Participated · Seed · Mar 2022

OkHi’s core product integrates into mobile banking and fintech apps to let consumers create addresses by dropping a pin and then verifies residency using phone location data and an AI-powered verification engine. The service replaces manual proof-of-address methods such as utility bills or physical agents and charges clients N500 (~$1) per successful verification. OkHi says it has “hundreds of thousands” of users, has created addresses in 54 countries, and a pilot with Stanbic IBTC showed the product was 30% more accurate, 4x faster and 50% cheaper than using a physical agent. The company is focused on financial-services onboarding (banks and fintechs) but plans to expand use cases into last-mile delivery, e-commerce, food delivery and emergency services. OkHi is concentrating on Nigeria as its launch pad and is targeting 1 million users in the next six months while shunning formal expansion requests from other regions for now. The team is mainly remote with staff in Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya and London and the company plans to double headcount to hire across engineering, sales and product to drive consumer and B2B growth. OkHi offers a smart addressing system that attaches a GPS pin to an individual’s name and phone number, enabling businesses and services to capture accurate delivery and contact information. Its platform also allows people to associate phone numbers, email addresses and account details to simplify payments and onboarding. OkHi says its technology is used across e-commerce, banks and emergency services and aims to include the estimated millions without formal addresses. The startup has launched in Nigeria through a partnership with Interswitch to help provide access to addresses for an estimated 195 million Nigerians. OkHi cites operational impact from its Kenya deployments — reducing delivery costs by 20% and cutting delivery times by 40% — and the Nigeria launch is projected to save the economy about $2 billion a year. The company recently closed a $1.5-million seed round to accelerate growth and country-wide scaling. OkHi builds a location-based addressing app that lets users geotag locations, add a photo, and create a shareable virtual address. The product targets the roughly four billion people without working physical addresses, enabling access to deliveries, banking and emergency services. OkHi works with ecommerce companies to solve delivery challenges and previously partnered with Jumia Kenya for Black Friday deliveries. The startup has mapped over 100,000 locations in Nairobi. OkHi says it is exploring uses beyond ecommerce, including faster ambulance response and improved courier deliveries. The company was founded in Nairobi in 2014.

Participated · Seed · Nov 2021

Shuttlers operates a bus‑sharing platform focused on corporate commutes and individual riders, offering scheduled routes, live bus tracking, optimal routing, digital payments and ride schedules. Launched by CEO Damilola Olokesusi in 2016, the Lagos‑based company runs nearly 260 buses across about 300 routes in Lagos and Abuja and serves 80+ corporate clients. It sells over 9,000 tickets daily, claims 70,000 users (about half have ridden), and reports 3 million B2B trips to date. The startup has three payment plans for companies and individuals, with fares ranging from N850 (~$1.96) to N1300 (~$2.60). Shuttlers says it has cut commuters’ carbon footprints by 85% (about 4 million pounds of CO2) and processed over $1M in transactions prior to its seed. The company plans to build infrastructure to scale its mass transit business, expand into five more Nigerian cities next year, and ramp up hiring in sales, marketing and customer support. Shuttlers operates an app-based platform that lets commuters book seats on scheduled bus routes, offering live bus tracking, optimal routing, digital payments and a subscription feature for recurring rides. The company sells B2B2C, B2B and B2C plans, supplying employers with shared staff transport as well as individual ticketing. Shuttlers claims commuters pay up to 80% less than other ride-hailing services and highlights environmental benefits from reducing cars on the road. Since launching (app revamp in 2019) it reports over 10,000 users, 100+ buses across 30+ routes and 300 stops, more than 2 million trips and over 6,000 tickets sold daily. The founder says the business is profitable while raising this seed round. Shuttlers is planning rapid expansion across Nigeria and into West Africa and Ghana, and has already begun operations in Abuja and acquired a similar player in Ghana.

Led · Equity · Nov 2015

SlimTrader builds an eCommerce engine and infrastructure for businesses — including airlines, hotels and SMEs — to sell across devices and manage offline processes. The company began operations in 2010 after founder Femi Akinde pitched a cross‑device commerce platform to clients such as an airline. Akinde, who previously worked at T‑Mobile and Microsoft and holds an MBA from the University of Chicago, led early product development and customer servicing. SlimTrader focused on servicing customers rather than publicity and emphasizes solving merchants' payment and distribution problems. Early capitalization came from the founder's personal savings and retirement funds and from other team members; Akinde also recounts his mother raiding her retirement account to help the business. The company reached its first external seed round in 2012 and later raised additional institutional capital described in the articles.