Farmshine is a Nairobi based agritech startup founded in 2016 that runs a global agriculture platform where farmers, buyers and service providers can trade on mutually beneficial terms.
Farmshine’s platform connects farmers with the information, suppliers and service providers they need to minimize costs and maximize harvests. Farmshine’s technical field agents provide farmers with advice and support throughout the growing season, helping them to increase crop productivity while practicing climate smart agriculture techniques.
The company’s ultimate objective is to create an efficient market environment in which farmers can earn the highest possible income through a combination of increased crop productivity and higher contract prices for crops.
Investment Rationale
Women are often excluded from the formal economy in Kenya, and it is difficult for them to find better opportunities or higher paying work. Farmshine’s platform enables women, who constitute 70% of its farmers, to receive significantly higher incomes by providing access to completely transparent pricing information before they plant, as well as the freedom to select the buyer they would like to supply to.
In addition to growing more crops and receiving higher prices, women will receive an economic identity and trade history. Farmshine’s app records quantity, quality and timeliness of each harvest sold, as well as loan repayments, trainings received, and other indications of a successful, reliable farmer. Based on this, women will be able to apply for small loans, purchase inputs on credit and access more profitable growing opportunities with the entire agricultural ecosystem in Kenya and beyond
Farmshine’s platform connects farmers with the information, suppliers and service providers they need to minimize costs and maximize harvests. Farmshine’s technical field agents provide farmers with advice and support throughout the growing season, helping them to increase crop productivity while practicing climate smart agriculture techniques.
The company’s ultimate objective is to create an efficient market environment in which farmers can earn the highest possible income through a combination of increased crop productivity and higher contract prices for crops.
Investment Rationale
Women are often excluded from the formal economy in Kenya, and it is difficult for them to find better opportunities or higher paying work. Farmshine’s platform enables women, who constitute 70% of its farmers, to receive significantly higher incomes by providing access to completely transparent pricing information before they plant, as well as the freedom to select the buyer they would like to supply to.
In addition to growing more crops and receiving higher prices, women will receive an economic identity and trade history. Farmshine’s app records quantity, quality and timeliness of each harvest sold, as well as loan repayments, trainings received, and other indications of a successful, reliable farmer. Based on this, women will be able to apply for small loans, purchase inputs on credit and access more profitable growing opportunities with the entire agricultural ecosystem in Kenya and beyond
Total raised: $500K
Investors 1
| Date | Name | Website |
| - | Gray Matte... | graymatter... |
Funding Rounds 2
| Date | Series | Amount | Investors |
| 06.12.2019 | - | $250K | Gray Matte... |
| 05.12.2019 | - | $250K | Gray Matte... |
Mentions in press and media 8
| Date | Title | Description |
| 24.12.2019 | Are these the 10 biggest deals by African tech startups in 2019? | Big money. That’s what African 86 tech startups raised this year. While not every startup wanted to disclose how much they raised, those that did made a ton of it — almost $290-million going on data from 88 venture capital (VC) disclosed d... |
| 24.12.2019 | Are these the 10 biggest deals by African tech startups in 2019? | Big money. That’s what African 86 tech startups raised this year. While not every startup wanted to disclose how much they raised, those that did made a ton of it — almost $290-million going on data from 88 venture capital (VC) disclosed de... |
| 06.12.2019 | 10 African Startups Emerged winners at Seedstars Africa Summit, Farmshine Secures $250,000 Funding to Scale Its Business Model and More | Hi guys! Welcome to the weekend edition of the Big 5 Daily! Enjoy! Big news! Seedstars Africa Regional Competition has announced 10 African startups as winners. The startups now stand a chance to pitch at the Seedstars World Summit in Switz... |
| 06.12.2019 | Farmshine Secures $250,000 Funding to Scale Its Business Model | Farmshine has secured $250,000 to scale its business model. The Nairobi-based agritech startup secured the recent funding from Gray Matters Capital. Farmshine is an agritech startup that aids female subsistence farmers to leverage technolog... |
| 05.12.2019 | Kenyan agritech startup Farmshine raises $250k from Gray Matters Capital’s coLABS | Nairobi-based agritech startup Farmshine has secured a $250 000 investment from US impact investor Gray Matters Capital‘s gender lens sector agnostic portfolio GMC coLABS. Farmshine operates a platform where farmers, buyers and service pro... |
| 05.12.2019 | Kenyan agritech startup Farmshine raises $250k from Gray Matters Capital’s coLABS | Nairobi-based agritech startup Farmshine has secured a $250 000 investment from US impact investor Gray Matters Capital‘s gender lens sector agnostic portfolio GMC coLABS. Farmshine operates a platform where farmers, buyers and service prov... |
| - | Farmshine Secures $250,000 Funding to Scale Its Business Model | Farmshine has secured $250,000 to scale its business model. The Nairobi-based agritech startup secured the recent funding from Gray Matters Capital. Farmshine is an agritech startup that aids female subsistence farmers to leverage technolog... |
| - | 10 African Startups Emerged winners at Seedstars Africa Summit, Farmshine Secures $250,000 Funding to Scale Its Business Model and More | Hi guys! Welcome to the weekend edition of the Big 5 Daily! Enjoy! Big news! Seedstars Africa Regional Competition has announced 10 African startups as winners. The startups now stand a chance to pitch at the Seedstars World Summit in Switz... |