Village Capital has announced the investment of $150,000 in two women-led startups, Rhea Soil Health Management (Rhea) and Regxta. This is facilitated through Standard Chartered’s Women in Tech Financing Facility that seeks to support alumni of Futuremakers by Standard Chartered initiative.
Rhea is a Kenyan agritech startup founded in 2022 that provides affordable and accessible soil testing solutions for farmers. The aim of this is to help smallholder farmers improve yields while also promoting soil health.
“Building a science-driven hardware-software business in Africa’s agritech sector is challenging, especially with the need for continuous R&D and market-driven innovation. Village Capital’s investment will help us finalize the production of our Agripad devices, expand our agent network, and strengthen our impact on smallholder farmers and agronomists across Kenya. The Standard Chartered Women in Tech program equipped us with the tools to scale sustainably and create meaningful results and therefore joining Village Capital’s portfolio, solidifies that foundation, said Priscilla Wakarera, Founder, Rhea.
Regxta on the other hand is a Nigerian startup that is building the first digital bank focusing on 600 million underserved in Africa. It seeks to advance financial inclusion by offering tailored financial services to micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), with a focus on empowering women-owned businesses.
“Village Capital’s investment arrived at a crucial time, enabling us to expand our reach, secure a microfinance banking license, and enter new markets. This support affirms Regxta’s position as a high-impact startup driving poverty reduction, fostering economic growth, and creating sustainable opportunities for underserved communities in Nigeria, said Rukayat Bello, Founder, Regxta.
The Women in Tech Financing Facility shows Village Capital and Standard Chartered’s shared vision of addressing systemic barriers women entrepreneurs face. Gender disparities in accessing capital is still an issue across Africa and facilities like these can help women-led entreprises access capital especially in underserved regions and hopefully scale their solutions.
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