Pre-Seed Funded Startups in Kenya
In the 16 most recent pre-seed rounds shown, the largest disclosed amount is Jahazii’s $400K (2025-10-14), and it sits above the $100K and $30K floor but b…
In the 16 most recent pre-seed rounds shown, the largest disclosed amount is Jahazii’s $400K (2025-10-14), and it sits above the $100K and $30K floor but below the $700K–$2M cluster. That cluster is clear in mid-to-earlier years: multiple disclosed rounds land at $1M (e.g., Chpter, Buupass, Purple Elephant Ventures, Zuri Health, and BasiGo at $1M across 2024-09-02 to 2022-10-07 and 2021-11-02), while a handful of entries fall to $100K (My Shamba Digital, mSwali, and Virdismart Global) and $30K (Mywagepay and PesaKit). The geography is tightly concentrated: all listed startups are Nairobi, Nairobi Area, or both, with the only “city” distinction being the shared Nairobi label. Temporally, the rounds span 2021-08-19 (CashBackApp) through 2025-10-14 (Jahazii), with several pre-seeds clustered between 2022-05-01 and 2022-05-18. Sector-wise, AI appears repeatedly (Chpter 2024-09-02 $1M; PesaKit 2021-11-11 $30K; Virdismart Global 2021-10-01 $100K), alongside a smaller set of healthcare, apps, and financial-service entries.
Most recent rounds
16 shownRelated listings
Frequently asked
What size outliers stand out among the disclosed pre-seed rounds, and where do most deals cluster?
Jahazii’s $400K on 2025-10-14 is the largest disclosed amount in this list; most other disclosed rounds cluster at $1M (Chpter 2024-09-02, Buupass 2023-02-12, Purple Elephant Ventures 2022-10-07, Zuri Health 2022-05-18, and BasiGo 2021-11-02). Several deals are far lower, including $30K (Mywagepay 2022-08-02 and PesaKit 2021-11-11) and $100K (My Shamba Digital 2022-02-19, mSwali 2021-10-25, Virdismart Global 2021-10-01).
Are there dense date windows where multiple pre-seed rounds closed close together?
Yes. Between 2022-05-01 and 2022-05-18, there are multiple entries: GoBEBA (2022-05-01, undisclosed), Badili (2022-05-11, undisclosed), and Zuri Health (2022-05-18, $1M). Another notable grouping is the $1M-adjacent run across 2022-10-07 to 2023-12-06, with Purple Elephant Ventures ($1M, 2022-10-07), Buupass ($1M, 2023-02-12), and Tappi ($2M, 2023-12-06).
Which geography is over-represented, and do multiple “cities” appear under Kenya?
Geographic concentration is strong: every row lists either Nairobi or Nairobi Area (including “Nairobi, Nairobi Area, Kenya” for most entries), with no separate Kenyan region appearing in the provided data. This makes Nairobi the dominant geography across the entire 2021-08-19 to 2025-10-14 range.
Does any sector repeat often enough to suggest a specialization pattern within these pre-seeds?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) appears in at least three entries: Chpter (2024-09-02, $1M), PesaKit (2021-11-11, $30K), and Virdismart Global (2021-10-01, $100K). Outside of AI, sectors are more fragmented (e.g., apps show up as mSwali $100K in 2021-10-25 and CashBackApp $500K in 2021-08-19).
How much of the list is missing disclosed round amounts, and does that affect outlier comparisons?
Two entries have undisclosed amounts: Badili (2022-05-11) and GoBEBA (2022-05-01). Since those are excluded from disclosed-size comparisons, the outlier callouts rely on disclosed figures such as Jahazii ($400K on 2025-10-14) and Tappi ($2M on 2023-12-06).
What are the temporal edges for this cohort of pre-seed rounds in Kenya, and which companies define them?
The most recent disclosed round shown is Jahazii on 2025-10-14 for $400K, while the earliest entry shown is CashBackApp on 2021-08-19 for $500K. That sets a span of roughly four years (2021-08-19 to 2025-10-14) across the 16 rows.
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