Verod-Kepple Africa Ventures has raised US$43-million for its African based venture capital fund. The fund is expected to invest in technology-enhanced startups that have already begun generating revenue streams within the African continent. The funding raised came from came from investors such as SBI Holdings, Toyota Tsusho Corporation, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank (SMTB).
Verod Capital Partners is a private equity firm with a strong track record in small to medium enterprise (SME) investments with a fund size of $150m. Verod Capital Partners has historically invested in SME companies in West Africa including Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Gambia.
Kepple Africa Ventures is a Japanese venture capital investor that was established by Takahiro Kanzaki, Satoshi Shinada and Ryosuke Yamawaki. The firm is based in Kenya and Nigeria and has invested in several startups such as Sendy, Bamboo, Life Stores Pharmacy, Talamus, Ajua, Boya and Decagon among many others.