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Kopo Kopo has raised $3.0M across 1 funding round.
Key people at Kopo Kopo.
Kopo Kopo has raised $3.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Kopo Kopo, based in Nairobi, Kenya, provides digital payment solutions, payment aggregation, merchant cash advances, and business intelligence tools to help small and medium businesses accept payments, manage finances, and access credit. The company notably partnered with Safaricom to enable Lipa Na M-Pesa Buy Goods for over 10,000 merchants across Kenya, simplifying operations and supporting growth in emerging markets. Kopo Kopo raised a total of $5.56 million in funding, with Khosla Impact among its lead investors. In August 2023, the firm was acquired by Moniepoint, further extending its operational footprint across Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana, and Tanzania. Founded in 2010, Kopo Kopo has consistently aimed to empower businesses through accessible financial technology. Its business model centers on pay-as-you-go software services and merchant tools, financed by private equity and venture capital from Switzerland and the US.
Kopo Kopo has raised $3.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $3.0M Series A in November 2013.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 1, 2013 | $3M Series A | — | Amara VC, Javelin Venture Partners, Osage University Partners, Plug & Play Ventures, Rick Lewis | Announced |
Key people at Kopo Kopo.
Kopo Kopo has raised $3.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Kopo Kopo's investors include Amara VC, Javelin Venture Partners, Osage University Partners, Plug & Play Ventures, Rick Lewis.
Kopo Kopo is a Kenyan fintech company that builds a merchant services platform enabling small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to accept digital payments, access credit, and use business tools like analytics and bulk payments.[1][2][4][5] It primarily serves merchants in East Africa, solving the problem of cash dependency by integrating with mobile money services such as Safaricom's Lipa Na M-Pesa, providing real-time transaction tracking, secure processing, and working capital via cash advances.[1][3][4][5] The company has shown strong growth, serving over 10,000 merchants in Kenya and expanding to Rwanda and Tanzania, before its acquisition by Moniepoint in August 2023 after raising $5.56M in funding.[1][2]
Kopo Kopo was incorporated in the US in August 2010 and established its Nairobi, Kenya branch in May 2011, with some sources noting a 2012 partnership with Safaricom as a key starting point.[1][2][4] The founders aimed to empower SMBs with simple tools amid Kenya's booming mobile money ecosystem, where M-Pesa dominated but cash still prevailed at points of sale.[3][4] Early traction came from partnering with Safaricom to rollout Lipa Na M-Pesa Buy Goods tills for merchants, quickly scaling to thousands of users and attracting investors like Khosla Impact and Bamboo Finance.[2][4] This focus on simplifying digital adoption for informal businesses marked pivotal moments, leading to regional expansion.[2]
Kopo Kopo rides the wave of Africa's mobile money revolution, particularly in East Africa where platforms like M-Pesa have achieved ubiquity but lagged in merchant adoption.[3] Its timing capitalized on rising digital payment demand post-2010s, amid market forces like high mobile penetration and SMB digitization needs in informal economies.[1][2][3] By bridging mobile money to points of sale and adding value via credit and analytics, it advanced financial inclusion, influencing the ecosystem through partnerships with telcos and scaling tools that empowered thousands of merchants to go cashless.[2][4][5] The 2023 Moniepoint acquisition positions it to expand further, amplifying impact in emerging markets.[1]
Post-acquisition by Moniepoint, Kopo Kopo's platform will likely integrate into larger African fintech networks, accelerating expansion beyond East Africa into markets like Nigeria.[1] Trends such as agentic commerce, biometric payments, and broader digital ID adoption could enhance its tools for SMBs, while rising e-commerce and financial inclusion demands favor its model.[3] Its influence may evolve from regional pioneer to a core component of pan-African payment infrastructure, sustaining momentum for merchants seeking simple, growth-oriented digital solutions—echoing its founding mission to help businesses prosper.[2][4]
