Enabling smallholder farmers with access to credit and markets
Growth Gateway helped Pesira secure a financing round of £1-3M
We partnered with Pesira to help farmers digitize so they are aware of products and pricing, and so they can know what is good for their soil and the market
James Gichigo
CEO, Kenya Rural Food Center (KRFC), Kenya
James’ story
Before Pesira
Before onboarding, most of KRFC’s farmers recorded sales manually and had no access to formal credit, which limited their productivity and earnings
After Pesira
Through Pesira’s digital profiles and financial linkages, farmers gained access to microloans and digital yield tracking, enabling better planning and efficient harvesting. As a result, average yields rose by over 30%, and farmers reported higher earnings
Pesira’s impact
Pesira’s digital finance platform gives smallholder farmers access to affordable credit, insurance, and markets, helping them grow income, build resilience, and drive sustainable agriculture
Farmers Digitised
600,000
Farmers with access to Pesira’s digital tools
Challenge
While uptake among smallholder farmers was promising, Pesira needed support in refining how it positioned its business model and future growth to investors.
The team needed a view of investor requirements, how to articulate their business model, and support on how to think about the company’s financial valuation.
We explicitly wanted to work with Growth Gateway, because they possess the market expertise needed to convince investors of the opportunity in East Africa
Penny Musengi
Founder & CEO, Pesira
Gateway’s Role
Pesira was supported through Growth Gateway’s Women’s Economic Empowerment Accelerator, which helps startups unlock investment
- Refining the investment thesis, with a focus on product-market fit
- Demonstrating partner-enabled low-cost growth strategy to reach 10M+ farmers by 2030
- Providing a VC perspective to guide valuation approach
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