Samurai Incubate

Samurai Incubate is a Tokyo-based venture capital firm that invests in early-stage startups across Africa, Israel, and Japan, with a focus on information technology and software-as-a-service companies. The firm provides hands-on support in management, marketing, sales and human resources, and offers advisory services and external director assignments to help portfolio companies develop vision, build revenue models, and monetize growth. Established to empower startups to scale through practical expertise and strategic guidance, Samurai Incubate emphasizes action and market-facing execution to realize greater revenue potential. By combining investment with active governance and mentorship, it aims to accelerate growth for businesses operating in dynamic technology sectors across multiple regions.

Kentaro Sakakibara

Founder and CEO

Rena Yoneyama

Managing Partner

Past deals in Nigeria

Releaf

Seed Round in 2023
Founded in Nigeria in 2017, Releaf operates as an online marketplace connecting buyers and sellers of various agricultural products such as cassava, palm oil, ginger, cashew nuts, fish, maize, cocoa, kola nuts, yam, and sesame seeds. It also provides extension services to smallholders, acts as a buyer for their products, and converts raw materials into factory-grade inputs.

Eden Life

Seed Round in 2021
Eden Life is a technology-driven service provider that simplifies daily living by offering subscription-based marketplace solutions for essential household tasks such as laundry, cleaning, meal delivery, and more. Operating primarily in Nigeria and Kenya, the company aims to enhance users' quality of life through convenient access to these services.

Releaf

Seed Round in 2021
Founded in Nigeria in 2017, Releaf operates as an online marketplace connecting buyers and sellers of various agricultural products such as cassava, palm oil, ginger, cashew nuts, fish, maize, cocoa, kola nuts, yam, and sesame seeds. It also provides extension services to smallholders, acts as a buyer for their products, and converts raw materials into factory-grade inputs.

Medsaf

Seed Round in 2021
Medsaf operates an end-to-end pharmaceutical procurement and distribution platform in Nigeria that connects hospitals, pharmacies, and patients to affordable, quality medications with timely delivery. The platform combines an online marketplace with blockchain-backed track-and-trace, data analytics, and embedded financing to improve efficiency, safety, and transparency across the pharmaceutical supply chain. It provides quality-control as a service and links manufacturers, vetted suppliers, and logistics providers to health-care buyers, enabling automated procurement and financing options, including buy-now-pay-later for medication procurement. Based in Lagos, the company aims to streamline procurement, enhance visibility into the movement of medicines, and ensure reliable access to medications for health-care providers and consumers.

Medsaf

Seed Round in 2021
Medsaf operates an end-to-end pharmaceutical procurement and distribution platform in Nigeria that connects hospitals, pharmacies, and patients to affordable, quality medications with timely delivery. The platform combines an online marketplace with blockchain-backed track-and-trace, data analytics, and embedded financing to improve efficiency, safety, and transparency across the pharmaceutical supply chain. It provides quality-control as a service and links manufacturers, vetted suppliers, and logistics providers to health-care buyers, enabling automated procurement and financing options, including buy-now-pay-later for medication procurement. Based in Lagos, the company aims to streamline procurement, enhance visibility into the movement of medicines, and ensure reliable access to medications for health-care providers and consumers.

SHYFT Power Solutions

Seed Round in 2021
SHYFT Power Solutions develops an integrated hardware and software platform to monitor, manage, and control distributed energy resources from mobile and cloud interfaces. Its core offering, the SHYFT system, combines a hybrid smart meter and transfer switch to enable IoT-driven energy management that automatically transitions between the grid and backup sources. The company provides software that allows users to monitor, meter, and control power sources across sites, supporting residential, commercial, and industrial deployments. SHYFT focuses on industrial IoT and the orchestration of distributed energy resources to improve energy efficiency, resilience, and cost savings, with initiatives to expand decentralized power systems in markets with unreliable infrastructure.

Evolve Credit

Seed Round in 2020
Evolve Credit is a Nigerian fintech company founded in 2020, headquartered in Lagos. It operates an online platform that empowers consumers to explore, compare, and apply for various loan products tailored to different needs, including personal loans, SME loans, and options for salary earners and the unemployed. The platform provides expert reviews, ratings, and comparisons based on price, interest rates, and other terms. Additionally, Evolve Credit offers a Software as a Service (SaaS) core banking platform that enables financial institutions to streamline, digitize, and manage deposit, lending, and recovery services efficiently. This platform includes no-code tools designed to offer personalized customer banking experiences both online and offline.

Eden Life

Seed Round in 2020
Eden Life is a technology-driven service provider that simplifies daily living by offering subscription-based marketplace solutions for essential household tasks such as laundry, cleaning, meal delivery, and more. Operating primarily in Nigeria and Kenya, the company aims to enhance users' quality of life through convenient access to these services.

Africa Incubator

Series A in 2018
Africa Incubator Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo with offices in Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda, develops and markets sales automation software tailored for African enterprises. Founded in 2015 by Kentaro Nagai, the company's flagship product is SENRI, a software solution enabling field staff monitoring, report generation, order process streamlining, route management, customer management, and payment management. Additionally, Africa Incubator offers application development services for smartphones. As of 2018, SENRI was employed by approximately 50 African manufacturing and logistics companies, contributing to increased sales productivity for over 50 client companies.
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