Amini, a climate-tech startup based in Kenya, successfully secured $4 million in a seed funding round. The investment was led by Salesforce Ventures and the Female Founders Fund, with participation from Climate-tech VC Satgana, Pale Blue Dot, and Superorganism. Notably, Superorganism had previously backed Amini in its $2 million pre-seed round earlier in the year. The startup primarily leverages satellite data, integrating it with various datasets, including sensors, research, and ground truthing, to provide valuable insights on biodiversity, soil and crop health, and farming practices such as water and fertilizer use. Amini’s platform facilitates real-time monitoring tools and machine learning models, supporting actions like flood detection. The company’s CEO, Kate Kallot, emphasized the use of artificial intelligence and space technologies to make environmental data in Africa easily accessible for enhanced decision-making and transparency in supply chains. Initial clients include enterprises in agriculture and insurance, with Aon among them.

Why The Investors Invested

Investors committed $4 million to Amini based on a strategic assessment of the startup’s potential impact. The key reasons behind this substantial investment lie in Amini’s pioneering role in bridging the environmental data gap in Africa. The startup’s unique approach of utilizing satellite data and artificial intelligence to address climate-related challenges aligns with the growing global emphasis on sustainability and accountability. Amini’s data aggregation platform holds the promise of making brands more accountable for their environmental practices, providing a tool for measuring progress and ensuring transparency in supply chains. With the increasing regulatory pressure in the U.S. and Europe for corporations to disclose climate risks, investors see Amini as well-positioned to meet these evolving demands. The investment is a strategic move to support a tech-driven solution that not only meets current market needs but also aligns with future trends in sustainability and climate technology.

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A Look at Amini

Amini, founded in Kenya, stands out as a climate-tech startup focused on addressing environmental challenges by bridging data gaps. Kate Kallot, the founder and CEO, previously held tech roles at prominent companies such as Nvidia and Intel. Amini’s primary markets include enterprises in the agricultural and insurance industries, with plans to expand its reach to food and beverage companies and consumer packaged goods producers. The startup aims to transform supply chains to regenerative practices, aligning with emerging regulations that compel corporations to disclose climate risks. Beyond its immediate applications, Amini aspires to be a platform play, providing environmental data for Africa and empowering developers to create innovative solutions. With historical data spanning up to 20 years, Amini envisions a limitless array of use cases, intending to be a catalyst for positive feedback loops that transform global food systems.

Charles Rapulu Udoh

Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer, who has several years of experience working in Africa’s burgeoning tech startup industry. He has closed multi-million dollar deals bordering on venture capital, private equity, intellectual property (trademark, patent or design, etc.), mergers and acquisitions, in countries such as in the Delaware, New York, UK, Singapore, British Virgin Islands, South Africa, Nigeria etc. He’s also a corporate governance and cross-border data privacy and tax expert. 
As an award-winning writer and researcher, he is passionate about telling the African startup story, and is one of the continent’s pioneers in this regard

Amini, a Nairobi-based climate tech startup, has successfully secured $2 million in a pre-seed funding round to support its mission of addressing Africa’s environmental data gap. The funding round attracted significant attention from investors, resulting in an oversubscribed round. The lead investor in this funding round is Pale Blue Dot, a prominent European venture capital firm with a strong focus on climate-related investments. Other notable participants include Superorganism, RaliCap, W3i, Emurgo Kepple Ventures, and a network of angel investors.

Why The Investors Invested:

The decision of Pale Blue Dot, the lead investor, to invest in Amini was driven by the recognition of a critical challenge: the scarcity of high-quality environmental data in Africa. This data gap poses a significant barrier to developing vital climate solutions, such as improving farmer insurance, monitoring climate risks, and optimizing supply chains. Pale Blue Dot was particularly impressed by the ambition and expertise demonstrated by the Amini team. They firmly believe that Amini is uniquely positioned to fill the environmental data gap in Africa and contribute to driving meaningful change in the region.

A Look at What Amini Does:

Amini, a climate tech startup based in Nairobi, Kenya, is dedicated to tackling Africa’s environmental data gap through the innovative use of artificial intelligence (AI) and satellite technology. The founder and CEO of Amini, Kate Kallot, brings a wealth of experience in AI, machine learning, data science, and deep tech roles from renowned companies such as Arm, Intel, and Nvidia. Mwenda Mugendi, Muthoni Karubiu, and Eshani Kaushal, all members of Amini’s executive team, also have extensive expertise in machine learning, data science, geospatial analysis, and fintech, having worked for companies like as Microsoft, NASA, and MTN.

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Amini’s journey began when Kallot’s work presentation on the convergence of natural capital and emerging technologies sparked her fascination with leveraging AI and ML expertise to address Africa’s lack of data infrastructure, particularly in the realm of environmental data.

To address this data gap, Amini has developed a cutting-edge data aggregation platform that seamlessly integrates diverse data sources, including satellite imagery, weather data, sensors, and proprietary customer data. Through advanced processing and unification techniques, Amini’s platform can provide detailed and granular data at the level of a square meter. This comprehensive dataset is then made accessible to both local and international companies through user-friendly APIs.

The capabilities of Amini’s platform are far-reaching. It empowers farmers by offering them crucial data on various aspects, ranging from crop planting and harvesting cycles to precise measurements of water and fertilizer usage. On a broader scale, the platform enables organizations to gain profound insights into the impact of natural disasters, flooding, and drought across the entire African continent. What sets Amini apart is its ability to leverage almost 20 years of historical data, combined with the regular updates produced every two weeks, providing a comprehensive view of the evolving environmental landscape.

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Currently, Amini primarily serves corporations and multinationals operating in the agricultural insurance sector and supply chain monitoring. While specific client names remain undisclosed, Amini is engaged in discussions with major players in the food and beverage industry, as well as one of the world’s largest insurance companies, demonstrating the significant interest in leveraging Amini’s services.

Amini’s platform is a game-changer, particularly in addressing the environmental data gaps faced by organizations operating in Africa. It offers much-needed data transparency and aids companies in meeting international regulations related to carbon emissions, environmental impact, and supply chain processes. Moreover, the scalability of Amini’s platform is a key advantage, as agricultural data collected for insurance purposes can also be leveraged by food and beverage companies and governments seeking a comprehensive understanding of the agricultural impact within their respective countries.

In terms of the business model, Amini operates through a longer sales cycle. International clients gain access to the platform’s API by paying a flat license fee for a two-year period. Local clients enjoy tiered introductory pricing based on a case-by-case basis.

Amini Kenya climate. Amini Kenya climate.

Charles Rapulu Udoh

Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer, who has several years of experience working in Africa’s burgeoning tech startup industry. He has closed multi-million dollar deals bordering on venture capital, private equity, intellectual property (trademark, patent or design, etc.), mergers and acquisitions, in countries such as in the Delaware, New York, UK, Singapore, British Virgin Islands, South Africa, Nigeria etc. He’s also a corporate governance and cross-border data privacy and tax expert. 
As an award-winning writer and researcher, he is passionate about telling the African startup story, and is one of the continent’s pioneers in this regard