US-based impact investor Gray Matters Capital has today announced that it has funded Taimba, a Nairobi based B2B Agri-Tech start-up that runs a mobile-based cashless platform connecting rural small scale farmers to urban retailers under its gender lens portfolio – GMC coLABS to the tune of US$100,000.

Taimba sources agricultural products directly from the rural small-scale farmers and delivers directly to informal greengrocers, schools, hospitals and restaurants within Nairobi, thereby removing the middlemen and shrinking the agricultural value chain.

It currently has over 2,000 farmers in its portfolio and engages with 15 farmer SACCOs (Savings and Credit Co-operatives) selling produce such as potatoes, tomatoes, cabbages and carrots on one side and 310 customers on the other comprising informal greengrocers (85%), restaurants and cafés (10%) and Schools and hospitals (5%) based out in Nairobi.

Speaking about the fundraise, Dominique Kavuisya, Co-Founder and CEO, Taimba said, “We are delighted to become a part of Gray Matters Capital’s portfolio through the coLABS funding. This is a validation of the work which we have been doing and the impact on-ground delivering value to vendors and farmers through our mobile platform. The funding is a shot in the arm for us to strengthen our warehouse infrastructure by setting up cold storage facilities and also our delivery logistics so that we can cater to 6 new markets within Nairobi.”

The start-up is also planning to pilot in Mombasa and Kisumu city by next year and will also look at introducing new products such as fruits, nuts and eggs as part of its farm product catalogue.

Joan Kavuisya, Co-Founder and Head of Product Development, who is passionate about shortening the value chain to reduce the cost of food and building traceability of fresh produce sources as a way to play her part in sustainable practices, said “Taimba will be all about quality fresh produce grown with good farming practices. We plan on using technology to fine-tune traceability through-out the value chain-from seeds used to other farm inputs.  We will expand our tech such that eventually there will be a simple solution that farmers and traders have a way to engage and benefit through us.”

“By delivering more money in their hands, in addition to the convenience of time, the women served by Taimba have an opportunity to create a better livelihood for themselves and their families”, said Jennifer Soltis, Portfolio Manager – coLABS, Gray Matters Capital.

She goes on to add, “The team has built a solution that can be replicated in other markets in East Africa with minimal tweaks, and we are excited to partner with them in their growth journey.”

The funding marks the fourth investment by the impact investor in Africa after Rwanda based ARED, Ghana-based Redbird Health Tech, and Nigeria based Sonocare.

Gray Matters Capital has also supported two start-ups from the continent – Kenya’s parent advisory turned e-commerce start-up MumsVillage and Sierra Leone head quartered EduFin start-up Mosabi as part of its global digital accelerator program – GMC Calibrator earlier this year.

Musa Suleiman
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