Salesforce Ventures and Female Founders Fund invest $4 million in Kenyan climate-tech startup Amini.

Kenya-based climate-tech startup Amini has secured $4 million in seed funding to bridge the environmental data gap in Africa. The round was led by Salesforce Ventures and the Female Founders Fund, with participation from Climate-tech VCSatgana, Pale Blue Dot, and Superorganism, which had previously backed the startup in its $2 million pre-seed round earlier this year.

Table of Contents

Amini’s Data Aggregation Platform

Amini mainly pulls data from satellites and integrates it with other datasets, including sensor, research, and ground truthing to offer insights on biodiversity, soil or crop health, or to track farming progress and practices (regenerative) like water or fertilizer use. The startup says its platform enables the creation of real-time monitoring tools and ML models to support insights into diverse actions, including flood detection.

CEO Kate Kallot’s Vision

Kate Kallot, Amini founder and CEO, says the data aggregation platform taps artificial intelligence and space technologies to make environmental data on Africa easily accessible, for easier decision making and transparency in supply chains. "What we are building is going to make brands more accountable and do what is right for the people, environment, and planet," Kallot told TechCrunch.

Use Cases and Clients

Its initial clients include enterprises in the agricultural and insurance industries, among them Aon. Amini also has its eyes on food and beverage companies and consumer packaged goods producers that are "aiming to sustainably transform their supply chains" as it doubles down on enabling multinationals to transform their supply chain to regenerative. This comes as new regulations in ‘the U.S and Europe that compel corporations to disclose the climate risks in their supply chains.’

Empowering African Farmers

Amini team.Image Credits:Amini

Kallot says Amini being at the fore of enhancing transparency, data access, and greater economic inclusion for farmers is a "unique opportunity to kickstart positive feedback loops that will transform global food systems." "We want to empower our people. We want to help all these farmers to move from surviving to thriving," said Kallot.

Historical Data and Limitless Use Cases

Amini, which can provide historical data up to 20 years, has limitless use cases, and Kallot is keen on building it into a platform that can be used to build other solutions for the continent. "We’re not just focused on agriculture; we want to make a broader impact on Africa’s development," she emphasized.

A Message from CEO Kate Kallot

"As Amini continues to grow and expand its reach, our mission remains clear: to bridge the environmental data gap in Africa and empower the continent’s farmers and communities. With this new funding, we’re one step closer to achieving our vision of a more sustainable future for all."

Investors’ Comments

"We believe that Amini is at the forefront of a critical movement in Africa – harnessing technology to drive environmental sustainability," said an investor from Salesforce Ventures. "We’re thrilled to support Kate and her team as they continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible with data-driven decision-making."

About Amini

Amini is a Kenya-based climate-tech startup that aims to bridge the environmental data gap in Africa by leveraging artificial intelligence and space technologies. The company has secured $4 million in seed funding from investors including Salesforce Ventures, the Female Founders Fund, Climate-tech VCSatgana, Pale Blue Dot, and Superorganism.