Chui Ventures

🎉 Huge congratulations to Nick Joshi and Team Leta on reaching a significant milestone with their $5M seed funding, led by Speedinvest and backed by Google’s Africa Investment Fund and Equator! When we first invested in Leta with an angel check, we saw the potential of their innovative logistics technology to transform how goods move across Africa. Since then, we've doubled down with follow-on investments, witnessing their growth firsthand. Their AI-powered platform now optimizes over 10,000 daily trips, powering 35+ major businesses like KFC, Diageo, and EABL across five markets. Beyond reducing costs, Leta is exploring embedded finance and sustainability solutions, with plans to track carbon emissions and introduce asset financing. This investment will help them continue their mission to make logistics cheaper, faster, and more efficient across Africa. We've believed in Leta’s vision from the start, and it’s inspiring to see them redefining logistics in Africa and beyond! 🚀 Read more on this exciting update here 👉 https://lnkd.in/gFXukfZP. #LogisticsTech #AfricaRising #Innovation #ImpactInvesting #PortfolioUpdate

We closed last week on a high! 🙌 working with our partner Safaricom PLC on the #SparkAcceleratorDemoDay Our Managing Director, Maryanne Ochola moderated an engaging panel discussion on the VC ecosystem in Kenya and judged the pitches by the inaugural cohort of the Spark Accelerator program. Listening to the pitches from chpter. ,BlackRhino VR, nobuk, VunaPay & FaidiHR (Safaricom Spark 24), we are excited by what founders are building and we can’t wait to support this next generation of high-impact founders! We are grateful to an outstanding panel-Joyce-Ann Wainaina from Chui Ventures, Isaac Otolo from PwC, Njeri Muhia from FrontEnd Ventures and Nonnie Wanjihia Burbidge from Enza Capital for sharing their insights on the VC landscape and for providing valuable advice to founders. It’s exciting to see local funds and fund managers leading the charge in accelerating the growth of our VC ecosystem! 🚀 #Endeavorkenya #SparkAcceleratorDemoDay Maryanne Ochola Cheryl Itemere Arunga Tabitha Amondi Rashid Shakombo Njeri Kinuthia

Investing in Africa’s Future: Local Capital, Big Opportunities 🚀 The Safaricom PLC Spark Demo Day here in Nairobi featured an insightful panel discussion on venture capital investments in Africa, and it was a privilege to see such strong voices shaping the conversation. Enza Capital colleague Nonnie Wanjihia Burbidge shared insights on a panel with the inspirational Joyce-Ann Wainaina from Chui Ventures, pension fund whisperer Njeri Muhia from FrontEnd Ventures, and Isaac Otolo from PwC. It was a thoughtful discussion, expertly facilitated by Maryanne Ochola from Endeavor in Kenya, and it focused on the evolving venture landscape in Africa, and what that means for founders. One of the most encouraging shifts we’re seeing is the rise of local capital, this is capital that is deeply embedded in Africa, better attuned to the challenges and opportunities here, and more capable of providing the kind of long-term, locally relevant support that founders need. This capital is “rooted” here, and committed to the Continent, and it’s an encouraging trend to see. The opportunities in Africa are immense, particularly for those solving large, meaningful problems, as there are many of those to solve. But sustainable success isn’t just about raising capital—it’s about using it wisely as a precious and non-renewable resource. The best founders focus on capital efficiency, de-risking over time and scaling with discipline rather than overspending. Exciting times ahead for the ecosystem. Grateful to Safaricom Spark for bringing together such a stellar group of investors, founders, and ecosystem leaders. Congrats to all the founders who pitched today! Let’s keep building. #africatech #growth #homegrown #talent #opportunity

🚀 Exciting Update: Investing Responsibly in Africa’s Future! At Chui Ventures, we believe that venture capital in Africa must do more than fund startups—it should fuel sustainable, inclusive growth. That’s why we’re proud to announce the formal adoption of our Responsible Investment Policy! 🎉 This policy reinforces our commitment to: ✅ Empowering high-potential African founders building digital and tech-enabled solutions for mass-market needs. ✅ Embedding ESG principles into our investment decisions, ensuring long-term value for investors and stakeholders. ✅ Driving impact, with a strong focus on gender equity, financial inclusion, and economic empowerment. Our approach is guided by global best practices, including the UN Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the 2X Global framework for gender-lens investing. 📢 We see this as more than just a policy—this is a commitment to shaping a sustainable, inclusive, and thriving future for Africa. 🌎 Read more about our Responsible Investment Policy by downloading it here  👉https://lnkd.in/d98JTMJH #VentureCapital #Africa #ResponsibleInvesting #ESG #ImpactInvesting #GenderEquity #Innovation #Sustainability #SDGs

We are thrilled to announce the distinguished speakers for the AmCham Women in Business Leadership Forum: 1. Joyce-Ann Wainaina, Founder & Managing Partner, Chui Ventures 2. Brenda Mbathi, CEO, TRIFIC 3. Megan Root, Founder & CEO, Grounded 4. Phyllis Migwi, Kenya Country General Manager, Microsoft 5. Moderated by: MaryAnne Mwaura, Director of Public Affairs, Sub-Saharan Africa, Citi Bank Celebrate International Women’s Month 2025 with us at the AmCham Women in Business Leadership Forum. This empowering platform brings together accomplished women leaders to share actionable strategies for building resilience, fostering agility, and driving meaningful change in today’s dynamic business environment. As we champion this year's rallying call #AccelerateAction for International Women’s Day, the session will offer invaluable insights on navigating economic uncertainties, leveraging technology for business growth, and fostering the next generation of women leaders through mentorship and sponsorship. Event Details: Theme: Leading in Uncertain Times 📅 Date: Friday, March 14, 2025 🕥 Time: 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM + Networking Lunch 📍 Venue: Trademark Hotel We invite you to be part of this critical conversation and contribute to accelerating progress for women in business leadership.

Building a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem requires vision, collaboration, and the right network. On February 26, we hosted an exclusive founders mixer in Lagos with Allen Taylor (Managing Partner, Endeavor Catalyst) & Michele Wanjiku (Regional Head, Africa). It was an evening of meaningful conversations, industry insights, and valuable connections. The evening was filled with insightful conversations about scaling high-impact ventures, accessing smart capital, and leveraging the power of the Endeavor network. #Endeavor #EndeavorNigeria #VentureCapital #EndeavorCatalyst #HighImpactEntrepreneurs #EndeavorEntrepreneurs Endeavor Endeavor Catalyst Ireayomide O Chijioke Dozie Carbon Emeka Emetarom Zone Somtochukwu Ifezue Joshua Chibueze Piggyvest Tunde Kara Vendease Africa Obi Emetarom Deepankar Rustagi OmniRetail Africa Wale Onawunmi Richard Oyome Raenest Damilola Olokesusi Shuttlers Tope Alabi Afriex Maxwell Obi Waza (YC W23) M. Mikael Hajjar P1 Ventures Brian Waswani Odhiambo Novastar Ventures Franklin Hodgins Ebomah Chui Ventures Ayobami O. Esther Otusanya Joy E. Joy Mabia Opeyemi Lawal Mofifoluwa Olawumi

Criterion recently wrapped up a #genderlensinvesting retreat for investment leaders shaping investment towards decent jobs for youth and women on the African continent, as part of their work as gender partner in the Mastercard Foundation Africa Growth Fund consortium. Using Criterion’s TOOLKIT framework, participants spent three days evaluating their investment structures and processes, identifying how power dynamics and societal norms inform the current investment landscape. They also gave examples of how the integration of a gender lens into the investment decision-making process and even portfolio company business models has led to increased performance. One fund’s portfolio company working in cold-chain storage for the fishing industry had a low uptake of women customers because they couldn’t get cash up front to purchase the product. They started a paygo option in response, and the ensuing spike in women customers created a chain of recommendations to even more women within the community. "They became lifelong partners who brought in more women from their networks, significantly lowering their customer acquisition costs,” said the fund manager. Participants also gave examples of how they used their power to address inequities in shareholding, representation and safety at work within portfolio companies. Beyond direct investment, investment leaders apply an ecosystem building approach in order to address critical market and value chain needs. “We have been building the ecosystem for girls in tech for the last 18 years and have been running a gender lens incubator/accelerator. We hope to one day build a capital vertical that supports this effort by provision of capital for impact credits as the returns,” one participant said.  Over the coming weeks we will continue to support the Fund’s investment leaders in integrating key take-aways from the retreat. We will also soon be sharing some examples of advanced practices that address gendered power dynamics from our conversations with funds within the broader African ecosystem. (Thank you Agnes Makena for the write-up!) Kazana Fund Chui Ventures Sahara Impact Ventures Five35 Ventures Aruwa Capital Management Janngo.africa VestedWorld Joy Anderson MEDA (Mennonite Economic Development Associates) Rugori Investment Network

American Chamber of Commerce, Kenya Thank you for hosting this insightful event. The discussion #Leading in Uncertain Times, is both relevant and timely. As Chui Ventures, we encourage entrepreneurs to plan for uncertainty by building: 1. Agility - Leveraging technology 2. Resilience - Strengthening financial base and manage costs 3. Adaptability - Pivoting when needed. 4. Teams - Invest in strengthen your team.

The VC/Investment session, speaking on ‘Venture Capital Investing in Africa Amidst Turbulent Macroeconomic Conditions’ explored the current challenges and opportunities of securing funding within the venture capital landscape moving forward. Industry leaders shared actionable insights on how founders can adapt to shifting investor sentiment and explore diverse funding avenues. Panelists emphasized the importance of building resilient business models capable of navigating economic uncertainties while maintaining a focus on creating impact. We were delighted to host Els Boerhof, Managing Partner at Goodwell Investments , Akshay Grover, Founder at amadi & Managing Director , Africa at Ebury, Ceasar Nyagah, Investment Principal at Chui Ventures and Deji Sarumi, CEO at Tech Hive Advisory as they jointly explored the future of venture capital funding in Africa. #tech #fintech #venturecapital #finance #africafintech #techinAfrica #techevents