to extend loans to these farmers.
    • kenza_abdelhaq
      kenza_abdelhaq on 13 Feb 21
       
      The relevant financial technologies behind FarmDrive.
  • The follow-on investment will allow FarmDrive to scale to US$13 million of loan originations in 2019 with minimal losses and exceptional returns using RiPe, a customisable lending engine that will allow lenders to plug in and access low-cost loan origination channels such as USSD, credit scoring, identity verification, and a portfolio management suite that includes recovery and collections, payments, customer support and advanced real time data analytics.
    • kenza_abdelhaq
      kenza_abdelhaq on 13 Feb 21
       
      FarmDrive is providing a range of services while focusing on its low-cost approach and maximizing its profit.
  • “We are delighted for this investment from strategic investors to enable us to build financial identities for more smallholder businesses and scale our low cost distribution model. We are going where banks haven’t reached and are creating a trust ecosystem in the most unstructured sector in sub Saharan Africa – Agriculture,” said Bosire.
    • hibaerrai
      hibaerrai on 13 Feb 21
       
      FarmDrive agritech has the potential to take over the banking system in sub saharan Africa as it provides more structured services.
  • Kenyan agri-tech startup FarmDrive has accessed further financing as it expands operations to provide access to credit for three million smallholder farmers.
    • ayachehbouni
      ayachehbouni on 13 Feb 21
       
      As I see it, Farmdrive needs and deserves all the financing it can get as it is creating a trust ecosystem in the most unstructured sector in sub Saharan Africa, which makes its operations extremely important.
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