Village Capital

Octavia Carbon is the Global South's pioneering Direct Air Capture (DAC) company, focused on developing innovative technology to filter carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere. By utilizing Kenya's abundant geothermal energy and geological resources, Octavia Carbon aims to significantly reduce the costs associated with DAC technology. The captured CO2 can be transformed into stable rock formations underground or repurposed as an industrial gas, providing a cleaner alternative to fossil fuels. This approach not only addresses climate change but also supports industrial power users in East Africa, contributing to the fight against energy poverty in the region.

BeSingularity, headquartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, is a technology company that provides a sales outsourcing platform. This platform aims to help businesses grow their sales, acquire and retain customers, and achieve overall business growth objectives. It enables clients to optimize their sales strategies, expand market reach, and ultimately sell their products and services more effectively.

Fundi App is a mobile application designed to connect customers with vetted handymen who provide a range of installation, repair, and maintenance services. The platform addresses the challenges faced by skilled youth in Africa, where a significant number enter the labor market annually but face high unemployment and underemployment rates. By leveraging technology, Fundi App matches customer demand with the nearest available skilled individuals in real-time, ensuring that users can find reliable and affordable service providers. This approach not only enhances the customer experience by providing a streamlined way to access quality services but also aims to create stable economic opportunities for informal sector workers. By improving access to decent work, Fundi App plays a crucial role in fostering economic growth and building thriving communities in sub-Saharan Africa.

Angaza Elimu is an ed-tech company dedicated to transforming education in Kenya and across Africa by addressing classroom inefficiencies and the lack of adequate educational resources. The company offers a comprehensive e-Learning platform that simplifies classroom management, allowing teachers to focus more on delivering quality education. Angaza Elimu enhances student engagement through a Student Portal that promotes critical thinking and technological interaction. Additionally, the company provides supplemental training in STEM subjects, fostering innovation and creativity among young learners. With a commitment to empowering African youth, Angaza Elimu also features an Internet of Things school that offers hands-on training in hardware engineering, enabling students to learn at their own pace both inside and outside the classroom.

Stars From All Nations ® is a Ghana-based education social enterprise on a bold mission to unlock the potential of Africa’s young geniuses by helping them turn their passions into businesses and fulfilling careers. SFAN believes that young people are smart and if given the skills and opportunities to engage the real world, magic will happen! The team’s work stems from a desire to raise the next generation of leaders that will contribute to creating the most incredible economic phenomenon the world has ever seen on the continent. The company’s signature initiative, ReadyforWork, is a digital career accelerator that uses Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to equip entry-level job seekers with skills and help recruiters make data-driven hiring decisions.

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

DriversNg provides reliable and professionally trained drivers to individuals, companies and organisations all over Nigeria.

Tustawi is a Kenyan company specializing in e-learning solutions for professional development. It leverages technology to create customized, job-specific, and market-relevant training programs, helping professionals enhance their skills and stay competitive in the job market.

Gradely.ng Limited operates a personalized learning platform designed for secondary school students in Nigeria. Founded in 2019 and based in Yaba, the company utilizes artificial intelligence to provide tailored learning materials, online tutorials, and video lessons. Gradely focuses on enhancing exam preparation by offering assessment reporting, tracking, and training for teachers, along with computer-based tests and a learning progress tracker for schools. The platform employs analytics to identify and address learning gaps in real-time, assisting parents and educators in supporting students effectively. Through adaptive homework tests available on web and mobile devices, Gradely assesses students' understanding of various topics and recommends specific practice sets and remedial resources. The system allows teachers to create and assign homework efficiently, while generating progress reports for students, parents, and schools. Gradely's innovative approach ensures a comprehensive learning experience by continuously adjusting the difficulty of questions based on students' mastery levels.

Youverify Inc. is a technology company founded in 2017 and based in Lewes, Delaware, specializing in identity verification solutions. The company's flagship product, Youverify, enables businesses and individuals to confirm user identities and physical addresses through advanced AI technology. It verifies identity documents by comparing them with facial biometrics and cross-checks this information against over 300 local and global databases. Youverify also collaborates with more than 20,000 field verification officers across Sub-Saharan Africa, ensuring physical address verification within 48 hours. By providing a single API for identity and address verification, Youverify addresses the challenges in Africa's digital landscape, offering a secure platform for background screening that includes identity fraud detection, encrypted data privacy, and risk assessment capabilities.

PiggyVest is a financial technology company based in Nigeria that provides an automated savings platform aimed at helping individuals and businesses manage their finances efficiently. The platform enables users, particularly from low- and middle-income backgrounds, to save small amounts of money regularly—whether daily, weekly, or monthly—thereby promoting sustainable savings habits. By automating the saving process, PiggyVest reduces the temptation to withdraw funds prematurely, as users can only access their savings on predetermined withdrawal dates. The company previously operated as Piggybank.ng and has since acquired a microfinance bank license. All funds saved through the platform are securely managed by a licensed asset management company. PiggyVest also facilitates the earning of competitive interest rates on savings, enhancing the value of users' money while eliminating withdrawal and monthly fees, thereby making financial management accessible and user-friendly.

Riby is a financial technology company based in Lagos, Nigeria, that specializes in providing a finance management platform tailored for cooperatives, trade groups, associations, and micro and small businesses. The company's platform enables users to efficiently manage their finances by automating savings processes, facilitating high-interest investments, and offering various payment options. Riby collaborates with banks and payment processing companies to assist clients, particularly those in low to middle-income brackets, in creating and managing bank or mobile money accounts. Additionally, the platform provides access to collateral-free loans, enhancing the financial capabilities of its users and promoting overall economic growth within these communities.

Ensibuuko is a Ugandan technology company established in 2014, specializing in developing cloud-based micro-finance software tailored for community-level financial institutions across Africa. The company's core business involves providing affordable banking solutions, enabling users to access their accounts via mobile phones, check balances, make deposits, and withdrawals, even in areas with limited telecom infrastructure.

Baby Grubz is a social enterprise based in Lagos, Nigeria, founded in 2013, specializing in nutrition solutions for infants. The company produces a diverse range of affordable dried homemade cereals, grains, fruits, vegetables, and condiments, which serve as the foundation for creating nutritious and convenient meals for babies. By focusing on wholesome organic ingredients, Baby Grubz aims to tackle moderate malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies, offering parents accessible options to enhance their children's nutritional well-being. Through its innovative products, Baby Grubz supports parents in providing healthier meal choices for their infants.

PiggyVest is a financial technology company based in Nigeria that provides an automated savings platform aimed at helping individuals and businesses manage their finances efficiently. The platform enables users, particularly from low- and middle-income backgrounds, to save small amounts of money regularly—whether daily, weekly, or monthly—thereby promoting sustainable savings habits. By automating the saving process, PiggyVest reduces the temptation to withdraw funds prematurely, as users can only access their savings on predetermined withdrawal dates. The company previously operated as Piggybank.ng and has since acquired a microfinance bank license. All funds saved through the platform are securely managed by a licensed asset management company. PiggyVest also facilitates the earning of competitive interest rates on savings, enhancing the value of users' money while eliminating withdrawal and monthly fees, thereby making financial management accessible and user-friendly.

ARED Group is a technology company focused on bridging the digital divide through innovative solutions. Founded in 2013 and based in Kigali, Rwanda, ARED develops a solar-powered kiosk platform that provides essential services such as internet access, phone charging, airtime, mobile money, prepaid electricity, and tax payments. The company specifically aims to serve underserved populations, including women and individuals with disabilities. Its mini-server platform enhances the accessibility of digital applications by storing content closer to users, thereby reducing internet costs and improving performance. By leveraging renewable energy, ARED addresses the critical issue of energy access, enabling users to charge their devices and utilize digital services effectively. ARED began piloting its technology in 2020 across several African countries, working with local partners to facilitate a more inclusive digital landscape.

Lekki Peninsula Affordable Schools is a low-cost private school chain in Nigeria focused on delivering high-quality education to low-income families. The institution operates on an all-inclusive fee structure, which covers tuition, books, uniforms, exams, and additional lessons, including after-school programs. This model makes quality education accessible to families at the bottom of the economic pyramid. Lekki Peninsula Affordable Schools also offers a flexible payment system, allowing families to pay fees on a weekly basis, accommodating their financial situations. The schools provide a safe and clean environment for learning, complemented by extracurricular activities such as sports, drama, and arts, aimed at fostering socially responsible and economically productive citizens.

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.

Access Afya Limited is a healthcare provider based in Nairobi, Kenya, focused on delivering essential medical services to low-income neighborhoods through a network of micro-clinics. Founded in 2012, the company operates standardized digital clinics that offer a range of services including consultations, pharmacy services, rapid diagnostic tests, family planning, and immunizations. Access Afya also engages with local schools by providing health check-ups, health report cards, deworming services, hand-washing education, and nutrition counseling. Utilizing modern health technologies, Access Afya aims to improve access to quality healthcare in underserved communities.