Y Combinator (YC) is one of the leading startup accelerators in the world. Founded in 2005, this tech startup accelerator has invested in over 5000 companies that have a combined valuation of over $600 billion.
YC invests in startups in all corners of the world including Kenya. The latest investment in a Kenyan startup was about 2 weeks ago when it invested $500,000 in Triply, the Kenya travel tech startup. With this investment, I thought I should check out some of the other Kenyan startups it has invested in over the years. I was actually surprised to find out that YC has invested in only 10 Kenyan startups. This is dwarfed by Nigeria where the accelerator has invested in 45 startups.
Below are all the Kenyans startups that have been part of YC.
Kenyan Based Startups That Have been part of Y Combinator
Y Combinator (YC) is one of the leading startup accelerators in the world. Founded in 2005, this tech startup accelerator has invested in over 5000 companies that have a combined valuation of over $600 billion.
YC invests in startups in all corners of the world including Kenya. The latest investment in a Kenyan startup was about 2 weeks ago when it invested $500,000 in Triply, the Kenya travel tech startup. With this investment, I thought I should check out some of the other Kenyan startups it has invested in over the years. I was actually surprised to find out that YC has invested in only 10 Kenyan startups. This is dwarfed by Nigeria where the startup has invested in 45 startups.
Below are all the Kenyans startups that have been part of YC.
Triply helps travel businesses collect payments and automate their operations. It was founded in 2021 and also lists the businesses on its marketplace with the aim of bridging the needs gap in the local travel market.
It was founded in 2021 and was part of YC Winter 2024 Batch.
Eden Care
Eden Care is a startup building a digital health insurer for employers in Africa. It designs, underwrites, distributes, and manages group health insurance plans in Africa.
Eden Care started operations in 2021 and was part of YC Summer 2023 Batch.
Patika
Patika helps small businesses in Africa to collect the 35% of their revenue that is not paid upfront. It automates previously manual processes like debt repayment reminders, billing, payments and reconciliations.
Patika was founded in 2021 and was part of YC Summer 2022 Batch.
Nash
Nash is an all in one finance platform that enables finance teams to manage all their finance flows in one place and craft their money flow experiences globally.
Nash was founded in 2021 and was part of YC Winter 2022 Batch.
Boya
Boya instantly issues Visa cards to sales and marketing teams to get real-time visibility and control over their spending.
Boya was founded in 2021 and was part of YC Winter 2022.
Fingo Africa
Fingo Africa is a fintech startup that provides digital banking services for youth.
It was founded in 2020 and was part of YC Summer 2021.
Kidato
Kidato offers live online academic and after school classes for kids, ages 4 to 18.
It was founded in 2020 and was part of YC Winter 2021 Batch.
MarketForce
MarketForce makes it easier for neighbourhood merchants in Africa to source, order and pay for inventory digitally and conveniently, access a banking wallet with credit facilities, collect digital payments and earn extra income by offering agency baking services and reselling digital financial services such as airtime, electricity tokens and bill payments in their communities.
It was founded in 2020 and was part of YC Summer 2020 Batch.
WorkPay
WorkPay provides SMBs in Africa with tools for time tracking, payroll processing, and salary disbursement to banks and mobile wallets.
Founded in 2018, it was part of YC Winter 2020 Batch.
Saida
Saida was the first Kenyan startup to join YC combinator. The startup isn’t active anymore and is the only one on the list that is inactive.
Founded in 2015, it was part of YC Combinator Summer 2015.
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