EchoVC Partners

Rivy is making it easier to finance small and medium sized businesses in Africa. There is a need for financing of $158 bn for SMEs in Nigeria alone. To start, Rivy o helps SMEs access and spend lender capital effectively. During their first full operational year in 2020, the Rivy o co--founders leveraged their domain expertise and founding experience to beat their 2020 goal by 50%.

Bettr is a digital banking platform focused on South Africa’s youth, offering a fully online account, card, and virtual banking services with no transaction fees. The company combines fintech expertise with a community of creative entrepreneurs to provide tools for saving, borrowing, and insuring. Its mission is to give young people the confidence and financial resources needed to pursue their goals, fostering a new culture of money in Africa. Bettr operates as a technology-driven service that connects users to a broader financial ecosystem, aiming to improve financial inclusion and empower individuals to build wealth.

Wapi Pay is a Nairobi-based company, established in 2019, that provides a secure payments gateway to facilitate digital transactions between Africa and Asia. This platform enables users to make payments through various methods, including mobile money and bank accounts, and supports integration between different financial platforms. Wapi Pay's technology allows for bulk payments, making it suitable for organizations processing salaries and business purchases. The company offers a range of payment options—Bank to Bank, Wallet to Wallet, Bank to Wallet, and Wallet to Bank—catering to both individuals and businesses. It aims to provide a faster and more affordable alternative to traditional telegraphic transfers, allowing for instant liquidity and service completion within 24 hours. Wapi Pay's infrastructure ensures electronic compliance and due diligence for its partners, thus enhancing cross-border commerce in agricultural and manufactured products. The company also has locations in Singapore and Beijing, underscoring its commitment to facilitating international trade.

Bettr is a digital banking platform focused on South Africa’s youth, offering a fully online account, card, and virtual banking services with no transaction fees. The company combines fintech expertise with a community of creative entrepreneurs to provide tools for saving, borrowing, and insuring. Its mission is to give young people the confidence and financial resources needed to pursue their goals, fostering a new culture of money in Africa. Bettr operates as a technology-driven service that connects users to a broader financial ecosystem, aiming to improve financial inclusion and empower individuals to build wealth.

Founded in 2018, MarketForce is a technology company based in the US, Kenya, and Nigeria. It operates an asset-light business model, providing a comprehensive B2B commerce and fintech platform, 'RejaReja', empowering African merchants to digitize their inventory sourcing, ordering, payments, and access financing. The platform also enables merchants to resell digital financial services like airtime and bill payments. MarketForce is operational in five Sub-Saharan African markets, serving over 200,000 merchants and 50 consumer brands.

Founded in 2016, Lori Systems operates a logistics platform that connects transporters with cargo owners. Based in Nairobi, Kenya, with offices in Mombasa, Kampala, and Lagos, the company uses technology to improve transparency, flexibility, reliability, and cost savings (up to 18%) in Africa's $180 billion annual haulage market.

PayJoy Inc. is a consumer financing company based in San Francisco, California, founded in 2015. The firm specializes in providing smartphone-enabled financing solutions, primarily targeting underbanked individuals in emerging markets. By leveraging mobile security technology, PayJoy allows customers to select a smartphone, make an initial deposit, and choose a flexible payment plan. The financed smartphone serves as collateral, unlocking its full functionality once the purchase is complete. PayJoy's mission is to enhance access to credit for underserved populations, helping them navigate financial challenges and improve their economic standing. The company has successfully reached over 10 million customers across various countries, including Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, and South Africa, and continues to show solid profitability and growth.

NextCounsel is a Lagos, Nigeria-based provider of legal technology solutions that help law firms and related organizations streamline operations and boost productivity. The platform combines practice and case management, time and billing automation, document management, and accounting, with human resources information systems and contract management to support a complete legal ecosystem. It also offers features for customer relationship management and company secretarial workflows, enabling centralized organization of contacts, matters, invoices, and documents. Founded in 2017, NextCounsel aims to simplify day-to-day legal operations through integrated software that improves efficiency and oversight across legal processes.

Hotels.ng is an online travel agency based in Lagos, Nigeria, specializing in hotel bookings throughout the country. Founded in 2012, the platform enables clients to book hotel rooms online with ease. It offers comprehensive support and assistance, along with hotel recommendations and reviews, ensuring that customers have access to quality accommodations. By focusing on user experience, Hotels.ng aims to facilitate a smooth booking process, helping travelers find good, clean, and safe hotels across Nigeria.

SystemOne Technologies, Inc., established in 2012, is a healthcare technology company based in Springfield, Massachusetts, with an additional office in Johannesburg, South Africa. It specializes in developing data-driven solutions for infectious disease surveillance and response. The company's core product, GxAlert, is a software platform that aggregates and analyzes pertinent health data, providing real-time insights into disease patterns, treatment outcomes, and clinical diagnosis. This platform facilitates rapid decision-making by enabling users to track and manage infectious diseases more effectively, ensuring that every positive diagnosis is linked to a patient and treatment is confirmed.

Cellulant Corporation is a prominent multinational payments company headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, focused on digitizing payments across Africa's major economies. Founded in 2004, Cellulant offers a comprehensive mobile payments platform that connects businesses and governments, facilitating various consumer payment solutions. Its key products include Mula, a versatile payment platform; Agrikore, a blockchain-based tool designed for the agriculture sector that streamlines contracting and digital payments; and Tingg, which enables users to manage card, bank, and bill payments seamlessly. By providing locally relevant payment solutions, Cellulant addresses the intricate needs of global, regional, and local merchants, making it easier for them to collect and make payments in multiple currencies.

Easyshop Easycook Services Limited is a Nigerian online grocery delivery platform founded in 2006 and based in Lagos. The company specializes in providing a marketplace for both suppliers and buyers, focusing on the retail of grocery items including fresh food, perishables, non-perishables, household items, and office supplies. Catering primarily to working professionals, homes, offices, and restaurants, Easyshop Easycook aims to offer convenient shopping solutions for customers who face time constraints due to their busy schedules. By delivering quality products directly to customers' doorsteps, the company enhances the grocery shopping experience with an emphasis on affordability and accessibility.

Frontier Car Group is a Berlin-based startup focused on developing and operating used automotive marketplaces in emerging markets, including Nigeria, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Pakistan, and Indonesia. The company aims to simplify the process of buying and selling used cars through its online platform, which features a digital quote engine that provides instant pricing for vehicles. This technology not only enhances the efficiency of transactions but also facilitates quick vehicle inspections at designated locations. By leveraging innovative business models and infrastructure, Frontier Car Group is able to create value for all stakeholders involved in the used car market. Additionally, the company is engaged in joint ventures with OLX in India and Poland, further expanding its reach and impact in the automotive sector.

MyPadi is a leading real estate platform in Nigeria that specializes in connecting students with off-campus hostels and potential roommates. The platform provides a comprehensive array of resources, including photographs, video tours, pricing details, and roommate profiles, all sourced from verified landlords. By offering this information, MyPadi enables students to make informed decisions about their housing options near their educational institutions, streamlining the search process for suitable accommodation.

LifeBank is a healthcare logistics company that delivers critical medical supplies to hospitals and blood banks across Africa. It operates an enterprise marketplace and mobile app that enables hospitals and blood banks to source blood, blood products, oxygen, and other medical consumables and coordinates multi-modal delivery to care facilities. Founded in 2015 and based in Lagos, Nigeria, LifeBank combines digital sourcing with rapid logistics to improve on-time delivery, including rare medicines, supporting clinicians during emergencies.

WhereIsMyTransport Ltd is an urban transportation technology company based in London, United Kingdom, with a presence in Cape Town, South Africa. The company specializes in providing comprehensive public transport data for emerging-market megacities, focusing on regions in Africa, Latin America, Southeast Europe, and South and Southeast Asia. By digitalizing network information from various modes of public transport, WhereIsMyTransport ensures data accuracy amidst the dynamic changes of these systems. Their platform offers a data collection framework for mapping both formal and informal transport networks, equipping businesses, municipalities, and citizens with essential information to enhance infrastructure and navigate urban environments effectively. Through its innovative products and data services, WhereIsMyTransport aims to improve the public transport experience for users and support industry stakeholders in their operational needs.

Frontier Car Group is a Berlin-based startup focused on developing and operating used automotive marketplaces in emerging markets, including Nigeria, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Pakistan, and Indonesia. The company aims to simplify the process of buying and selling used cars through its online platform, which features a digital quote engine that provides instant pricing for vehicles. This technology not only enhances the efficiency of transactions but also facilitates quick vehicle inspections at designated locations. By leveraging innovative business models and infrastructure, Frontier Car Group is able to create value for all stakeholders involved in the used car market. Additionally, the company is engaged in joint ventures with OLX in India and Poland, further expanding its reach and impact in the automotive sector.

Riby is a fintech company based in Lagos, Nigeria. It offers a digital platform that enables cooperatives, associations, micro businesses, and individuals to create, manage bank or mobile money accounts, and access financial services.

Founded in 2011, Ma3Route is a platform that crowdsources real-time transport data in developing countries. It provides users with timely information on traffic, public transit routes (matatus), and driving reports via web, SMS, and mobile apps. The platform aims to enhance travel ease, improve road safety, and inform urban planning through its data and trend analysis.

Hotels.ng is an online travel agency based in Lagos, Nigeria, specializing in hotel bookings throughout the country. Founded in 2012, the platform enables clients to book hotel rooms online with ease. It offers comprehensive support and assistance, along with hotel recommendations and reviews, ensuring that customers have access to quality accommodations. By focusing on user experience, Hotels.ng aims to facilitate a smooth booking process, helping travelers find good, clean, and safe hotels across Nigeria.