Zanifu, a Kenyan fintech focused on working-capital loans for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), has secured an investment from Yango Ventures as it eyes expansion across the African continent.
Zanifu is the second Kenyan firm after BuuPass to receive Yango Ventures funding. In May, Kenya’s BuuPass raised undisclsoed funding from Yango Group’s Yango Ventures for growth.
In an earlier statement published on TechMoran, Daniil Shuleyko, CEO of Yango Group said, “Through Yango Ventures, we’re sharing our expertise and network to help startups scale, thrive, and drive meaningful change in their communities. Our mission is simple: let people grow with us. By supporting local talent with the right tools and resources, we aim to foster sustainable business growth and contribute to resilient, inclusive economies across the globe.”
Since launching, Zanifu has deployed over $60 million in credit to more than 15,000 businesses, and has reached breakeven for two consecutive months—rare milestones in Africa’s nascent embedded-lending space.
With this new capital and strategic support from Yango Ventures, the company plans to deepen its coverage in East Africa while exploring selective entries into new markets. Its model—leveraging real-time data for underwriting and embedding lending at the point of commerce—positions it to serve a large addressable market in which traditional banks have largely overlooked micro-retailers.
The SME credit gap in emerging markets remains massive: conservative estimates put it in the trillions of U.S. dollars. For Zanifu, scaling responsibly—balancing growth with credit quality—is the key to capturing that opportunity.
Co-founders Steve Biko and Sebastian Mithika say the funding will support product development, talent acquisition, and regional expansion. With the backing of Yango Ventures, Zanifu is poised to accelerate its mission of building financial infrastructure from the ground up.
Launched in March 2025, Yango Ventures is a $20 million corporate venture fund to invest in promising startups across LATAM, Sub-Saharan Africa and MENAP. Yango Ventures aims to foster local innovation and entrepreneurial growth by providing both capital and leveraging its extensive experience and network, creating opportunities for startups to scale effectively.
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