Kepple Africa Ventures

Kepple Africa Ventures is a venture capital firm based in Tokyo, Japan, with operations in Nairobi, Kenya, that invests in pre-seed and seed-stage startups across Africa to foster new industries. The firm provides funding, connections, and support for growth, cross-border expansion, and potential mergers. It has invested in over 100 companies across 11 African countries, with a portfolio including TIBU Health, SESO, utu technologies, and Shuttlers. In February 2022, Kepple Africa Ventures launched Verod-Kepple Africa Ventures, a joint venture with Verod Capital Management, which focuses on Series A investments. This joint venture raised $43M from backers including SBI Holdings and Toyota Tsusho Corporation, and has invested in 8 companies, with Ory Okolloh joining as a partner. Kepple Africa Ventures was founded in 2018 by Takahiro Kanzaki, Satoshi Shinada, and Ryosuke Yamawaki.