15 agtech investors back Nairobi startups in 2026. Novastar, TLcom, and Acumen fund farms and food chains. Agriculture is about 22% of Kenya's GDP.
Agriculture feeds Kenya and employs millions of people. Nairobi agtech startups raise to fix the food chain.
Novastar and TLcom back the bigger agri-food rounds. Equator and Catalyst fund many of the early teams.
These funds want real yield gains and strong margins. Ellty tracks every open when you share your deck.
This guide lists 15 active Nairobi agtech investors.
| Type | Check size | Sector focus | Website | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Novastar Ventures | Seed / Series A VC | $1M-$8M | Agtech, agri-logistics, food | novastarventures.com |
| TLcom Capital | Seed / Series A/B VC | $500K-$10M | Agtech, agri-insurance | tlcom.co.uk |
| Acumen / ARAF | Climate agri impact fund | $1M-$5M | Climate-resilient agtech | acumen.org |
| Mercy Corps Ventures | Impact fund | $250K-$1M | Agtech, climate, food | mercycorps.org |
| DOB Equity | Seed / Series A/B VC | $500K-$5M | Agri-food, logistics | dobequity.nl |
| Equator | Seed / Series A VC | $500K-$5M | Agtech, climate, energy | equator.vc |
| Goodwell Investments | Seed / Series A fund | $500K-$4M | Agri-food, fintech | goodwell.nl |
| Catalyst Fund | Pre-seed climate VC | $100K-$500K | Agtech, climate tech | thecatalystfund.com |
| Global Ventures | Series A/B VC | $1M-$10M | Agtech, fintech, health | global.vc |
| Mirova SunFunder | Climate debt investor | $1M-$15M | Agri-solar, energy | mirova.com |
| AgDevCo | Agri impact investor | $1M-$10M | Agribusiness, value chains | agdevco.com |
| Renew Capital | Seed / Series A VC | $250K-$2M | Agtech, SaaS, fintech | renewcapital.com |
| Enza Capital | Pre-seed to Series A VC | $250K-$2M | Agtech, fintech, logistics | enza.vc |
| IFC | Growth / fund LP | $2M-$50M+ | Agri-food, agri-insurance | ifc.org |
| BlueOrchard | Series B / growth | $2M-$20M | Agri-insurance, climate | blueorchard.com |
Run your Nairobi agtech raise tight
Agri funds open your yield and margin data right away. Ellty logs every view in your data room.
Start free 14-day trialWhat a Nairobi agtech investor backs
An agtech investor backs farms, inputs, and food chains. In Kenya that means yield gains and real margins.
Most write seed and growth into Kenyan agri-food. Many Lagos agtech investors back Kenyan deals too.
They study your unit economics, yield, and offtake. Strong sales traction keeps the whole round tight.
Ellty gives each fund one trackable link to your data room. You see who studied your numbers before the first call.
Agriculture is particularly vulnerable to the changing climate. And farmers are confused in an unpredictable environment.
15 Nairobi agtech investors
1. Novastar Ventures
Novastar is an Africa VC backing inclusive growth firms.
Recent Activity: Closed a $147M third fund in 2026, backed iProcure and Twiga
LinkedIn: Novastar Ventures LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Agtech, agri-logistics, food
Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
Check Size: $1M-$8M
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Website: novastarventures.com
2. TLcom Capital
TLcom Capital is a pan-African VC with a Nairobi office.
Recent Activity: Led Pula's Series A, an early backer of Twiga Foods
LinkedIn: TLcom Capital LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Agtech, agri-insurance
Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
Check Size: $500K-$10M
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Website: tlcom.co.uk
3. Acumen / ARAF
ARAF is an Acumen climate-resilient agriculture fund.
Recent Activity: Backed SunCulture and Victory Farms in Kenya
LinkedIn: Acumen LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Climate-resilient agtech
Stage Focus: Seed, Series B
Check Size: $1M-$5M
Location: Nairobi / New York
Website: acumen.org
4. Mercy Corps Ventures
Mercy Corps Ventures is the Mercy Corps impact VC arm.
Recent Activity: Co-invested in Kenya's Stable Foods, ran a 2025 agri accelerator
LinkedIn: Mercy Corps Ventures LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Agtech, climate, food
Stage Focus: Pre-seed, Seed
Check Size: $250K-$1M
Location: Nairobi / Portland
Website: mercycorps.org
5. DOB Equity
DOB Equity is a Dutch evergreen impact investor in East Africa.
Recent Activity: An investor in Twiga Foods and Victory Farms
LinkedIn: DOB Equity LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Agri-food, logistics
Stage Focus: Seed, Series B
Check Size: $500K-$5M
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Website: dobequity.nl
Share your yield data and track every agri fund
Ellty shows when Novastar or Acumen opens your data room. Follow up at the right time.
Start free 14-day trial6. Equator
Equator is a sub-Saharan climate-tech VC out of Nairobi.
Recent Activity: Closed a $55M fund in 2025, backed SunCulture
LinkedIn: Equator LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Agtech, climate, energy
Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
Check Size: $500K-$5M
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Website: equator.vc
7. Goodwell Investments
Goodwell is an impact investor in African food and agri.
Recent Activity: An active East African agri-food and inclusion backer
LinkedIn: Goodwell Investments LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Agri-food, fintech
Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
Check Size: $500K-$4M
Location: Nairobi / Amsterdam
Website: goodwell.nl
8. Catalyst Fund
Catalyst Fund is an early-stage African climate-tech VC.
Recent Activity: An active African agtech and climate-resilience backer
LinkedIn: Catalyst Fund LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Agtech, climate tech
Stage Focus: Pre-seed, Seed
Check Size: $100K-$500K
Location: Nairobi / London
Website: thecatalystfund.com
9. Global Ventures
Global Ventures is a MENA and Africa emerging-market VC.
Recent Activity: An investor in Apollo Agriculture, an active Kenyan agtech backer
LinkedIn: Global Ventures LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Agtech, fintech, health
Stage Focus: Series A, Series B
Check Size: $1M-$10M
Location: Dubai / Africa-active
Website: global.vc
10. Mirova SunFunder
Mirova SunFunder is a climate and energy debt investor.
Recent Activity: Finances solar irrigation and agri-energy across Kenya
LinkedIn: Mirova SunFunder LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Agri-solar, energy
Stage Focus: Growth, debt
Check Size: $1M-$15M
Location: Nairobi / Paris
Website: mirova.com
11. AgDevCo
AgDevCo is a specialist sub-Saharan agriculture investor.
Recent Activity: An active East African agribusiness and value-chain investor
LinkedIn: AgDevCo LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Agribusiness, value chains
Stage Focus: Growth, debt and equity
Check Size: $1M-$10M
Location: Nairobi / London
Website: agdevco.com
12. Renew Capital
Renew Capital is an Africa-focused investment firm.
Recent Activity: An active African agtech and tech-enabled SME backer
LinkedIn: Renew Capital LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Agtech, SaaS, fintech
Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
Check Size: $250K-$2M
Location: Nairobi / Addis Ababa
Website: renewcapital.com
13. Enza Capital
Enza Capital is an early-stage African technology VC.
Recent Activity: An active Kenyan agtech and tech-enabled startup backer
LinkedIn: Enza Capital LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Agtech, fintech, logistics
Stage Focus: Pre-seed, Series A
Check Size: $250K-$2M
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Website: enza.vc
14. IFC
IFC is the World Bank's private-sector development arm.
Recent Activity: Joined Pula's $20M Series B, an investor in Twiga Foods
LinkedIn: IFC LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Agri-food, agri-insurance
Stage Focus: Growth
Check Size: $2M-$50M+
Location: Nairobi / Washington DC
Website: ifc.org
15. BlueOrchard
BlueOrchard is a Schroders impact asset manager.
Recent Activity: Led Pula's $20M Series B via its climate strategy
LinkedIn: BlueOrchard LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Agri-insurance, climate
Stage Focus: Series B, growth
Check Size: $2M-$20M
Location: Nairobi / Zurich
Website: blueorchard.com
Smallholder and digital farming
Kenya runs on its millions of smallholder farmers. Apollo and iProcure both serve them at real scale.
Funds want real offtake and a clear path to scale. A thin single pilot will rarely raise a full round.
Show your yields, offtake, and unit costs clearly. Tidy investor relations build quick, lasting trust.
Run commercial due diligence on your market early. Ellty logs exactly who opened each file and when.
Livestock and dairy tech
Livestock and dairy are huge all across rural Kenya. DigiCow and others now digitise that whole market.
Funds want proof your tech lifts yields and income. Real, hard farmer data wins you these agri rounds.
Keep your farmer and herd data locked and quite clean. Strong security on shared files builds quick trust.
Sloppy farmer data scares off most agri investors. Ellty shows you who read each file and exactly when.
Climate and crop insurance
Climate shocks hit Kenyan farmers harder each year. Pula now insures them against the very worst seasons.
Many funds here have a clear climate or impact lens. Real farm outcomes matter just as much as returns.
Track your impact and reporting in one clean place. Use investor update software to stay sharp and clear.
Run environmental due diligence on each new project. Ellty tracks who reads each file you share with funds.
How to pitch a Nairobi agtech investor
Lead with yield, offtake, and clean unit costs.
- 1.Show real yield gains and signed offtake.Agri funds fund traction, not just plans.
- 2.Prove a cheap, scalable supply model.Spoilage and cost decide most rounds.
- 3.Share one Ellty link to your data room.Track who opens it and which files.
- 4.Follow up the moment a fund digs in.Ellty tells you exactly when they do.
How Ellty helps you land an agtech investor in Nairobi
You've shortlisted your Nairobi agtech investors already. Set up a data room before the first call.
- 1.Upload your yield data, model, and deck.Set access per fund or per partner.
- 2.Share one trackable link with each fund.Each fund gets its own tracked link.
- 3.Watch opens and follow up at the right time.Use Ellty analytics to time each nudge.
Nairobi agtech investor questions
- Novastar and TLcom lead in agri. Equator and Catalyst back early teams.
- Cheques run $100K to $20M in 2026. Agri funds write much larger ones.
- Real yield gains and signed offtake. Clean unit costs matter most here.
- Farming is about 22% of GDP. Millions of smallholders need better tools.
- Yes, Acumen and Mercy Corps do. They weigh impact and returns together.
- Before the first agtech call. Track who opens your yield data.
