Education & Investment Program for Kenya’s Top 1% Entrepreneurs

12 months. $20K equity. Access to $100K working capital. Real workshops, real investors, real growth — in Spring Valley, Nairobi.

Most companies in our Kuzana Investment Program double revenue within 12 months. We work with founders across agri-processing, retail, manufacturing, fintech, logistics, and more — building the next generation of category leaders in Kenya.

Team Image

174%

Avg. annual portfolio growth (Batch 1 & 2)

15

Investments in 2025, most equity investments into Kenyan companies

$20K

Equity investment per company

$100K

Working capital access

Event Highlight Icon

Batch 1 Results 4 Companies Doubled Revenue

When we launched Batch 1, we made a public commitment: if companies didn’t grow by 50% in 6 months, we’d shut down. They didn’t grow 50%—they grew 174% on average. That’s what happens when execution meets the right systems and capital.

1

Avocado / Agri-Export

Raised working capital and set up a Netherlands-registered company — unlocking access to cheaper international debt that was previously unavailable to a Kenya-only structure.

RESULT

Revenue increased 2x. A new export financing channel has opened.

Avocado
2

HealthFood

Customer retention was 35% monthly meaning 65% of customers left. They rebuilt the retention system, bringing retention to 68% monthly. Accounting systems were put in place that let the founder respond to investor due diligence request within 24 hours, resulting in additional Ksh3.5M in capital.

RESULT

Revenue increased 5x. Customer retention doubled (35% → 68%). Ksh3.5M raised. Revenue trajectory stabilised and grew.

HealthFood
3

Soy

Identified capital as the primary growth constraint. Structured the business fundraising business to raise Ksh20M in additional capital, in particular, put in place an accounting system outside investors could trust.

RESULT

Revenue increased 4x Ksh20M raised. Production capacity expanded. Ready to scale.

Soy
4

Animal Feed

Launched the company's first-ever social media advertising — a channel that had never been tried and paired organic growth with Ksh8M in follow-on capital via introduction.

RESULT

Revenue increased 3x New revenue channel via social media ads. Ksh8M follow-on capital. Investor-ready financial systems.

Animal Feed

How Kuzana Helps Businesses Scale Over Time

The gap between the baseline and the top curve isn't luck - it's what the program is built for.

Kuzana Scale Chart

Cumulative portfolio valuation growth across Batch 1 companies — from application to 12 months post-program.

What Founders Say About Kuzana

Straight from the founders themselves – real experiences, real growth.

Dickson Ayuka

Dickson Ayuka

CEO
batch1

If building a startup were World War II, Kuzana would be the guy beside you in the trenches: the kind of investor every founder hopes for.

The one who rolls up their sleeves, opening doors and pushing for execution.

Joy Obuya

Joy Obuya

CEO
batch3

I knew there was demand for micro-customized high-end women's clothes, but I didn't see the expected revenue.

Through the workshops and the community conversations, the blind spots became clear. Kuzana opened my eyes to more intentional selling.

Now, I'm seeing month-on-month growth!

Event Highlight Icon

Kuzana Batch 2 Event
Highlights

After 12 months, Kuzana founders take the stage to present their growth in front of investors, advisors, and the next generation of Kenya's top entrepreneurs.

Apply for the Next Batch

How the Kuzana
Investment Program Works

leaf Only the top 7 companies in Kenya will be accepted. leaf
leaf

Kuzana backs only the top 7 companies in Kenya, keeping the bar high and the batch focused. The process is fast and structured—selected startups move from application to investment in three months.

WE TAKE INSPIRATION FROM:

Warren Buffet

Hold investments for the long term

Montessori & Waldorf

hands-on education

Africa Eats

going public in Mauritius in 7 years

a16z

the best investor is founder-friendly and provides much more value than money.

YCombinator

when you put ambitious people together they bloom like dying plants given water.

A. THE PROCESS

01

Step 1 - Apply

(5-min online form)
Decision in 2 weeks

02

Step 2 - Join the Cohort

12 Friday workshops in
Spring Valley, Nairobi

03

Step 3 - Receive Investment

$20k equity + access to
$100k working capital

B. WHAT'S INCLUDE

$20k equity investment + follow-on up to $100k

12 months of expert-led Friday Kuzana entrepreneur workshops

Monthly Strategy Board

Sales coaching + operations optimization

Accounting for 12 months

Zoho Books accounting software

Know a founder who fits that standard? Share a personalized referral link and earn up to Ksh 50,000 if it's accepted.

Eligibility Criteria for the
Kuzana Program

  • Ksh400k-20m monthly revenue
  • Scalable business like agri-processing, retail, manufacturing, FinTech, logistics and more
  • 3 months to 5 years old, usually
  • Ambition to be bigger than Bidco or Kakuzi. CEO needs the skills and ambition to grow to Ksh100m monthly revenue
  • Operating in Kenya
Kuzana Program Meeting

Why Join the Kuzana
Entrepreneurs Program

Most founders plateau not because they lack ambition — but because they lack the right systems, advisors, and peers. Kuzana fixes all three.

Timeline Dot

Double Your Revenue in 12 months

Most founders already know what's working. Kuzana gives you the clarity, capital, and support to go all in on it.

Growth doesn't come from doing more — it comes from doing less: do the thing that's actually working and stop doing the things you're afraid to admit aren't
Timeline Dot

Professionalise - Stop Looking Over Your Shoulder

Compliance with KRA so you don't go to jail. Operational systems so you can relax in Diani beach and staff don't call you with their problems.

What got you here won't get you there.
Timeline Dot

Community - Like a Chama for High Performers

Great founders make each other stronger. You're the average of your 5 closest friends.

When you put ambitious people together they bloom like dying plants given water
Timeline Dot

Focus - Strategy Is How You Say No

Strategy is a fancy way of saying "no" to most things. What will you become the best at so you can become the next Kakuzi or BidCo?

The cheetah that chases 2 gazelles catches none.
Timeline Dot

What You'll Learn at the
Kuzana Entrepreneur Workshops

Each Friday workshop in the Kuzana Investment Program covers one high-impact business topic — taught by operators who have built real companies in Kenya. These are not theory sessions. Every workshop is designed to give founders the CEO mindset, startup systems, and growth strategies they need to double revenue in 12 months.

CEO Mindset Icon

CEO Mindset for Founders

Learn how to think like a CEO and identify the real bottlenecks in your business. This workshop builds the startup leadership skills founders need to move from operator to owner — developing the CEO mindset and leadership for founders that drives real, sustainable growth.

Branding Icon

Branding for Startups

Build a brand that makes your product sell itself and attracts the right customers. This workshop covers startup branding and brand strategy — practical tools to help entrepreneurs build a brand that drives demand and turns a good product into a category leader.

Sales Icon

Sales for Entrepreneurs

Turn customers into your best investors by mastering high-conversion sales strategies. This sales training for entrepreneurs covers startup sales from first conversation to close — giving founders the confidence and systems to consistently sell their product.

Customer Experience Icon

Customer Experience & Retention

Design systems that drive repeat sales and long-term customer loyalty. This workshop focuses on customer experience strategy and customer retention — building the processes that keep customers coming back and grow revenue without constantly chasing new leads.

Operations Icon

Startup Operations & Systems

Map every step of your business to create scalable and efficient operations. This workshop builds the startup systems and business operations frameworks founders need to grow without becoming the bottleneck — and to optimise every process for speed, quality, and scale.

HR Icon

Human Resources for Startups

Build systems for hiring, managing, and retaining a high-performing team. This workshop covers HR for startups — giving founders the hiring systems and team management tools to recruit the right people and build a culture that keeps them.

Public Speaking Icon

Public Speaking & Storytelling for Founders

Learn how to tell powerful stories that win customers, investors, and attention. This workshop develops public speaking and storytelling for business — sharpening the pitching skills every founder needs to communicate their vision and get the room on their side.

Finance Icon

Finance for Founders

Understand your numbers and steer your business like a captain, not a passenger. This startup finance workshop builds real financial literacy for founders — covering cash flow management, financial decision-making, and the numbers every entrepreneur in Kenya needs to know to grow with confidence.

About Us

Kuzana is a made-up word that, in Swahili, sounds like 'to help each other grow.' Our goal is to mint 1,000 more dollar millionaire$ by 2040, because capitalism is the greatest tool for good ever invented.

We only accept smart money from value-add investors. Kuzana's founders have previously run a biogas business, a Thai restaurant, an outsourced CFO agency, a microfinance institution, tech platforms, and a farming business. We've sat in the same chair you're sitting in.

We partner with you permanently — unless you want us to exit. We plan to go public in a few years, as Africa Eats did on the SEM Exchange in Mauritius.

aboutus
Event Highlight Icon

Meet the Team Behind Kuzana

Kyle Schutter

Kyle Schutter

CEO

Farhan Qureshi

Farhan Qureshi

co-Director

Felicity Sangona

Felicity Sangona

Executive Assistant

Ready to Build the Next Bidco?

Only 7 companies are selected each cycle — if you’re serious about scaling, this is where it happens.

Become a workshop leader or strategy board member. Email us at info@kuzana.co

Apply to the Kuzana Investment Program