Yango Ventures, the corporate VC arm of global tech-company Yango, has made its second investment from its newly launched $20 million fund, backing the Kenyan SME-fintech Zanifu in its mission to unlock working-capital financing for small and medium-sized enterprises.
Zanifu, co-founded by Steve Biko and Sebastian Mithika, provides short-term inventory and working-capital loans (often up to about US$2,000) to small retailers and distributors. The loans are embedded in supplier and point-of-sale networks, making access easier for merchants traditionally excluded from formal banking credit due to lack of collateral or thin credit history. The fintech has already disbursed more than US$60 million in financing across 15,000+ SMEs in its operating regions. Recently, Zanifu achieved breakeven for two consecutive months, signaling strong unit economics amid difficult credit-market conditions.
While the precise size of Yango Ventures’ capital injection into Zanifu has not been disclosed, it forms part of the deployment from its new US$20 million fund.
Yango Ventures’ fund, launched in 2025, focuses on early-stage startups across fintech, B2B SaaS, and e-commerce enablement, particularly in markets where Yango already has operational presence.
The backing provides more than capital: it brings strategic support, scaling capacity, and potential expansions into new markets. Zanifu intends to deepen its product stack, widen distribution partnerships, and enter additional African markets.
SMEs in Africa often face severe gaps in operational credit access. Traditional banks require collateral and formal credit history, which many small businesses lack. Zanifu’s model leveraging supply-chain and POS data offers a credible alternative. Achieving breakeven in two straight months in a tough financing climate adds credibility and may attract more investors focused on profitability, not just growth metrics.
For Yango Ventures, this move reinforces its thesis that fintech and commerce-enabling financial infrastructure are key levers for economic inclusion in Africa. Being a fund tied to a tech operator means more tools than purely financial ones can be deployed: tech integrations, cross-market insights, and networks.
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