Project NINJA: Scaling Climate-Tech Innovation in Kenya and Beyond- Pitch & Investor Networking Reception.

On 19th June 2025, innovation and resilience were on full display at the Scaling Climate-Tech Innovation in Kenya and Beyond - Pitch & Investor Networking Reception .

Co-hosted by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Factor[E], Delta40 Venture Studio, and Novastar Ventures, the afternoon was a powerful demonstration of how Kenya's groundbreaking climate-tech ventures are not just navigating the unique challenges of building businesses in Africa, but are actively shaping a sustainable future. We were honored to welcome leading Japanese conglomerates—including Mitsubishi, Toyota Tsusho, Mitsui, Marubeni, and Sojitz—who are exploring opportunities in Kenya’s tech ecosystem. The session was also opened by the Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA), a strong indication of public sector support for local innovation.
The event showcased five visionary Kenyan ventures tackling some of Africa’s biggest climate challenges with bold, practical solutions. We’re deeply grateful to these founders and operators for sharing their work with us including:

• Farm to Feed (presented by Co-Founder and CEO Claire van Enk), which is turning food loss into opportunity by aggregating imperfect and surplus produce- addressing the 50% of fruits and vegetables that never reach the market.
• IBISA Network (led by Founder, Maria Mateo Iborra, and presented by Director of Programs Wycliffe Kiplagat). IBISA is building resilience for the 6-7.5 million smallholder farmers in Kenya by unlocking crucial access to climate insurance and adaptation tools.
• VunaPay (presented by Co-Founder & CEO Gatwiri Njogu-Mokaya), which is empowering smallholder farmers by enabling instant mobile payments upon delivery of produce- eliminating delays, digitizing transactions, and unlocking financial services for smallholders.
• Octavia Carbon (presented by Founder & CEO Martin Freimüller) which is the Global South’s first Direct Air Capture (DAC) company, leveraging Kenya’s renewable energy and geology to remove CO₂ from the atmosphere, and helping position Africa as a climate-tech leader.
• Sistema.bio (led by Alexander Eaton and presented by Global Impact Partnerships Manager Verena Bruegelmann), which is offering more than just a clean cooking solution; their bioenergy innovation is a life-saving intervention combating indoor air pollution, which tragically claims over 23,000 lives in Kenya annually and around 700,000 across Africa.

The collective message was clear: Africa’s path to climate resilience depends on scaling solutions in energy, food, clean cooking, and carbon removal.
This event also served as a prelude to Project NINJA: Scaling Climate-Tech Innovation in Kenya and Beyond, a six-week venture acceleration and mentorship initiative designed to prepare high-potential companies for further growth and investment. Project NINJA is a part of the Startup Ecosystem Enhancement Project in East Africa which is expected to kick off in August, 2025.

Thank you to all who participated and continue to champion climate action in Africa and across the globe!