Amini, a climate-tech startup based in Kenya, has successfully raised $4 million in a seed funding round. The funding was led by Salesforce Ventures and the Female Founders Fund, with participation from Climate-tech VC Satgana and other investors, including Pale Blue Dot and Superorganism. Amini had previously raised $2 million in a pre-seed round earlier this year.
Key Takeaway
Amini, a Kenya-based climate-tech startup, has raised $4 million in a seed funding round led by Salesforce Ventures and the Female Founders Fund. The startup aims to bridge the environmental data gap in Africa by leveraging satellite and other datasets to provide valuable insights and promote transparency in supply chains. Amini’s platform empowers farmers and enables the creation of innovative solutions for sustainable transformations in various industries.
Using Data to Bridge the Environmental Gap in Africa
Amini focuses on bridging the environmental data gap in Africa by leveraging satellite and other datasets. The startup collects data from multiple sources, including sensors, research, and ground truthing, to provide valuable insights on various aspects such as biodiversity, soil and crop health, and farming practices. This data enables the creation of real-time monitoring tools and machine learning models. One of its applications includes flood detection.
According to Kate Kallot, the founder and CEO of Amini, the platform taps into artificial intelligence and space technologies to make environmental data easily accessible for decision-making and transparency in supply chains. The goal is to hold brands accountable and help them demonstrate their commitment to sustainability through data-driven evidence.
Initially, Amini has been working with clients in the agricultural and insurance industries, including Aon. However, the startup is now expanding its reach to food and beverage companies and consumer packaged goods producers as it aims to support sustainable transformations in their supply chains. This shift is motivated by recent regulations in the US and Europe that require corporations to disclose climate risks in their supply chains.
Empowering Farmers and Transforming Global Food Systems
Kallot believes that Amini’s efforts in enhancing transparency, data access, and economic inclusion for farmers present a unique opportunity to transform global food systems. The startup aims to empower farmers by providing them with access to data, which in turn fosters transparency and trust. This, Kallot argues, will lead to increased investment in farming communities.
She also emphasizes the need to rebalance the value chain in Africa. Currently, the majority of profits in the cocoa value chain, for example, go to those selling the finished products, while farmers who produce the commodities are left with minimal earnings. Amini aims to innovate and recalibrate the value chain to ensure that farmers and individuals on the continent receive their fair share.
A Platform for Innovation and Sustainable Solutions
Amini has a broader vision of becoming a platform that can be used to build innovative solutions for the African continent. The startup, which can provide historical data spanning up to 20 years, believes that its platform has limitless use cases. Kallot envisions empowering thousands of developers and individuals with the necessary tools to create solutions tailored to their communities.
VC Funding Shifts Toward African Climate Startups
This funding round for Amini comes at a time when venture capital funding is increasingly shifting toward African climate startups. Investors are recognizing the potential for innovation and technology to address climate-related challenges on the continent. Amini’s success in securing funding from prominent investors like Salesforce Ventures and the Female Founders Fund is a testament to the growing interest in climate-tech solutions in Africa.
